Seeking Advice on an Outdoor Tank for Turtles

[osakacutter]

Hi guys, just wondering if anyone has any experience keeping turtles (e.g. red eared sliders) outdoors?
I plan to have an outdoor tank on the balcony of my third floor.
The balcony is not fully sheltered so I plan to make a shelter.

My main concerns would be:
Would these turtles will be able to withstand the outdoor conditions and erratic nature of Singapore's weather?
Weather elements, when it rains, when it shines, and what may happen to my tank?
Uncontrollable algae blooms?
What materials (metal, fibre glass) would be best for an outdoor tank.

[vinz]

Plastic or fibreglass. Metal will heat up under direct sun.

Red Ear Sliders (RES) need to bask under direct sun like most reptiles at least once a day. You need to place the tank at a location that is partially under direct sun for a few hours. There should be a land area for them to bask in the sun.

Weather should not be an issue as long as water does not overheat. A simple waterfall or just surface movement using the filter (if you plan to use one) outlet will suffice.

Have you kept RES before? Their feeding options tend to be messy... (at least back when I kept them). Need an oversized filter that requires frequent cleaning. But I have an idea that I never got round to carrying out: separate removable "tank" for feeding. Basically a small container with water that is big enough for them to fit in and feed. Once feeding is over, remove the container to wash.

Algae should not be an issue.

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[jackychun]

Sharing my super simple setup for Red Ear Slider with you. I am just using the plastic storage. That is light, big enough to house the turtle. Of course the bigger the better. My RES looks happy so I am fine. Haha.

Can decorate a bit.



Or just keep it simple like this.


Cheers!



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[osakacutter]

Hi Vinz,

Thanks for your reply!
Yes, I used to keep RES long ago strictly for fun when I was a kid. I'm actually a fish/shrimp keeper with better knowledge on keeping marine animals now so I would like to keep some turtles again now.
No worries, I plan to have a nice basking area for them.
Would a filter be necessary for turtles or would frequent water changes be sufficient?

[osakacutter]

Hi Jackychun,

Yes, that's actually the type of set-up I have in mind only difference I would have the tank outdoors so I'm not sure whether it would be a conducive environment for a turtle. I don't want the poor turtles to cook under the hot Singapore sun.

[jackychun]

I understand that the turtle likes to have nice warm weather. People in cold area even need to give them heater to warm up their living area. Singapore climate should be perfect for them I guess. Just don't need to keep them under direct sunlight.

Filter would be good so less water change needed a week.


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[vinz]

Jacky, what do you feed your RES? Messy? I had them as a kid/teen decades ago. Turtle food then was basically "hei-bee" and my mum would feed them chicken liver too. Really messy/smelly.

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[vinz]

@osakacutter, i used to do daily water change after feeding, but later read that chlorine etc, affect them too. A decent filter with weekly water change amd water treatment would probably be kind to them.

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[jackychun]

Hi Vinz, I give them the dry food (Azoo brand). My turtle really poo a lot, too. Should have really high capacity filter to keep water clean and less smelly. I just do total water change every 2-3 days using the small overflow internal filter as shown in photo 2.

https://www.urpetplaza.net/eStore/tu...oise-food.html


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[Zep]

Nice setup jacky. My res outgrows his container v fast. Looking for a bigger one too. You are using a canister to filter? Mine is currently filter less but water smells v quickly.

[jackychun]

Hi Zep. I am using that Canister filter for other project already. So now only use the internal overflow filter. That clog quickly though, so I need to clean every 2-3 days. Good thing is water much less smelly.


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[Zep]

I used to have a small internal filter too. Had to clean v often. So I moved the container to the back of the house that is far from the power socket. So went filter less. Still have to change 100% water every 2-3 days.

[ryangiggs]

I have 80 x 80 tank in my sheltered patio... using a Fluval 406 filter... which should be quite powerful for this tank size... but even this required frequent water changes... at least once a week...

The problem with RES is that they are messy eaters... so a lot of small uneaten food will foul the water despite i feed them on their basking platform... Mine had lost of little white wiggly worms swimming in the water... it got so much that i bought a packet of mollies to get rid of the worms... a $2 packet of mollies probably have around 100 mollies (small)... initially the RES will catch a few to eat... but as there are too many... the RES soon ignore them... after 3 weeks... i think i am still left with at least 80% of the mollies... this is enough to keep the worms population in check... a bit cruel... but those mollies are 100% doom anyway as they are sold as feeders to other predator fishes... at least they have a survival chance in my RES tank...

I had a pair of endlers that survived in the tank for more than 6months... still surviving... but they dun eat the worms... or are unable to catch up with the worms reproduction...

[jackychun]

I have 80 x 80 tank in my sheltered patio... using a Fluval 406 filter... which should be quite powerful for this tank size... but even this required frequent water changes... at least once a week...

The problem with RES is that they are messy eaters... so a lot of small uneaten food will foul the water despite i feed them on their basking platform... Mine had lost of little white wiggly worms swimming in the water... it got so much that i bought a packet of mollies to get rid of the worms... a $2 packet of mollies probably have around 100 mollies (small)... initially the RES will catch a few to eat... but as there are too many... the RES soon ignore them... after 3 weeks... i think i am still left with at least 80% of the mollies... this is enough to keep the worms population in check... a bit cruel... but those mollies are 100% doom anyway as they are sold as feeders to other predator fishes... at least they have a survival chance in my RES tank...

I had a pair of endlers that survived in the tank for more than 6months... still surviving... but they dun eat the worms... or are unable to catch up with the worms reproduction...

Wow. Sounds interesting. Do you have any photos to show your setup?


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[ryangiggs]

Wow. Sounds interesting. Do you have any photos to show your setup?


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Will try to take a photo next time... the tank is actually at my mum place... the turtle grew too fast and my own house is too small for a bigger tank... once they out grow the glass tank maybe i will built a small pond for them...

i bought them ard march last yr... they were tiny abt 1.5inch... $2.50 at the market... now they are about 6inches... hope the growth will slow down drastically and the tank can last them another 3-4yrs... already told my mum not to overfeed the turtles... she always thought the turtles need to eat 3 times a day like a person!

[vinz]

Most juveniles grow really fast. An arowana can go from 8 inches to 12 inches in a matter of months, 18 inches in about 2 years. But growth rate slows down a lot from 18 inches up.

I think RES slows down growth from about 6 inches. But you're right. Less feeding will help.

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[ryangiggs]

Simple setup... with just 2 basking platforms from taobao...

[jackychun]

That setup looks so cool! Turtle surely happy there!


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