Aquariums Recommended For a Red Slider Turtle

Red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) are large, attractive, aquatic turtles commonly kept as an indoor pet. As their name suggests, the turtles have a conspicuous red mark behind their eyes. Red-eared sliders also have attractive yellow strips running from their chins down their throats. Red-eared sliders grow up to 12 inches long and can live more 40 years in captivity. Red-eared sliders are a hardy species that makes an interesting pet when kept in a large aquarium and provided with proper housing elements to support healthy growth and development.

  1. Aquarium Size and Type

    • Red-eared sliders are aquatic turtles and require large, water-tight aquariums to develop properly in captivity. Young turtles can be kept in small aquariums between 10 and 20 gallons in size. However, red-eared sliders have a rapid growth rate and should be transferred to a large aquarium at least 48 inches long, 24 inches wide and 18 inches tall -- 120 gallon aquariums typically have these dimensions. Glass aquariums are better suited for keeping red-eared sliders, since acrylic aquariums are easily scratched by the turtle's sharp claws.

    Aquarium Water

    • Maintaining fresh water in your aquarium is important for keeping healthy red-eared sliders. Red-eared sliders are messy feeders, and scraps of food and turtle waste can quickly build up in the aquarium if the water is not changed regularly. Stagnant water is unhygienic for both the turtle and the owner. Change water every two to three days. Ensure that the new fresh water is the same temperature as the old water to prevent stress for red-eared sliders.

    Aquarium Furniture

    • Though red-eared sliders spend a large amount of their time swimming through the water, they need a place completely out of the water to rest on from time to time. A large log or a pile of rocks on one side of the aquarium makes a suitable basking site for red-eared sliders to rest. Ensure that the turtles can easily climb onto the resting site from the water and that it is securely situated in the aquarium so that no risk of the area collapsing and trapping the turtle underwater. The rest of the water should remain open so that the turtle can easily swim around the aquarium.

    Heat Source

    • Turtles are exothermic -- commonly called cold-blooded -- animals and require an external source of heat to maintain their body temperature. Place a heat lamp over the dry basking area in the aquarium and ensure that the temperature remains between 85 and 90 degrees. The water temperature should remain around 75 to 86 degrees. Red-eared sliders will move between the water and the heat source throughout the day to self-regulate their body temperatures.

    Lighting

    • Red-eared slider aquariums should always be located away from windows and never allowed to receive direct sunlight to prevent the temperature inside the aquarium from rising to fatal temperatures. Place a wire mesh top over the aquarium and set a florescent light fixture on top of it. Insert a special florescent bulb designed for reptiles. Several type of reptile bulbs are readily available and emit UV light needed for red-eared sliders to properly metabolize vitamins and minerals in captivity.