Basically turtles need a few things, to stay healthy ...... just to sum up, it can get confusing.

1. Tank, just bigger, period.....

2. Lights .... A basking light, this can be a household bulb any light that produces heat....and....a UVB light, both over basking area. Water, glass, screen etc, blocks UVB, so anything in front of the UVB light defeats its purpose. There are lots of lights to choose from, so ask around, some are dual (heat and UVB), but lighting for turtles is a thread all its own.

3. Water quality, so important, it is key to turtle keeping, or at least one of them. A awesome filter is so necessary....maintanence too is important....clear water is not good water.

4. A place to get out and dry off completely, as well as, a place to warm up. This area is also where all the lights should be.

5. Lots of people use aerators or powerheaeds. But they are not necessary, or a must have, they are normally added to keep water moving, so algae has a harder time forming.

Other than food, those are the absolute basics, everything else is extra.

Hope that helps

lol, thanks Ken, I'm blushing , but there are plenty of other "turtlers" out there too
Yeah, MVs are great for turtles. If you ever get one just make sure you don't get the basking area too hot. Reptisun 5.0 is my favorite fluorescent UVB though. For easier, faster, and less messy cleaning, I also highly recommend investing in a Python syphon. Makes cleaning a whole lot better. Like many other herps, the setup is rather expensive, but once you have everything you need, then turtles aren't too pricey to maintain.
As for the diet, its very important to have variety. This is true for any herp, but even more so for turtles if you ask me. The reason is that they ned to eat in the water. This makes it very difficult to get all the vitamins and minerals to them through powdered supplements, which can wash off too easily. Turtles also require a lot of calcium cause that shell doesn't grow out of thin air ya know This is especially true for young ones like yours cause they're growing at a very fast rate compared to an a d u l t. Plus turtles just naturally eat a wide varierty of plants and critters in the wild.
Painteds are primarily carnivores, especially as hatchlings like yours. They will take some plant matter with age though. When that time comes, feed them collards, bok choy, or dandelion greens (collected from a chemical free area). These are high in nutrients, especially calcium. Other foods that you can add to the diet include krill, brine shrimp, daphnia, squid, b l o o d worms, earthworms, crayfish, crabs, insects (like crickets, mealworms, butterworms, silkworms, and other pet store feeders), small fish (like minnows, goldfish, danios, etc), tadpoles, and small frogs.
Avoid insects collected from areas where chemicals may be present and avoid catfishes, like bullheads or corydoras, as they have spines in their fins. If you get minnows from a bait shop, keep an eye out for any sticklebacks that may be hidden with them. They're very similar in appearance, but they have spikes on their backs that are less than beneficial to your turtles should they try and eat the fish. Also avoid raw meat, including hamburger. Be sure that any store bought insects are gutloaded prior to feeding them to the turts.
lol, ok, I think that's all. Whew, I haven't had a post like that in a long time
Oh, and excuse the few words in there that have exrtra spacing between the letters. It has to do with the computer I'm using and if I didn't type them like that they wouldn't show up at all.

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+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

that was a heck of a post. Thats got to be the record for the longest post haha. It was very helpful. I am getting a bigger tank in the next few days and will then add the basking light also. Thanks for all the great info!

Thanks

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Bill
0.0.3 painted turtles
0.1.0 bearded dragons (Sandy)

yea I'm one two I've has two res for about three years now too bad I had them when I was a little and didn't know the proper care (I'm 11 if you don't know)I had them in a 0.5 tank!!!! when I got my nose on a book I yelled at myself for a while when I find out a res needs at lest 30 gallon tank (I've read 3 books now)so now they're in my old 30 gallon fish tanks

Ken! I love that word "turtler" LOL

Ha! Ken, now you're a turtler too with that spotted you're taking care of!

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+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

I knew that glass, plexiglass, and such blocked 90% of UVB, but as far as screen goes, I read somewhere around here that as long as the holes weren't too small, it was ok. I think it was something like 1/4" holes was the smallest. I also didn't know that water blocked UVB.

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How many of us have ever thought seriously about eating a rat, just once, to see how it tastes?

Nobody?

Me neither.

The water part doesn't really matter though cause when they need more UVB or need some heat (or both) they'll come out and bask.

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+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

Exo Terra 2.0 bulbs put out NO UVB light....I use an Exo Terra 8.0 for my slider....soon to be upgraded to a Zoo Med 10.0 bulb.