Getting a red eared slider!!!

[mauprdn]

 

So, I'm going to get either a baby or a large RES, and was just wandering what I needed to get, and how much more a large would need (food, tank, basking area, etc.)
I already have a tank that's literally like 25-30 gallons, with a standard charcoal fish filter, is that good enough? Or would I need a better one?

Thanks!

[~Cindy~]

It's always better to go bigger first then in the long run you save money by not buying tanks. If you get a large RES the size tank you would need would be the length of his shell times 10 gallons. So if he's 4 inches you need a 40 gallon tank.

For a filter with a turtle you need twice the filtration. Where as with a fish you wouldn't. So if you have a 40 gallon tank you would need a filter rated for a 80 gallon tank. The best filters most people recommend are the canister filters.
http://www.turtlesale.com/home/index.php?page=filters-refills-page-3

You will also need a basking area. A place he can get completely out of the water and dry off. You want to make sure he can't climb out of the tank.
http://www.turtlesale.com/home/index.php?page=basking-platforms

Thermometer and heater to keep a check on basking temp and water temp. You will also need a UVB light and a basking light (Heat). For basking you can use a regular 75 watt light bulb. You can also go up in watts if the basking area doesn't get hot enough but it normally reaches the temperature needed.
http://www.turtlesale.com/home/index.php?page=lamps


DIET. Be careful not to overfeed your Slider. I recommend only feeding 2 to 3 times a week for adult turtles and every day or every other day for the rapidly growing hatchlings. Sliders will consume vegetables, greens such as mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion, spinach, carrots, zucchini and any aquatic vegetation, i.e. duckweed, water lettuce, water hyacinth, etc. They will also consume insects, worms and fish. Many of the commercially prepared turtle diets that exist on the market today are excellent Slider food.
http://www.turtlesale.com/home/index.php?page=food-treats

http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/trachemyscare.htm

** I fed greens the days that I didn't feed pellets.

A care sheet can be found here http://turtlesale.com/forum/index.php?topic=20061.0

[TinyTerror]

     hey um that 20-30 or whatever would be fine for a baby but probably not quite sufficient for a mature turtle.  as long as it is wide and long enough, i would say a couple shell lengths each, for them to swim around comfortably, it should be ok.  keep in mind all the room a basking dock would take up. floating ones are good for smaller turtles, but my big one sinks all of them ive had so she has a big log that takes up a bit of room.  a chorcoal filter would be alright for a baby, but the more they grow the more they poop, so you'll want to get a decent canister filter for an adult.  i have a marineland c-360 and its pretty good. i got it for like $240 though. you could probably find a good one thats not quite that much. for my lil guy i have a clear plastic tub... one of those big ones you put camping supplies or Christmas decorations in... and its definitely big enough and will remain so for a while.  he's got a dock that you can mount on the side, has a large size.. or maybe its a medium i dont really know, but its a whisper filter, carbon bags and stuff and thats pretty good accopmanied with a thourough cleaning every once in a while.  my big one as you probably know is custom built, about 3 ft wide, 4 ft long, 2.5 ft tall, .25 inch glass sheets, stained frame, got some wheels mounted on it. yeah... maybe 100 gallons.  a layer of sand on the bottom.  shes got i think 5 bluegill in there, one macdaddy.. and she'll get some crawdads every once in a while and she'll sure get fightin with them.. ah.... gettin carried away now.  oh well fun fun. i prolly answered way more than what you asked but yeah those are some sufficient setups for turtles and i can get onto lights and diet and filters maybe more detailed later... just thought id leave a lil somethin for ya.

heres some care sheets i just searched... dont really know if theyre any good but take a look and ask questions.

http://www.wnyherp.org/care-sheets/turtles/red-ear-slider.php
http://www.repticzone.com/caresheets/570.html


Oh and by the way Cindy thanks for that edible plants link. that could really come in handy.