Tank conditions for a RES and YBS

Question
I recently rescued two small turtles (less than four inches) from two different sets of owners that got them for all the wrong reasons.  I truly love animals and want to do what is best for these two little guys.

I have purchased the following:  A ten gallon tank with screen top and a twenty gallon long tank with screen top; an All Living Things turtle kit with in water filter, water thermometer, air thermometer, fulkers 5.5 inch dome fixture; an Exo-terra 60w sunglo incandescent bulb, a rectangular Exo-terra compact top fixture and Exo-terra 26w reptiglo 5.0 UVB flourescent bulb; an R-zilla digital timing power control center; Exo-terra aquatize and biotize; Nutrafin Max turtle gammarus pellets; Tetrafauna turtle vitashell shell and skin conditioner; a small variety of floating water plants and a non-floating water plant; a floating turtle dock; small smooth river stones and aquarium gravel; and finally a tank cleaning hose.

Have my purchases been worthwhile and have I overlooked anything?

What is the appropriate temperature for the basking area?

What is the appropriate temperature for the water area?

Thanks in advance for your advice.  

Answer
Let me approach this a little differently.

Turtles like these sliders want three things to be happy:

1. Good water. This means lots of warm, clean water.

Aim for 10 gallons of water per inch of shell length. If you have 2 3" turtles, they really should have 30 gallons of water, or about a 50 gallon tank mostly filled. This reduced stress, makes cleaning easier, and allows more natural behaviors. A large plastic tub works just fine for a tank, and is a lot cheaper. Also- remember that these guys can easily hit 9-12" in length, so plan ahead.

Heat the water to about 75-80F with good, submersible heaters with guards so the turtles cannot touch them. Most keepers find it safer to run two medium sized heaters rather than one large. Use thermometers to monitor this.

Filtering is a big deal- your life will e a lot easier with a good filter. Check this article for advice about filters, etc.: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/waterquality.htm

Besides a good filter, think about the bottom of the tank. I prefer a bare floor for easier cleaning, with some potted live water plants sitting there in various sizes to offer food, shade, hiding places, and to help condition the water- but that is just me. No matter what you use, you will want a siphon cleaner to suck the crud off the bottom and change about 1/4th of the water weekly.


2. Good sun. Turtles worship the sun, but only from the safety of the water. Give them good basking sites, at least one per turtle (they will often share, but should have a choice), heated from above to about 90F. Light the tank nicely, but allow some hiding places as well. UVB lighting is optional but useful.

3. Good food. 1/2 good pellets, 1/2 live or frozen/thawed 'fish foods'  like worms, insects, shrimp, krill, snails, small fish, beef heart, etc.





As for the stuff you bought. Pet stores like to sell stuff you don't really need. Most of your stuff is not bad, but...
- Most filters sold in turtle kits are far too small (see the article mentioned earlier.)
- Your tanks sound a bit on the small side depending on the turtle sizes, which also means that the toppers are probably too small as well.
- Most water conditioners are unneeded. If you can drink the water, the turtles can live in it. Remember- they are not fish or amphibians that need high-quality water. If you feel uncomfortable about the chlorine, let the water sit in an open container for about 24 hours and the chlorine will out-gas away.
- Shell and skin conditioner are unneeded in decent habitats with good diets.

It can cost a lot to set up a good habitat- $150-200 easily, mostly for the tank and filter alone. It can be frustrating to spend a heap and find out that there were other ways to get more bang for your buck.



A couple great sites you might enjoy would include:
- http://www.austinsturtlepage.com and their sister site http://www.turtleforum.com
- http://www.redearslider.com
- http://www.tortoisetrust.org

Good luck!