Got some RES's over my trip and reading up on them now. Looking for husbandry advise from all of you...Im ashamed to say that these little guys were an impulse buy, lol. but they were for our kids so that makes it okay right? lol. We bought these little guys while we were in vacation in daytona beach florida and I have been reading up on them ever since, they are in a 10 gallon (for now, have a 55 ready for them when they grow some, they are only about 1.5"-2" right now) water temp is around 70-75 due to the basking bulb that is keeping thier dry area at just above 90. there is about 3"-4" of water in the tank and a fluval 1+ (once again its doing its job well enough see has how there is only 3-4 gallons of water to filter right now. We have a piece of drift wood in there for them to bask on and it seems to have made the water a murky brown, is this due to the tannins? and are they okay for the turtle or should I try to get all the brown out with water changes. I have read all sorts of UVB opinions for this species today, whats yours, i have a 18" strip laying around if its needed.

Here are a few pics of the little buggers and thier setup...

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Jayr & Mandy Robinson
J&M Herp Shack
"Are you watching closely?"

The driftwood is causing the water to brown. I'd be careful with that as it might not be properly treated. I have driftwood in my tanks and they never turn the water brown. Maybe soak it for a week and change the water daily. As far as UV lighting,,,,,it is a must for turts. Preferably over the land or basking platform. They need to be able to get entirely out of the water when they need to. A varied diet is also best,,,the feeder fish in petstores is not the best option. Best of luck

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Ken
" The United States Marine Corps......sure we are a department of the Navy,,,,,,we're the MENS department "

Aww. So cute and the setup looks nice. RES are hardy little creatures but
be prepared to build a pond in your near future. RES grow rapidly and as they grow they will foul their water with increasing frequency and you will find that keeping their enclosure healthy becomes nearly impossible.

I have two full grown in an outdoor pond whom have had babies of their own. Few were rehomed and a few babies dissapeared. I can only imagine where most of the little guys ended up but two babies reside with their parents. I feel bad that I may have contributed to the invasive species problem but the mom and dad RES moved into my pond from the wild on their own.

I regularly pull over and rescue RES from the middle of the road- proof that they are thriving in local canals and doing well there. And then there are idiots like myself who had know idea mommy turtle was prego until the babies turned up also contributing to the problem.

Moral of the story is that a pond is something to consider in your future and if you don't want the little guys escaping you may want to read up on how to prevent this as well because they are good climbers when they want to be.

Just my two cents for whatever that is worth.

Not that many RES keepers huh? no advice for a newbie?... BUMP...

__________________
Jayr & Mandy Robinson
J&M Herp Shack
"Are you watching closely?"