Highly Confused Newbie

[leahmapes]

I have to say..this forum is very informative and I have been reading all afternoon..but I still have questions..perhaps I need to read more, or if I could get some answers that would be awesome.
I just got 3 RES at the beginning of the month, and I have them set up in a 36(ish) gallon tank. I have some rocks/stones/bricks in the tank and a way for them to climb out of the water onto them. I stopped at a local petshop and they advised me NOT to use sand in the tank and NOT to use greens. They also told me all I would need is a heating bulb (black) which I bought from them, pellet food, and some dried shrimps. I was told that I wouldn't need a filter system as long as I changed the water every week. They also said the heat lamp would be sufficient for basking and water temp.
Here are my questions. Was this pet store even remotely close to knowing what they were talking about? I have been youtubing and stalking this forum and I feel like I was completely misdirected.
--Should I have more than just the black heat lamp
--How much water should i use? (right now it's less than 6 inches deep)
--Will they eat outside of their tank? (for cleanliness)
--Can I put fake greenery in the tank?
--Can I use tap water? (right now, I am..but I'm filtering it to be safe..I live in the country and it's well water without chlorine, but I think it's pretty high in iron.)
--What should the water temp be? I have read varying information..right now I'm sitting around 76 degrees.
--How soon can I tell if they are male or female? I don't know what to name them..I don't want to call one Stanley and find out she's a Stella, or visa versa.. poor baby would be confused forever!

Thanks for reading this novel and any input you have!!

*L*[/font]

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Leah and welcome to the Forum!

When I have water turtles in the house, I will feed them in a dish pan and not in their tank. This keeps the tank clean longer. But turtles must be in water in order to swallow.

They need a light shining over their "beach." I don't think a black light is necessary, but a regular 100 watt bulb over the beach would be fine.

You want enough water so that if they should end up on their back they have enough room to turn over. 6" sound about right.

Fake greenery would be ok.

I've always used tap water.

76 degrees is fine, and if it gets colder than that you'll need a water heater. They climb out and sit under the light to warm up.

You won't be able to tell the males until they're almost grown.

 

[leahmapes]

Thank you so much! I'm excited to give these babies a home they'll love! I'll be sure to post pictures when everything is set up this weekend!

 

[Moozillion]

They sure are cute!

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They sure are cute! And you sound like you're going to be a GREAT turtle parent!

 

[wellington]

They need a UVB light and a 30 gallon tank will not last them long. I would get a mercury vapor bulb for the basking light, it will give light, UVB and heat.

 

[adamlikesbananas]

RES's get very large (7 to 12 inches long) and a turtle requires 10 gallons of water per inch of shell so you should either be looking for a 300 gallon tank for all of them together or a 100 gallon for each of them.

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Cute turtle btw

 

[theTurtleRoom]

I have some rocks/stones/bricks in the tank and a way for them to climb out of the water onto them.

This is not a good way to create a basking area, especially for young turtles. They are stronger than you think and COULD knock these things over tand trap themselves, leading to drowning. Especially with hatchlings, I recommend ZooMeds Turtle Docks.

I stopped at a local petshop and they advised me NOT to use sand in the tank and NOT to use greens.

I love using sand, I use sand in all my setups at this time. The turtles love it, and it is a relatively natural substrate for pond turtles. Just use PlaySand from HomeDepot/Lowes. It will need rinsed thoroughly, and carefully placed in the tank. I cna give further instructions, if you wish to use sand.

Plants in the tank are also quite natural for pond turtles. I'd use the plastic plants you get from the petshop. In the wild, hatchling sliders spend a lot of time near the banks of their pond, hanging out in the floating vegetation.

They also told me all I would need is a heating bulb (black)...

You'll want a heat bulb and a UVB bulb. I recommend ZooMed Reptisun 5.0 tube flourescents for the UVB, they come in various lengths to fit various fixtures. For heat, you can just use a household incandescent or household halogen bulb. The reptile daylight bulbs are pretty much the same product at double or triple the price. The key to wattage is the distance your basking area is from the bulb. If your basking are is 6-7" from the head, I'd use a 60W incandescent (or the halogen equivalent). for distances 7-8", I'd use a 75W, and for distances closer to 10", I'd use a 100W.

...pellet food, and some dried shrimps.

Sliders are relatively carnivorous as hatchlings. I'd recommed using ZooMed's hatchling turtle pellets as the main staple, but would try to get them romain and leaf lettuces as early as possible. As Sliders age, they become more herbivorous, and high protein diets (such as shrimp) can actually be detrimental if fed too late. Shrimp are ok as a treat, but I wouldn't give your turtle any dried shrimp until it eats greens readily. As your turtle grows, you will need to adapt its diet at various life stages. I can help you with that when the time comes.

I was told that I wouldn't need a filter system as long as I changed the water every week.

I mean, this is kind of true...but the best result, is to use high-end filtration. Water-changes that frequent don't really help in the long-term cleanliness of the habitat. I would get a canister filter on that tank as quickly as possible. The rule of thumb with filtering turtles, is they are much dirtier than fish. With turtles, you need 2-4 times the amount of filtration you would use on the same amount of fish water. So, for your 36G tank, you'll need AT LEAST 72 gallons worth of filtration. However, since RES grow quickly and will soon need their habitat updated, I suggest you go straight to a RENA XP-L or a Fluval 305/306. These filters will still do an adequate job when you have to upgrade to a 75G tank. Then when you make the next step up, you can get a second of the same filter and run a two-filter system on the next tank after that.

They also said the heat lamp would be sufficient for basking and water temp.
Here are my questions.

This is possible, actually. Especially if the ambient temperatures of your room are kept around 65-75 (which they often are in most homes). The whole point of the heat lamp (and I mentioned what bulbs to use earlier) is to heat specifically the basking area. The heat from there and your ambient temperatures will affect your water temps, and it will probably be enough to do the job.

--How much water should i use? (right now it's less than 6 inches deep)

Sliders are naturally deep water turtles. I normally give deep water turtles as much water as possible. They are natural swimmers, so they won't have issue with deeper water. This is especially true if you add a number of plants as resting spots.

--Will they eat outside of their tank? (for cleanliness)

Yes, maybe, but you have to use a feeding tank (that still has water in it). If you filter well, this isn't an issue. They may not eat as readily outside of their tank because of the stress of being handled frequently. Some turtles grow to understand the handling means food and will associate it. Others do not. You can try it, but if they don't eat well with this method, you'll want to feed in the tank.

--Can I put fake greenery in the tank?

I covered this earlier. YES!

--Can I use tap water? (right now, I am..but I'm filtering it to be safe..I live in the country and it's well water without chlorine, but I think it's pretty high in iron.)

Oh, certainly. In many locations in the wild, RES live in high-iron ponds. I've pulled a number out of ponds myself that have iron stains all over their plastrons. Well water is actually one of the most natural water supplies for almost any north american species.

--What should the water temp be? I have read varying information..right now I'm sitting around 76 degrees.

76 is a good spot. Anything between 76-80 is good for hatchling sliders. As they grow, you'll want to bring it down a little bit.

--How soon can I tell if they are male or female? I don't know what to name them..I don't want to call one Stanley and find out she's a Stella, or visa versa.. poor baby would be confused forever!

Sliders often reach 4" SCL (Straight-line carapace length) within a year. once they are over 4", they are easily sexable. Males will start showing their tail length and girth at this point, while females will have a smaller tail and be much bulkier in build. Males may also start exhibiting secondary sexual characteristics at this size, such as long foreclaws (This feature is helpful for sexing in US sliders, Painteds, Cooters, and some other species - I call it secondary for a reason, the tail means more than the nails).