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 #1815901


Nateruess
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 Red Eared Sliders!

I’m a big snake guy buy for the most part oblvious to turtles. I have a 55 gallon tank and i want to get a red eared slider. I’ve read care sheets and they don’t seem to difficult. Here’s my questions, first of all i’ve heard they stink. If i keep the aquarium clean do they still stink? And secondly, are there any kind of fish that can also live in the water without getting eaten? Thanks
08/01/08  12:48pm

 #1815954


Hellz070
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   Message To: Nateruess   In reference to Message Id: 1815901


 Red Eared Sliders!

A single RES should be able to live in a 55 gallon tank for some time. Depending on how large it gets you may need a larger tank at some point. As for the stink they only stink IF your filter does not work properly/ or efficacy enough. For a 55 gallon tank I would rec omened a multi media canister filter rated for 100 gallons or more. On average the filter will cost 70-130 dollars but trust me its worth buying and they do last a long time. The reason you don’t want a filter for only the 55 gallons is that filters are rated for fish use and having a RES is a lot messier than fish. As for the fish, when you RES is small it probably will not even touch fish. As it gets older anything smaller than its head is sure to be eaten. Heck even larger fish have a good chance of getting eaten because turtles don’t mind just taking a bite out of them every now and then LOL. But if you have a large tank with a lot of hiding spaces you could get lucky with the large feeder fish and end up with a few escaping your turtles for quite some time. And when some escape they always help with keeping your tank clean!
Good luck!
08/01/08  01:26pm

 #1816176


Gottee guy
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   Message To: Hellz070   In reference to Message Id: 1815954


 Red Eared Sliders!

you will eventually need doulble the size of a 55 gallon when the RES is full grown.
08/01/08  04:30pm

 #1816503


JackAsp
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   Message To: Gottee guy   In reference to Message Id: 1816176


 Red Eared Sliders!

All red-eared sliders will outgrow a 55. Go for a mud turtle, musk turtle or a texas map or something little like that. Not only do big turtles need more water, but the bigger they are the less you can fill the tank up, because big turtles need more headroom. So you could put 45 gallons into the 55 for a 4 inch mud turtle, but you’d only be able to give an 8 inch slider about 35 gs.

Even if you stretch it by building a top section on for basking and then filling the tank all the way up, that’ll still only be big enough for something like a male painted, not a slider.

If you’re limited on space or floor strength) then forget about sliders being "beginner" turtles. Just go for a small species, and five years from now you won’t be begging people to help you get rid of it. Not only are they big enough not to be all that easy, unless you’re keeping them in something they can’t even move in, but they’re so cheap and common that once you change you’re mind there’s really nobody that wants them. And to be honest, the difficulty level of keeping a smaller species as opposed to a slider just isn’t problematic. Actually, most of the smaller ones have much simpler dietary needs than sliders do. Not only do none of the three types I suggested have to be coaxed into eating their vegetables, because they don’t need them, but there are far more brands of turtle (and even fish) pellet that are appropriate as a main diet for carnivores than for omnivores.
08/01/08  09:07pm

 #1816673


JackAsp
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   Message To: JackAsp   In reference to Message Id: 1816503


 Red Eared Sliders!

In answer to the actual questions:
If the water’s clean, it doesn’t stink. But a big turtle in a 55 gallon tank is going to trash that amount of water pretty quickly.
Fish do not live well with them. if it’s little they’ll eat it. if it’s big they might just bite the fins off, or they might basically ignore it, which means it’ll get scratched at a lot, not to mention any problems it’ll have from water quality. Some people keep a pleco with them for a few months, but it doesn’t really last.



08/01/08  11:53pm

 #1816698


Nateruess
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   Message To: JackAsp   In reference to Message Id: 1816673


 Red Eared Sliders!

Hey Everyone thanks a ton for the advice. Sounds like they’re harder than i thought. Maybe i’ll go with a different turtle species as suggested or go for sticking with snakes.
08/02/08  12:36am


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