my 150 gallon pet turtle tank – as first set-up
Filed under aquarium, community tank, equipment, fish, habitat, my pet turtles, photos, products, red ear slider turtles, turtle pictures, turtle tank, turtles
(I’ve updated this article with a newer post, Guided tour of my pet turtle tank)
In mid-July this year (2008), I finally moved my two red ear slider turtles to their new home. I first showed a picture of the 150 gallon tank in an old post, first Chinese New Year . It took a while before I finally set-up the tank because I was trying to sell it first since it was just way too big, even though me and AG had measured how much room it would take up. Failing that, I finally set it up in mid-July.
Here’s the front view of the pet turtle tank. It measures 48" wide, 30" deep, and 24" high (or 4 ft wide, 2.5 ft deep, 2 ft high). I divided the tank for each turtle using egg crate (light diffuser), the left side for Rex, the right for Cinderella. The background was (I later removed it) a foam 3D background, with fake plastic leaves hanging off the top. Basking area is corkbark and is attached to the egg crate. Two xP3 filters are used, each with a Hydor ETH external Heater. I have a 24" UVB light and two ceramic heat emitters. In each pet red ear slider turtle’s space, or territory as I like to call it, there’s driftwood, 2 river stones, and two cichlid "caves". 3 zebra danios, 3 long-finned leopard danios, 4 electric yellow cichlids, and 1 red zebra cichlid share the tank with the two RES turtles.
Here’s Rex from a side view of his territory. The blue thing is a fish feeder which I used to keep the turtle food in one place. I later took it out because the turtles eventually always removed it from the place it was suctioned to, and it didn’t matter if their food went all over the tank, they (or the fish) would still find it.
Close-up of Rex’s territory. I was attempting to have some moss grow on the driftwood, but with the pet turtles in there, they just wouldn’t give it a chance to grow and attach to the wood.
Cinderella in her territory. I added the air bubbles on the front of the turtle tank and under the divider because that area was becoming a dead spot for water circulation and a lot of waste would just pile up in the area.
Top view of Cinderella’s territory. The white eggcrate "tower" on the right is something I made to try to have some anacharis in the water to help clean out the nitrates and stuff. I eventually removed it because the anacharis just didn’t survive. There’s a roll of mesh inside the "tower" to protect it from Cinderella, but I think it just blocked all the light and killed the anacharis.
Top view of Rex’s territory. You can see their old 5.5 gallon tank on the left, which I converted to a natural (low-tech) planted tank.
Both turtles enjoying being able to swim freely in their new aquarium but still hanging out at the front, begging for food.
An angled view of the tank. I don’t plan on filling the tank up to the full 150 gallons because, honestly, I don’t know if the floor can hold the weight. The turtle tank is in an old apartment building and we don’t know where the support beams are. The tank is positioned on a corner of the building, so that gives the floor more support than anywhere else on the apartment, but there’s still a question of whether the floor can support the weight of 150 gallons of water. Anyway, I fill the pet turtle tank up halfway (about 75 gallons) and do water changes once a month. The water in the pix is obviously less than half, but that’s cause I didn’t do a water change before taking the pix.
Another front shot. You can see both my pet turtles, Rex is swimming on the left side and you can see Cinderella sticking her head out just above the two cichlid caves on the right.
Rex taking a nap. He’s hanging on to a suction-cupped piece of mesh that has some moss sandwiched inside it. He enjoyed sleeping on it in his old tank and he enjoys sleeping on it in his new tank too.
Here’s Rex smiling for the camera! His mouth looks yellow because he was eating the 3D foam background. I removed it because of that and the fact that it hurt Rex (I’ll explain in a future post).
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September 19th, 2009 on 11:02 pm
A quick question. I have had a maleyellow bellied slider for about 10 years now. I get hassled by many people to get him a roommate. I tend to lean towards the fact that might not be a great idea since my turtle snaps at his own reflection. This leads me to ask…I notice you keep your turtles separated, is there a reason for that?
September 19th, 2009 on 11:40 pm
A lot of people think that just because they see photos of turtles basking together that turtles are social animals. They are not. Sliders in particular are territorial (when not basking).
My turtles are separated because they fight and constantly attempt to hurt each other.
September 24th, 2009 on 1:11 am
Thanks for the quick reply! To be truthful I think my situation is due to people seeing Disney movies and not pictures of turtles basking.
I guess since I am leaving another post I should not waste it. Next question:
Considering my turtle generally eats any feeder regardless of size, what type of fish do you recommend have the best chance of survival? I see mention ofseveral ciclade types of fish, is there any in particular that you believe have the best chance of survival?
LD
September 24th, 2009 on 1:22 am
you are welcome! Disney movies – that’s funny, but not as much if they referenced the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
As a matter of fact, just recently one of my turtles bit my other turtle while I was holding them…
In my opinion, the best fish to keep are electric yellow cichlids. They all got eaten in the end, but they lasted the longest of any fish I’ve tried. I pick them amongst the cichlids because they aren’t as aggressive as other cichlids and will manage fine without the cichlid type of water (hard).
And please don’t worry about wasting a post comment – there is an infinite amount of space for any and all questions or comments!
September 26th, 2009 on 10:13 pm
the tank looks amazing..i just got a tank that just havnt set it up yet ihave 5 yellow belly sliders im sure they will love it whenits done
September 26th, 2009 on 10:43 pm
thank you Michelle! 5 sliders, wow, that’s a handful – I hope you can share your photos when you have it done
October 30th, 2009 on 12:31 am
Hey there, I have a 100 gallon tank and I run a fluvalfx5 filter in it and I love it. My question to you is why do you not fill the tank alot higher with water to give them more swimming room. I have my filled about 5″ from the top and the love it. It just seems like a waste of a big tank to not give them as much swimming room so they can have fun.
Thanx for your time, P.S. the tank looks great
Thanks
Don
November 1st, 2009 on 12:09 am
Hi Don – I would really love to give them more room and fill the turtle tank all the way up. But we live in an old building and we’re not confident that the floor can take the weight.
And thanks! I’ve tried to make my pet turtle tank look as nice as I can..
January 8th, 2010 on 12:20 am
Is your water depth still around that level?
Your turtles are far too big for such shallow water.. Your tank should be filled at least half way, or more.
I fill mine to within 2 inches of the top. Sliders are great swimmers and need the room for it.
January 8th, 2010 on 12:37 am
I know, pet turtles do need alot of water – believe me, I know I should fill it up to the full 150 gallons – but unfortunately I live in an old building and I’m very doubtful the floor could handle the weight of so much water in a turtle tank. They do get 75 gallons of water though…
What size tank do you have and what kind of turtles do you have? It’d be great if you could share some pictures of your pet turtles here.
January 21st, 2010 on 7:16 pm
i have two red ear sliders and for about two years i kept them in a 29 gallon tank. they were the size of a fifty cent piece when i got them but now they are about five inches in diameter! i recently bought them a 150 gallon tank complete with custom oak hood and stand for 200 dollars. i completed the set-up this past saturday night and they LOVE it! they explored their new home for about three days and are now well adjusted to it. my turtle’s names are crush and tiny. tiny is actually bigger than crush but has a piece of her shell missing on the back left leg. i should have switched their names but they dont seem to mind. i was thinking of putting sand in the tank so they can dig, is this a good idea? also what kind of canister filter do you reccomend? p.s. your tank looks good
January 21st, 2010 on 11:16 pm
$200 for a 150 gallon turtle tank??? Wow!!! that is AWESOME!
(I deleted your other comment since it’s the same as this one)
How did Tiny loose some turtle shell? Sand is ok – no risk in terms of swallowing and impacting. But I personally wouldn’t do it as it’s just something that will get mixed in with turtle waste and will make cleaning a little more difficult than it as to be.
I recommend the XP3 filter. It’s what I use and they are great turtle filters and haven’t given me any problems.
Thanks for the complement!! Will be be filling your tank all the way? I wish I could.
Would you like to share some photos of your turtles and new tank here? Just fill this form. Thanks!!
January 24th, 2010 on 9:26 am
i dont know how tiny lost some of her shell. its a mystery to me since i’ve had her. and yeah 200 bucks for a 150 tank is awesome. got it from my friend at work! i saw the same one at a local pet shop, tank and stand but no hood for close to 1,000 dollars! i filled the tank a little over half way for the same reason you did not fill yours all the way, worried about the floor. i might try to put more in there, just seeing how the floor handles the weight. we just bought our first house and i would hate for anything to happen! sorry about the same comment, in the middle of sending that one my computer froze and i thought it didnt send it. going to put pictures of tiny, crush and tank up soon, my wife will have to help me, im lost when it comes to computers. just so you know a 150 gallon tank filled all the way weighs 1,200 lbs. not including stand hood and whatever deco you have! thanks for the filter tip, will def. be looking into it.
January 25th, 2010 on 10:35 am
Maybe she lost some shell cause of Crush. Do they fight each other?
Yup, that 1200 lbs can be a scary thing!! We’re in the same boat on that one
January 30th, 2010 on 3:00 pm
no they dont fight and anyway i had tiny before crush. crush is a male and tiny is female. he has been doing his mating dance with her for about six months, tho they are not mature enough to mate yet. i think he is practicing! ha ha! and that 1200 lbs. is not including the weight of the tank itself, which is quite heavy. my wife and i had a heck of a time getting the tank into the house! i’m guessing the tank itself weighs about 200 to 250 lbs.? by the way i remembered that the floor where my tank is is concrete! that means more water for crush and tiny. hope to get pics up soon.
January 31st, 2010 on 1:32 pm
Was it just the two of you that moved your turtle tank in? We had a hard time too – it took six guys to get it up the stairs into our 3rd floor apartment!!
Awesome about the concrete…I’m looking forward to seeing your pictures soon!!
February 3rd, 2010 on 7:45 pm
yes it was just my wife and i! and i have to say that i am very impressed with her! she’s a lot tougher than i thought!she only weighs about 120 lbs. thats less than the tank! yeah i was pretty excited about the floor in our bedroom being concrete. i now have the tank about two thirds full. they really like the extra swimming room. goin to get pics up soon, promise. just waiting now to add a few more decor to the tank first. i cant imagine moving that tank up three flights of stairs! wow. at least its done now, until you move that is. i was also wondering how many big rocks i could put into the tank without the bottom falling out. i have some and i want to make a rock wall in there but im worried about the bottom breaking. anyone have any idea? any advice would help.
February 3rd, 2010 on 11:32 pm
Wow, your wife sounds impressive! Yes, when we move we are hiring several movers…I dont want to move that turtle tank myself again!!
Regarding rocks, you want to be careful about putting too much weight on one spot. If its a background you want I would attached it directly on the wall (or hanging), but to be very sure that they dont come loose and fall off. Looking forward to seeing your photos!
February 3rd, 2010 on 8:07 pm
I made a post a while ago about filters, I am happy to say I finally got an Xp3 filter for my two red eard sliders and thier 108 gallon tank
February 3rd, 2010 on 11:37 pm
wow, that was about 4 months back!! How is the XP3 working as a turtle filter for you?
How’d you end up decorating your tank? Do share some of your turtle pictures here if you can.. Thanks!!
February 9th, 2010 on 8:41 am
just got the rena xp3 filter yesterday and set it up last night! love it! i do have some questions tho. the water in my tank is still a quite murky. how long does it take to clear up? with my old filter the water never really got crystal clear but im hoping that this filter will solve that problem. i do have quite a bit of water in there, (roughly 110 gallons) so im thinking that it may take a few days to clear up all the way. is a few days the normal time for the filter to clean the water all the way? maybe im just paranoid. but i must say that the filter is the best for the set up i have. i looked at tons of other filters but the xp3 was the best choice. thanks for the suggestion!
February 9th, 2010 on 11:26 pm
glad you’re enjoying your turtle filter! What do you mean by murky? Is it a whitish, cloudy – like kind of murky? If so, you’re tank is going through something called “new tank syndrome” – which can happen even if the tank isn’t entirely new. Just make sure you have some biological filter media (ceramic rings are the usual) and once your tank has properly cycled the murkiness will disappear.
February 10th, 2010 on 7:26 am
ya, its cloudy-murky. yes i have some bio. filter media but i need more. i think the more bio media the better for turtles because of the high output of waste. i here you can make them yourself out of any plastic that has holes or places for the bacteria to grow, i’ve even heard of people using marbles. is this true? has anyone tried it or using it now? just wondering. thoght about using 2 liter bottle caps but just wanted to check it out first. and you r right, i checked it out omline and what you said about the murky water is correct. thanks for answering. thinking about getting rid of the gravel, but hate the thought of taking it all out! if i do take it out i’ll wait til the tank has cycled properly so as not to disrupt the biological balance of the tank. once the tank is clear i promise to get pics up then. thanks for ALL of your help! nice to know where you can go for prof. advice on all of this stuff. by far my favorite turtle blog!
February 10th, 2010 on 6:17 pm
I haven’t heard of anyone making their own bio media. I suppose it’s ok to make your own so long as the material is non-toxic. Ceramic rings are great because they are porous, which means there is more surface area for the friendly bacteria to grow and stay on – so just make sure whatever you use has a lot of surface area. Surface area is what makes bio balls work and, in my opinion, does not make glass marbles a good idea.
As for gravel, it actually makes the turtle tank dirtier – it traps a lot of waste. It’s a hassle to remove (esp. for a big tank!), but will make future maintenance a breeze in comparison (but it is helping speed up your cycling!).
You are very welcome Ryan, thank you for enjoying this turtle site!!
February 10th, 2010 on 8:03 pm
yeah thats what im NOT looking forward to, trying to get that gravel out. i went and bought some bio media today from the local pet shop. i got ceramic rings and bio balls. just put them in like 4 hrs ago. hopefully it helps speed up the cycling. how long does it usually take for a tank of this size to cycle? i also had a question about the xp3. how much water is in the canister on your filter? mine has about an inch of air at the top where the lid is. is this normal? doesnt say in the manual how much is supposed to be in there. the water in your tank looks crystal clear, was it murky when you first set it up? and do you run 2 xp3’s? i thought i read somewhere that you do. is one enough for 110 gallons? once again any input would be appreciated! and when i take the gravel out, will my tank have to cycle all over again? thanks so much for everything!!!
February 10th, 2010 on 9:03 pm
Hey there,
I run 1 Fluval Fx5 on my 100 gallon tank that has about 3″ of gravel/rocks on the bottom. My tank is also filled all the way to the top since I built an above tank basking aera.I do a 25-30% water change every couple of weeks and vacuum the gravel ever month and a half or so. My water is always crystal clear. I hope you get same results with your new filter =)
February 10th, 2010 on 11:41 pm
Thanks Bigworm!
The Fx5 is actually a lot bigger and stronger than the XP3, so Ryan will have a different experience, but I do hope results will be just as good!!
I’m interested in what your above tank basking area looks like – if you like, I would like to showcase your turtle tank on this website. Share your pet turtle pictures here and I’ll put your photos up in a future post.
February 10th, 2010 on 11:23 pm
It’s hard to say exactly how long a large turtle tank will take to cycle since there’s too many things to account for. It’s going to be a lot quicker than a fish aquarium!
The water level inside the XP3 doesn’t matter, so long as it’s running, it’s ok. I got my tank brand new but didn’t get “new tank syndrome” since I mixed old bio filter media with new filter media – and the tank cycled very, very quickly.
I bought two XP3s with the intention of using it on 150 gallons of water – which would be optimal. With my tank being half full, 2 XP3s are more than enough, I keep them both on cause I felt there were too many “dead spots” of water movement.
One is enough, but you might want to get another one – wait to see how it works out.
Once your filter media is cycled, that’s it – removing the gravel will have no impact.