These are my 5 turtles:
Two 7" female RES about 8 years old
One 4" RES (Most likely female) Will be 2 in March
One 3-3.5" RES (Maybe female but still small to be sure) Will be 2 in March
One 4" Male Eastern Painted Turtle (Full grown) 15 years old
My 2 7" females are my first turtles. I've had them since they were hatchings. A friend of mine that was moving gave me the Painted turtle. He was housed with a much larger RES that chewed on his shell and deprived him of food. He was very sickly (my friend thought he was blind and that was why he wasn't getting food). They were all in the same tank until the 2 RES began outgrowing him. I separated them from him (the painted) and he had his own tank. Almost a year ago I was given 2 more RES that were found in the lake near my house. Since they are not native to my state I thought it would be better to take them. After having them in a third tank (1 for the 2 large females, 1 for my painted, & one for these 2 new ones) for a year I decided it was safe to put them with the larger Painted turtle (he was 4" and they were 2ish") Well almost 2 years have passed and now the 2 new ones (RES) are approaching the Painted's size but they are not near the size of the 2 larger females. What size do my 2 little RES have to be in order to put them safely with the 2 large females? On average around how much more time will it take for my 2 small RES to grow to a size where they can be safely put with the 2 large females? What is the minimum size tank for keeping these 5 turtles together? I know the bigger the better, and will most likely buy a tank a little large than the minimum.
Additional details: (Not sure if they matter for this topic but just encase):
My tanks are set for 76 degrees.
They are both over filtered and I do 100% water changes weekly.
There is a male convict cichlid in each tank. They are both around 3 or 4 inches and have been in the tanks (one with the 3 small turtles and 1 with the 2 large females) for over a year. The large females (mostly one of them) has the most interest in the convict and tries to chase it if he (the convict) gets close to her face. In the other tank with the little turtles the convict swims with the turtles and defends a territory (bites the snout of the turtle) instead of out swimming them like the convict in the other tank does.
They all use floating docks.
Two 7" female RES about 8 years old
One 4" RES (Most likely female) Will be 2 in March
One 3-3.5" RES (Maybe female but still small to be sure) Will be 2 in March
One 4" Male Eastern Painted Turtle (Full grown) 15 years old
My 2 7" females are my first turtles. I've had them since they were hatchings. A friend of mine that was moving gave me the Painted turtle. He was housed with a much larger RES that chewed on his shell and deprived him of food. He was very sickly (my friend thought he was blind and that was why he wasn't getting food). They were all in the same tank until the 2 RES began outgrowing him. I separated them from him (the painted) and he had his own tank. Almost a year ago I was given 2 more RES that were found in the lake near my house. Since they are not native to my state I thought it would be better to take them. After having them in a third tank (1 for the 2 large females, 1 for my painted, & one for these 2 new ones) for a year I decided it was safe to put them with the larger Painted turtle (he was 4" and they were 2ish") Well almost 2 years have passed and now the 2 new ones (RES) are approaching the Painted's size but they are not near the size of the 2 larger females. What size do my 2 little RES have to be in order to put them safely with the 2 large females? On average around how much more time will it take for my 2 small RES to grow to a size where they can be safely put with the 2 large females? What is the minimum size tank for keeping these 5 turtles together? I know the bigger the better, and will most likely buy a tank a little large than the minimum.
Additional details: (Not sure if they matter for this topic but just encase):
My tanks are set for 76 degrees.
They are both over filtered and I do 100% water changes weekly.
There is a male convict cichlid in each tank. They are both around 3 or 4 inches and have been in the tanks (one with the 3 small turtles and 1 with the 2 large females) for over a year. The large females (mostly one of them) has the most interest in the convict and tries to chase it if he (the convict) gets close to her face. In the other tank with the little turtles the convict swims with the turtles and defends a territory (bites the snout of the turtle) instead of out swimming them like the convict in the other tank does.
They all use floating docks.
