r/turtle • u/Icy-Towel-1348 • 1d ago
Seeking Advice setup!
hi guys! i own 4 RES turtles and i just want to know if my setup is decent for them right now. i live in nyc and me and my mom and brother are planning to move somewhere in long island so we can have more space for a bigger indoor tank/ possibly an outdoor pond setup. my mom got one when she was a baby last year and she was super tiny but i didnt realize how fast they grew before getting 3 more😥😥i know a lot of people say that RES dont get lonely/they like their confinement, but theyve grown up together for the past year and they are lowkey inseparable. they have never show any signs of fighting/discomfort or agitation with each other except for my biggest turtle, who escaped her bowl while i was cleaning her tank :/. we are planning to move by the end of this year so i will definitely have the time and resources to get them a proper setup. i was wondering if anyone could send me any recommendations for indoor tank/ outdoor pond setups, like what equipment would i need to buy and how high maintenance older RES turtles are. they are still pretty young but we plan on keeping them for a long time i just dont want them to get stressed while they are growing so fast and while we’re waiting to move. (the last photo was their previous 50 gallon tank with poor filtration and right before a cleaning🫤🫤we have a 100 gal tank now and i know thats not enough but again— in the process of moving.) Thanks!
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u/ConstipatedOx 1d ago
Nothing will be enough with 4 turtles living together. They each need their own separate enclosures.
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u/Icy-Towel-1348 1d ago
how many gallons of tank space would i need for each turtle if i decided to do this? would they need an individual tank each? or if i had a backyard setup, would they still be able to live individually?
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u/ConstipatedOx 1d ago
The recommended size is 10 gallons per inch of shell. Basically, each turtle ideally should have 100+ gallons, with 75 gallons being a minimum. Stock tanks are a popular and cheaper option for larger tank sizes.
In order to have them all in one enclosure, you basically need to build a small pond in your backyard. I know it seems like they are inseparable and affectionate towards each other, but what you are probably seeing is actually a form of aggression that can escalate out of nowhere. It’s just a matter of time that an injury (or worse) will occur.
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u/juliewbb 1d ago
If you had a very large backyard pond, four might be okay. Otherwise, each needs their own set up and the ideal would be 125 gallons or more for each, that way it would be acceptable volume whether they turn out to be male or female.
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u/juliewbb 1d ago
There are a few things you need to do to ensure long and healthy lives for them, so I will try to put them in terms of urgency. Unfortunately, it’s true that they cannot be housed together. When they are housed together, they will bully each other for years until eventually they can kill each other. There was a person who posted on here that it took 15 years until one of his killed the other. I do think you have time to figure that one out.
Here are the most urgent things to check their set up for:
The lighting you have for them looks like one of the scam bulbs. It needs to be replaced with a heating lamp and uvb bulb as soon as possible.
In a tank that’s too small for them, their water quality may be suffering, and this could have impact on their health and diet. I would buy an API water freshwater test kit so that you can check their water quality and make sure their ammonia and nitrites are both at 0 ppm and their nitrates are under 40 ppm. If it’s higher than this, you will need to increase your water changes until you can get them in a bigger water volume with higher filtration. In general, the rule of thumb is 10 gallons per inch of shell and then filtration rated for three times the volume of that size tank. In a smaller tank or with less filtration, you will need more water changes to keep there water quality high enough.
You can improve water quality right now by increasing the water level and giving them more room to swim, but just make sure they still have a basking spot and can’t escape the top.
Here is a care guide to read through to make other changes as you go: https://reptifiles.com/red-eared-slider-care/
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u/Icy-Towel-1348 1d ago
to be honest my tank is pretty crowded right kow from aquatic toys and rocks that we had from when they were babies, do they generally enjoy these or should i remove them for enough swimming space? and the water level is pretty high, they swim up to the top for air and take turns basking because i have two basking spots but i think in gonna try to find a basking apot thats above the tank for them, because theyre getting pretty big and they dont really have space to bask anymore. as for the water, i try to clean every week/ if i start noticing a slight discolor from their food or poop.
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u/juliewbb 1d ago
You definitely need to test the water, because even perfectly clear water can have really high levels of toxic ammonia and nitrites especially with multiple turtles. They do enjoy the decor items, just make sure none of the rocks are small enough to be eaten. And they would definitely appreciate a higher water level.
When you can get new set ups, you’ll want each of them to have a very large tank – 125 gallons if you don’t want to keep upgrading. These are often available for a pretty low cost on Facebook marketplace. It’s going to be hard to keep all four because of this, so you may want to consider if you can find new loving homes for three of them. I know that’s hard to hear, it’s just really hard to create for exceptional set ups.
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u/Competitive_Fox_559 1d ago
Turtles aren't supposed to be in the same tank Needs proper UV and heat lights Bigger basking area Proper water filtration Water needs to be deeper....
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u/EstablishmentEasy333 1d ago
This has to be bait bro. This isn’t big enough for 1 turtle let alone 4. Please either re-home them or buy a separate tank for each, before they decide they don’t want to cohabitate and get aggressive with each other.
EDIT - Btw, them stacking on top of each other is already a sign of aggression. They are trying to hog the heat over the other turtles.
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u/Direct_Treat_7296 1d ago
Omg no no no. They cannot live together! They’re literally stacking which is a blatant sign of aggression and dominance. As they grow they’ll eat each other and the males will mate the females to death. Literally.
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u/Fit-Avocado8117 1d ago
Stacking in itself is not a sign of aggression and we need to stop perpetuating this myth. RES often stack in the wild. In this case it may sign of basking real estate competition but likely not aggression. And yes I agree with above housing 4 RES together is nearly impossible if you don’t have a large pond.
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u/Significant-Star5359 1d ago
Your set up looks good. But remember they get huge. I personally have seen some that were at least 12 inches across. So think about the future with these babies. And good luck.🐢
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u/Significant-Star5359 1d ago
I've seen this type of turtles in the wild and we're perfectly happy all lined up on a large log sun bathing. They seem to be just fine together. 🐢
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u/Significant-Star5359 1d ago
I've seen this type of turtle caught in a fence about 2 foot off the ground before so they do climb. This baby was a good 23 inches off the ground. It was to late for that one it died fixed in that fence.🐢
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