red ear slider help

[MChorse13]

im rescuing some turtles 2marrow and i have a few questions
1 do they need a uvb/uva bulb???

2 will said bulb melt acrylic???

3 will a 20 gallon long work for 2 its all i have free and from what i hear they are about 5'' ???

4 do i need to filter the water if i do a water change every couple days??

5 will an emperor 280 work???

6 what should i feed them besides turtle food like repto mini

7 if i upgraded tank later to something like 4-5 feet long 2-3 feet wide mayb 3 feet tall can i put something badass like a t-rex in there (joking) but seriously maybe a jack Dempsey or fw lionfish if it was filled halfway??

thanks in advanced -eddie

 

[paul112]

Wow okay, that's a lot of questions considering you've taken it upon yourself to rescue them, are you sure you're ready to do this? What kind of setup are they currently in?

1. Young sliders will do a lot better with a UVB bulb of 5% or more. If the bulb doesn't say it emits UVB, then it doesn't. This can be quite costly, as the bulbs aren't cheap. Vitamin D3 can be supplemented in the diet as an alternative, I personally use Reptomin Pellets to feed my slider which seems to have a good quantity of D3 in.

2. Aswell as a possible UVB bulb (which doesn't give off very much heat), you will definately need a basking light (a regular household spotlight will do, 60W or so) to provide heat for them to bask under. This should be positioned above a structure in the tank that is out of the water where they can climb up and completely dry off.

3. The general rule for turtles is 10G of water per inch of turtle, so for 2x 5" turtles, a 100G tank would be an ideal scenario. A 20G will suffice in the short term permitting it is kept very clean, but you will need to upgrade to something much bigger. Again, are you sure you want to take this on?

4. Cleaning the water every couple of days is a short term solution, but you will probably not keep this up in the long run. Try to get a filter rated for a tank twice the size of yours, as turtles are very messy animals.

5. I'm not familiar with that filter, but again, get one that's rated for double your tank.

6. I wrote an article on this a while ago, you can find it here.

7. Turtles should really be kept my themselves. They do not mix well with fix, and this is especially true for sliders. Fish are part of their natural diet, and you will notice that they have chunks missing before long.

If you're serious about rescuing them, look into buying some cheap storage tubs, such as 50G rubbermaids. They are cheap, and will work as a larger enclosure even if they don't look as attractive as an aquarium. They will also be easier to clean.

Paul

 

[MChorse13]

thanks for the advice. its not that i want to take this on but from what my friend told me his brother has one i a box and the other in a pot i just couldnt let them stay in that i dont think they will survive long in that i couldnt say no to taking them . i think what i have is a major improvement from that right??? i like the idea of the rubber maids but i really dont thave the room for two can i pull it off with one? how high would you recommend i fill it with water two thirds of the way up??

 

[paul112]

In that case, I would get a large rubbermaid, with a water heater to keep the water at 27'C, and fix a spotlight over some rocks at one end where they can get out and bask. Without warm temps, they will catch pneumonia like respiratory infections.

That setup would be pretty simplistic, and aslong as you do frequent water changes, should work for the time being.

Paul

 

[zabelkid]

They need a big tank, or rubber maid container is just as good. Proper filtration is a must, turtles deficate in the same water they drink, a basking area is a must, they need to dry off and digest there food. and water heating is a must, but that is usually easy. as the turtles get bigger you will have to upgrade to a bigger and bigger tank, for every inch of length they should have 10 gallons of tank. so now you need 100 gallon tank. if you got a 100 gallon tank that will be out grown also. So think long term do the hours of research and good luck this site helps alot. http://www.redearslider.com/ remember if youre not fully commited the turtles will be in bad health for years before they die sometimes, and to me that is worse than a fast death. sorry for the bluntness but it is serious work, good luck.