# Planted Tanks > Vivariums >  Please comment on my red-ear slider setup ...PIC INTENSIVE

## enhanzed

im using a hang on filter and a 50w tight beam exo terra bulb .

i got some questions 

1) is the bulb too near the basking area ? cause when i put my hand there its actually quite hot 

2) how long should i on the bulb ?

3)there's a ulcer/bump like thingy growing on my RES's neck , any idea what it could be ?

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## juggler

My kids would love to see this! Not bad a living space for the terrapin.

Is it too much gravel to put in this tank? Thought the water would get foul quite easily.
50W light is really quite hot.

BTW - is the basking platform readily available from LFS?

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## iwishweallcouldwin

nice setup! my girlfriend would love this tank! but what a lonely terrapin! get him/her more buddies!

in my honest opinion, its a great idea to provide a basking platform for the terrapin, but perhaps the overall look of the tank could be improved if the platform could be more natural looking (stacked rocks and stones) and had more dry land? Also, is the lamp too bright? And be sure to either place a tank cover or lower the water level, because with your sturdy basking platform, there is a possibility that the terrapin may escape the moment they grow big enough to do it! That's what happened to my previous two, climbed out of their tank, onto the garden, and off into the drain....
Hope you're not offended! I really like your tank!

if you can, try taking a trip down to rainbow farm along sungei tengah road, they have a pretty nice and crowded terrapin tank setup over there which never fails to tempt me each time i visit. only issue would be committment as these terrapins do grow up to become pretty huge in size and they will not look as cute anymore.

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## Merviso

Wow! Nice Tank! 

I would also think that stacking up more stone to build up the basking platform would be more natural and a bigger land area would be nice too.

Infact, it will be even more interesting if you can design a planted area in the tank whereby it is out of reach to the terrapin. Have fun !

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## bryan

The pile of pebbles might slide off onto your turtle.

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## enhanzed

its only a temporary setup , im doing away with the bulb for now ...the temperature is hot enuff to cook something! 

juggler ... its only $2.50 from petmart serangoon north ... other sizes also avail ..btw the sucker thingy to afix it to the tank wall not included ...its a DIY thing

iwishweallcouldwin....i've heard stories of RES biting each other when they grow up *shrugs* ...maybe i'll get 1 more when the tank stabilises ..i'll probably drop by this sat ...thanks 

thanks all for the advice and encouragement 

my next plan will be to partition the tank into 2 ...one dry area the other wet ...will be dividing the tank using arcylic

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## iwishweallcouldwin

yup they will bite each other when they grow up if they differ in size. my previous 2 did not have this problem as they were both of the same size. but i guess behaviour may vary with each individual terrapin. do update us about your new tank!

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## mikeyeoh

hi saw your setup quite good but best if the basking platform area is not too high for the turtles to swim up and the best is to put in a large drift wood with a flatter surface cos the plastic platform might be too slippery for the turtles to take a grip on but natural stuff like big rocks and wood have grain and friction that their clawa can hang on to climb up

overall not bad but the water level might be a bit too high that they might escape

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## enhanzed

i'll lower the water level soon ...looks like im getting alot of "complains" regarding the water level....thanks anyway for the advice

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## fireblade

nice setup but I think within 2 to 3 months time you will take out everything inside except the tortise..  :Smile:

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## zyblack

enhanzed,

The water level is okay provided you can move the tank to some place where the glass on the left side, which the basking platform is attached to, is right up beside a wall so the turtle can't climb out. The problem with lowering water level is that your filter will be making quite a splash and can get quite noisy unless you can find a way to attach something to the outflow, like say a pipe, to shorten the distance and reduce splash.

Change the bulb or increase the distance from the bulb to the platform. New bulbs is most intense in the first 3 weeks than will gradually lower in intensity. You can adjust the distance as time pass but right now 50w can cook your turtle if he can't escape. The main thing for lighting is to make sure your turtle gets UVA and UVB rays. Especially UVB, since they need it to synthesize Vitamin D3 which in turns helps to absorb calcium better. For Singapore's relatively warm weather, the basking light is optional but the UVB lights is a must if you are keeping your turtle indoors and it can't get any sunlight. The result of not getting enough UVB would be shell deformities like pyramiding or uneven shell growth. Pyramiding is one of the saddest thing to happen to a turtle and irreversible. 

I recommend that you get another lamp and install a UVB bulb like Zoomed or a fluorescent UVB bulb from Arcadia. Alternatively, you can place your turtle out in the sun for a couple of hours daily but make sure you provide shade and cover so no birds can snatch it away.

You should get another turtle as soon as possible if you wish to have more since it is less likely for them to attack each other at the juvenile stage than at adult stage. Once it reach adulthood in a year or 2 (captive turtles mature faster due to high protein diet), it may not tolerate another turtle. Female RES is typically bigger than males so you can consider getting 2 males instead of 2 females. No point in breeding them since it takes a lot of resources to incubate the eggs and also I think it is pretty rare to have captive turtles breed.

Have you tried poking at the ulcer? It could be skin that it is trying shed off but got stuck. Try gently peeling it with a tweezer to see if it comes off. One way to get your turtle to extend its neck is to flip it over and wrap it in towel to prevent movement. Somehow the towel comforts them and they struggle less. If it can't be removed than maybe you have to go see a vet.

Okay long post... your setup is good and one of the better that I have seen. Most people just put it in a tank with an inch of water which they change only once a week. Sad sight to see. Wonder why they kept thinking the turtle will drown if the water level is too high....as if birds will faint if you let it fly off from the cage into the sky. 

Oh yah, one last thing. The diet is mainly carnivorous in the first 2 years and gradually switches to omnivorous and finally herbivorous as it fully matures. Don't just feed pellets all the time. Try other stuff like frozen brine shrimp and blood worms as treats. Once it gets bigger, you can feed gammarus which is dried shrimp as calcium supplements.

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## enhanzed

zyblack...im currently already feeding gammarus ( some shrimp like thing right ? ) ...so what should i be feeding at this stage ? 

I wanted a pure UVB bulb initally but Out of stock ...so i went ahead with the basking lamp 1st ...i'll probably drop by tomorrow to get a UVB light and get rid of the basking lamp. 

I only intend to keep one ..2 means twice the trouble/cost . 

Its not a long post ...Its a very informative post ...BTW where can i get the bulbs u were recommending ? i get my previous bulb from petmart serangoon north

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## fireblade

for the ulcer, you can try applying salt directly on it..

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## zyblack

If I am not wrong, those UVB lamp bulbs are not easily available here. You can check with petmart to see if they can order for you if they don't have in stock. The more common ones are those Arcadia Reptile fluorescent tubes which can be found in most big LFS. To use those tubes you may have to get a 2 feet FL light set instead of the lamp that you have. I use the Arcadia tubes for my tank in the past but now have moved my tank outside where there is sunlight so saved some electricity cost. 

Haha..2 turtles ain't much more trouble than one though their size when grown may mean a 3 feet tank minimum or a 3 feet fibre glass tank to house them properly. 1 turtle is fine too and they don't really get lonely as opposed to fish and human so no worries.

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## zyblack

Oh yah regarding food, as I mentioned you can get those frozen brine shrimp/ mysis shrimp or blood worm as alternative snacks. The problem of pellets is the high protein levels and colouring which your turtles don't digest. I used a local brand of turtle food before and it was bright red. When my turtle poop, the poo is exactly the same colour as the pellets and I don't think he absorb much from the pellets since he goes hungry pretty often as compared to me feeding other brands. Right now I am feeding Hikari Turtle Stick for my 6 inch turtle and it is pretty good though my turtle is spoilt and prefers Sera Raffy Gammarus when offered both. 

You can alternatively feed other pellets meant for fish but not as staples as they typically lack calcium. I am testing Hikari Excel which is more vege-based and he gobbles it right up. When it gets a year old, trying feeding plants or vegetables. Avoid all lettuce except Romaine lettuce which is highly regarded as a good staple vegetable for turtles. I feed lettuce in the past but realise it is not well digested since the poo contains rather large pieces of it and clogs up my filter fast. I am now feeding floating plants like duckweed and salvinia and also fast growing plants like hygrophilla difformis which he chews up with gusto. Not much problem of filter clogging with these plants.

Oh yah...one more point and this is regarding feeder fish.

When it gets a tad bigger like say in another 2 to 3 months, you can purchase a bag of feeder fish like guppies and platies and leave them in the tank. This will activate it's instinct to hunt and it will get more exercise out of it. Do check daily if there are half eaten pieces which must be removed as they will decompose fast and cause ammonia spike. But frankly this is done more for the remaining fish than it is for the turtle since it breathes air and not really bothered by ammonia and water quality. One feeder fish to avoid will probably be gold fish since they have some tough scales and bony structure which could cause injury to your turtle.

Another good feeder food is the ghost shrimp or what LFS normally calls feeder shrimps. Crustaceans like shrimps are a big part of wild turtles diet and they are excellent janitors since they help clear the tank of uneaten food. My tank normally has both shrimps and fish so I can actually go on extended holidays like a week or two without worrying that it has nothing to eat. Fish can go a week without food and shrimps eat whatever they can find (includes poo) so no worries about not feeding your turtles if you are not around.

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## enhanzed

errm im not so sure about letting it hunt ...sounds cruel hehe

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## bee-fin

I think, that the light is a little too strong, and too centered. So you could position the light at an angle or get a less bright bulb so this doesn't happen. :Flame:  But it looks REALLY nice.

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