can the size of the aquarium your turtles in effect its growth?

[guppybreeder!]

i have a painted turtle that is about 1 year old in a 10 gal tank. he has a rock to get out of the water and plants in the water. will the size of his tank stunt his growth or will he just get big and eventually out grow the tank? i have a 40 gal that he is going to go in when he needs to but i would like to keep him in the smaller tank for as long as possabl.(takes up less room)

[fishbguy]

Turtles with less room is a dream come true. Painted turtles espacially are very active swimmers, and need at LEAST a 75-110 gallon tank as adults. a 10 gallon is suitable only as babies, and even then, you need exelent filteration because turtles are very messy.

[SueM]

Small tanks restrict their growth in that they are very avid swimmers and need lots of exercise. And without the exercise, their mussels are undeveloped and which can be very hard to see in a turtle, until its to late. They also need a place they can get completely out of the water to dry out their "armpits" or they could develop diseases.

[Betta splendens]

Put him in the 40gal whenever possible. If you make other qualities pretty good, such as with filtration and health of the animal, you can kinda sorta get away with the unwritten 70gal rule. Just don't get another turtle.

[guppybreeder!]

ok thanks! so it won't effect him in growth sizewise? he can swim in the whole bottom of the 10 gal. the rock he has it like a bridge that comes out of the water. does it have to have a filter because the store i got it from just told me to do a water change and clean the tank every other day. this turtle is onlt about 2 inches. maybe 2.5.

[flamingo]

If your turtle is only 2 inches or so, then there's something already wrong.
What are you feeding it?
Any lighting? Basking lamps?
How often do you change the water?

In the end, it will need a tank of around 150 gallons to swim, as with most aquatic turtles.
They're either basking, or swimming.

They can grow to a large size in that tank, but take the advice Sue gave.
They will be stunted eventually, and can develop shell curl.

[guppybreeder!]

i was guessing and wasn't looking at it when i gave a size. he is probably like 3 inches and im not sure exactly how old he is. the person at the store never told me. he is getting reptomini baby pelets, freez dried mini krill/baby shrimp. that is what the stor told me to give him. he has a heat lamp that points directly on to his rock. he seems to move fine and swim around alot in the tank he has.

[Willow]

The size of the tank will not affect the turtle's size (unless it's so small that it touches his shell), but poor water quality can cause him to be less-than-healthy, which WILL stunt his growth. Do you have a filter (a good strong filter)? A heat lamp? A UVA/UVB light? A water heater? If you don't have these things, he will not live out his full lifespan, but will die of disease at some point----these are all necessities for good turtle health. He'll also need some veggies in addition to the Repto-Min, only new hatchlings (under 6 months old) can live off of Repto-Min exclusively. Here's a care sheet---if you want your turt to live a long and healthy life, you'll need to follow it closely: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Car...rn_painted.htm
Fortunately Painted Turtles don't get as big as Sliders, so you might be able to get away with a 75g tank for an adult.

[guppybreeder!]

he has a heat lamp. the water temp is around 76 wich is good according to the care list you gave me. his water gets cleaned every other day. do i really need a water heater? should i get a filter or just keep changeing the water?

[fishbguy]

you should deffaintly get a filter. Turtles produce ALOT of waste reletive to their body size. Even if you do change the water, get a filter anyway. He'll like the current, and you won't have to clean the tank so often.

[TheOldSalt]

If I were you I'd just get into the habit of cleaning the tank every day. The smell alone should give you incentive for this.

[fishbguy]

Originally Posted by TheOldSalt

If I were you I'd just get into the habit of cleaning the tank every day. The smell alone should give you incentive for this.

This is true...lol

[guppybreeder!]

ok lol what kind of filter do you recomend?

[fishbguy]

I don't have turtles in aquariums, but I would get some kind of LARGE internal filter. usally the ones made for reptiles are good.

[guppybreeder!]

ok cool!!

[guppybreeder!]

im having trobles finding a reptile aquarium filter but i will keep looking!

[fishbguy]

look in the reptile supply section in any pet store. they should have them. if not, look where all the other filters are. And if you still can't find one, just get a nice big fish filter. reptile ones are just stronger IMO

[flamingo]

In a ten gallon, you probably won't even need a filter.
If you clean it daily, or every other day, I don't see a huge need for it.
Possibly adding a small air stone may help, to keep the water flowing somewhat, and prevent it from becoming "stagnant."

[guppybreeder!]

ok thanks! mabe i will just try and airstone then until i move him to the 40 gal. then i will get a filter and put it in there. i just recently put 12 feeder minows in there with him and he is loveing trying to chase them down and eat them! lol it is fun to watch!