Necessities for two red eared sliders?

Please tell me what size tank, heat source, and filtration and anything else

Necessities for two red eared sliders?
First off, I HIGHLY dought that they're full grown. Full grown males are 8-9 inches in diamter and full grown females are usually 12 inches in diameter. If this is the case, you need at least a 130 gallon tank JUST for the female and a 100 gallon tank JUST for the male. They'll need a ramp or dock so that they can bask with their heat bulb above it. They'll need both UVA and UVB light rays. Yes, they HAVE to have both. The UVA helps with their mating and the UVB produces and senthesizes vitamin D3 which prevents Metabolic Bone Disease and it also senthesizes calcium. Basically, if they have no UVB, they die of poison and hunger. If they have no UVA, they have no heat in their tank and since they can't create their own body heat, they die of freezing. Their water needs to be between 75*F and 85*F and their basking area has to be between 85* and 95* with a significant differance in the two so that they can go cool off in the water. You'll need both a land thermometer and a water theremometer. It's a good idea to have some plants in their tank. I've found that Hornswart and Anacharis work REALLY good. Since you claim they're full grown, feed them a diet of 50% feeder fish (goldfsh, rosy reds, platys and other minnows) balanced with some snails, crickets, worms, and grasshoppers, 25% a good pelet food like T.Rex (not ReptoMin because it lacks nutrients they need), and 25% greens like mustard, collard greens, romaine lettuce, etc (but not iceberg lettuce because it has no nutritional value). As far as filters go, you need to have one made specifically for turtles as they are WAY more messy than fish. All Living Things brand makes a good filter and is fairly quiet compared to most turtle filters. You'll need to change the filter once a week but if you have a good enough filter and change it regularly then you only really need to change the water in the tank once every 2 weeks. I also suggest adding some ZooMed's Repti-Safe to the water. It prevents excess calciucium build up, keeps the water cear, helps pH levels and a whole list of stuff. These are pretty much all you'd need to have a happy healthy turtle.
Reply:You would need at least a 60 gallon for 2 full grown. They need over the tank reptile lights. A 150 watt heat lamp would suffice; or the more expensive alternative (and more effective) would be a Ceramic Heating Element. They last longer; and do not put off any light. They also need full spectrum UVA and UVB lighting. A reptisun 10.0 would be perfect.


An aquarium heater would be a good investment for colder days. And a filter (any brand) that works for that size tank. I recommend an under tank heater as opposed to an over the tank. With sliders; a lot will sink to the bottom and settle in the gravel of the aquarium; an under tank heater will take care of this.


Invest in a turtle dock. It is made by Zoo Med. They run about 15-20 bucks; and it hangs over the side of the tank and floats at water level so that the sliders can get out of the water and bask under the lights.
Reply:Are they just babies? I have four red eared sliders in a 75 gallon tank. A fluvel filter is a good filtration, lighting, a place to bask and they like sand to dig.



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