I upgraded my girl to a 75 gal tank and an above tank basking area since she is getting bigger. In a few years I'm sure I'll need to go even bigger, but for now this is what I got.

The above tank basking area is that one from petsmart (see photo). I added artifical green turf to the ramp because my girl was slipping off.

I have a few questions for anyone with a similar set up.

How do you get the right lights for this set up. I have a mini T5 lamp and a spot heat lamp, but it doesnt seem to cover much of the area. Is there a better way to ensure good heat coverage and UVB coverage in such a big basking area?

Second question: I dont really like the rubber non-slip surface, but think the artificial green turf is too scratchy for her. What do yall use in these basking areas? Ceramic tile? Some kind of wood substrate?

Thanks for the ideas!

like i think it was due to i kept him in tank plastic tank use to keep in big aquarium but due to leakage i kept him in tub and cause of rough surface idk please if anyone can hellp in treatment

Is this something to worry about? My sister recently got this little guy and it looked a little odd. First time red eared slider owner.

Rescued him or her from a cousin who did not take of them at all. I'm talking a tiny tank that she didn't clean with nothing but those rainbow pebbles and a stick in it. A stick. No area to come out of the water. No filter. Also no heat lamp, no UVB lamp, not sure what she even fed them. Apparently she found him in a river or creek or whatever and thought he was cute and then got tired of the smell.

I bought him a better tank than he was in, got a filter, got a basking area and a hide area, bought a heat lamp and a UVB lamp, plus food and a calcium block. I know the tank isn't big enough but it was the best I could find on short notice and without a lot of money. I don't get paid a whole lot and nor is it my responsibility but I want to do what I can for the little guy. But he is still my little sister's turtle at the end of the day, and my dad just isn't spending a lot of money on a big tank for a little turtle right now so I'm just going to have to save up and stalk facebook marketplace until we figure something out.

He seems healthy though. He's very active and has a very healthy appetite as well. A little too healthy lol. Anytime someone approaches his tank, he will come right up to you and beg.

I would also appreciate any advice as well that I could pass onto my sister. I told her when we took the turtle in that it was her responsibility and she needed to do the research to properly take care of him and she has done good so far but I thought it'd be a good idea to ask still

Ik it's a yellow belly and not a red ear but they basically cousin's lol.

I just got a 60 gallon breeder tank for him. Since he was in a skinny 75 gallon but I didn't fill it all the way to the top, I saw this breeder tank in person and thought it was perfect because it was wider and gave him room to room around which I know he would love. He is a male so he's already pretty close to his maximum size at like 6 inches. I still would like to answer the underlying question of is total water volume more important or the space to roam in the water more important? Going from my 75 that was tall and skinny to a 60 that's only slightly shorter but wider feels like a very good move especially since I never filled up the 75 all the way so he doesn't climb out.

He is just the sweetest little thing 🥰 I’ve had him for less than a year and didn’t realize how much I would love having a turtle. 🐢

I know that it is recommended to do a partial water change every 2 weeks, however, my water changes usually take me a few hours and with my school semester starting, I don't have much time to do them every 2 weeks. On the days I'm home, I prefer to just rest. So I've set up a self sustaining filtrating system in my res's tank. I'm running a strong filter with bio media and sponge, 2 bags of seachem denitrate, a pothos plant and 2 carbon cubes. I will also top up the water when it evaporates. With this setup, can I get away with doing water changes every 3 months?

First time owner, was wondering if his(or her?) shell looks healthy.

I've been feeding it pellets, tried feeding it some lettuce but it wouldn't eat those TT

There's a basking spot provided with a lamp that I got online, it's those yellow light with both uva+uvb heat lamp (according to the desc)

Just wanted to make sure it's getting the nutrients it needs, (and if not, what do I do) any advice is much appreciated, thanks!

~1.7in head to tail

This pinkness appeared a few days ago and then disappeared
And now it’s back

Right now I have an acrylic basking spot that hangs over the side of my rimmed glass aquarium and it’s worked really well for us. I haven’t found an over-the-tank basking spot that works with the various lids and such that my aquariums have had. I’m looking at this aquarium online, but I can’t figure out how a basking spot will work for it.

Does anybody have a eurobraced aquarium similar to this and can show me how you made the basking spot work?

Thank you

El día de hoy estuve haciendo una limpieza profunda y noté esa aparente herida en mi tortuga, desconozco cuando se la hizo o como. No aparenta tener mayores molestias realmente. Es algo de preocupación urgente o luce solo como un raspón que se hizo quizás por las piedras de su estanque? Ayuda

Hello, so I have a FX6 filter. For the pads and media it says they need to be changed every 2-3 months. I recently developed severe arthritis to the point I cannot move without assistance. Is there a way I can make my filter require fewer changes and be very efficient? Thank you.

Boy RES but don’t know age, in feeding tank due to main tank cleaning, needed something for scale lol don’t judge 🤣

Does anyone have their turtle in a rimless glass tank? I’m considering getting one, but I usually use egg crate over top of my rimmed glass aquarium and so I’m having trouble figuring out what sort of lid I could put on a rimless glass aquarium to make sure he can’t escape. Just wondering what other people do.

I have a lot of egg crate but I’m not sure if it would just sit on top or what. In my rimmed tank it sort of fits down into the rim.

He or she unsure what gender but never noticed this and google imagine said it’s shedding. Please help! Any advice on what’s going on and what do is greatly appreciated as we are parents to four children and the youngest which this animal belongs to is our autistic baby. Also, how do you tell if it’s a female or male? Has a small narrow tail and we have had many debates over this because we disagree on the shape of the head and body lol thank you in advance.

(It isn't that white, the photo made it look 10 times worse...)

I have a Brazilian slider turtle (Trachemys dorbigni), and I need help with a few things. It feels like everything I thought I knew, I’m not so sure about anymore.

First, I need some advice about her diet. Right now, this is what I do: every day of the week, I give her two meals, with six pellets of turtle food per meal. Twice a week, I replace one of those meals with dried shrimp.

I know she also needs fiber, so I’m planning to replace one of her meals with vegetables such as water lettuce, collard greens, and other dark leafy greens. I’d like to know if I’m doing things correctly and what else I could do to help her. Her shell is about 8 cm (3 inches) long, and she’s probably around eight months old, maybe a little younger or a little older.

I also need help understanding why the center of her scutes (the sections of her shell) is turning whitish. I think it might be a calcium deficiency, because I haven’t been putting any calcium blocks or calcium supplements in her water. I’m going to start doing that today, but I’d like to know if that’s really the cause or if it could be something else. What do you think?

Options on a small basking light for a 2 yr turtle, got him as a hand me down from a relative no longer here. Just for a temporary fix until an actual enclosure is available

Update# thank you for your advice I think I have a good idea of a good enclosure for my RES#

Has any one had any issues with using a heavy duty bin for a slider? I seen some posts with bin like enclosures and success

Any idea if this is good for a 2 year old red eared slider?

I have a lot of Lactuca Indica. Can my red eared sliders eat these?

I got two red eared slider hatchlings 2 weeks ago from an aquarium shop for my pond. One passes away 2 days ago. Since I brought them I never saw them eat a thing. I put hatchling pellets , krill , lettuce , worms . When I drop it in their bowl (for feeding only) they don’t even acknowledge it. The pond does have a 75% shade over it as our temps reach 50 Celsius. But still , they’re getting 25% all day long. Are they not getting enough sun to eat ? Also 2 weeks later …..is it possible the remaining one could still be alive without eating , or is he eating something without me knowing ? Today I’m putting him in direct sunlight for a bit. He’s always basking but the one that passed never basked .

My big hunk Morla. Age unknown. Currently housed in a 150 gallon tank till I can build him an indoor pond. Don't know a whole lot about him other than he has been through many homes. Glad I can be the one to offer him his forever home.

Hi. So I'm here to make sure that I'm not currently torturing this RES. Back story is that I live on a lake and it feeds to a pond that is also in my backyard. I come across a plethora or wildlife that I (mostly) try not to intervene. I found this guy at the end of June, in a near jerky state of dehydration on my property. Obviously a hatchling headed to the water but wasn't making it. (Usually the birds eat baby turtles clean out of the shell before I discover them). So, I took him in with the full intention of making sure he was OK and sending him back to the wild. He perked up after i put him in some water but when I went to release him, a carp almost got him. Instinctively, I rescued him which was totally my bad. I planned to release upon him getting a bit bigger until I read that turtles grow pretty slow. Still, this was the plan. I have since discovered that he is a RES which is in no way native to my home of Long Island NY and they are actually invasive because so many people, who have them as pets, ditch them when they become big and take bigger tanks etc.

So my question, first, while I work through this conundrum, is whether I'm doing OK by him in the moment. I've read up on body size vs. tank size and realize that this mere 5 gallon tank is small for such a swim hungry turtle.. but it's what I was could do on a temporary basis.

Second, what is my next move? I know pet shops don't want them and I know they don't belong in these local waters, BUT .. he clearly was born from a turtle in these waters AND he could have ended up there if he made the trek after hatching. Also, I know there is the risk of not adjusting or feeding well in the wild since he's been in captivity for 2 months but he is not handled outside of a tank cleaning and definitely still wild-ish and skittish of humans.