hiya

looking at getting bigger tank for my 2 yellow belly turts what sort of size should i look at if i want one to last a good few years 300Litre???

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Chrissie x
1.1 yellow bellied turtles Minnie and Mickey
0.0.3 cold water fish - bob wendy and spud
1.0 hamster - tinkerbell
1.0 lop rabbit - molly
1.0 guinea pig - rainbow
0.0.10 tropical fish tetra and pleco
1.1 kids chloe and connor 1.0 oh - matt

Have you read the sticky at the top of this section explaining tank sizes?

TBH a 300 litre won't last very long with two YBS, assuming they were both the same size that would mean 60 litres per inch SCL, so a 300 litre filled right to the brim would only last until they were 5", they'll be that size by 2 years old at the latest.

Unless you're prepared to upgrade so soon I'd recommend at least a 4' x 2' x 2' or equivalent, that's about 430 litres to the top. You could start off with it maybe 3/4 full, then when they get bigger add an above-tank basking area and fill the tank right up, that will buy you another couple of years maybe before you need to upgrade again.

Personally I don't mind regular upgrades, the smaller tanks can either be sold or traded on, or used for smaller turts if you get any more, but then I get most of my tanks free so it doesn't really matter!

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2.3.0 Southern Painted Turtles
1.0.0 Florida Red Belly
2.1.1 Common Musks
1.0.0 Classic Cornsnake
0.0.2 GALS + infinite babies
0.1.0 Tibetan Spaniel
1.2.0 Brahma Chickens

sorry i'm confused i was told mine were brought sept 05. i have measured them they are 4" and 3.5". which makes them over 2yrs

could this be due to poor living cond being kept in 40 litre tank previously????

sorry if i'm asking silly questions but i've never kept any reptile before and do not know there growth rates etc??

where can i get tanks 4ft x2 x2

i have been looking on internet and not found any?

i really am just trying to do my best for them i'm rather taken with them

__________________
Chrissie x
1.1 yellow bellied turtles Minnie and Mickey
0.0.3 cold water fish - bob wendy and spud
1.0 hamster - tinkerbell
1.0 lop rabbit - molly
1.0 guinea pig - rainbow
0.0.10 tropical fish tetra and pleco
1.1 kids chloe and connor 1.0 oh - matt

Well growth rates do vary depending on many factors, I would have expected them to be a bit bigger at around 3 years. The size of tank they were in previously wouldn't affect their size directly, the old story about them only growing to the size of their enclosure is total nonsense, but if the water quality was poor due to too little volume, possibly causing illness, if their diet was poor, things like that could slow their growth.

At their current sizes though they need a minimum 40 litres x 4 for the bigger one, plus 20 litres x 3.5 for the smaller one, so 230 litres.
You can see that a 300 litre tank wouldn't last very long at all even if you filled it to overflowing, it would be just enough to last until they were 1" bigger than they are now, and that won't be very long.

You can get 4 x 2 x 2 tanks from places like www.acaquatics.co.uk and Aquatics LTD - aquarium manufacturer : bespoke aquariums, best quality fish tanks, saltwater aquariums, marine aquariums, prices are quite reasonable for new tanks but you should be able to pick up something second-hand a lot cheaper. Big tanks often fetch very low prices because the market for them is limited, not everyone can fit a big tank in their house, if you have the means to collect and it's not too far away you can often pick up a real biggie for a song!

__________________
2.3.0 Southern Painted Turtles
1.0.0 Florida Red Belly
2.1.1 Common Musks
1.0.0 Classic Cornsnake
0.0.2 GALS + infinite babies
0.1.0 Tibetan Spaniel
1.2.0 Brahma Chickens

they were kept in an inch of very dirty water nearly mud and fed on lettuce and cucumber and a cube of frozen turtle food (which maybe explains it) (no light or heater and a filter that was so clogged didn't do any thin)
the bigger one has gone on the floaing island (i was given one so thought i'd try it out)

will look into that tank as really want the best for them

__________________
Chrissie x
1.1 yellow bellied turtles Minnie and Mickey
0.0.3 cold water fish - bob wendy and spud
1.0 hamster - tinkerbell
1.0 lop rabbit - molly
1.0 guinea pig - rainbow
0.0.10 tropical fish tetra and pleco
1.1 kids chloe and connor 1.0 oh - matt

the bigger of the two

smaller one

__________________
Chrissie x
1.1 yellow bellied turtles Minnie and Mickey
0.0.3 cold water fish - bob wendy and spud
1.0 hamster - tinkerbell
1.0 lop rabbit - molly
1.0 guinea pig - rainbow
0.0.10 tropical fish tetra and pleco
1.1 kids chloe and connor 1.0 oh - matt

Well the nutritional value of cucumber and lettuce is virtually zero so that may explain it!

From those photos their condition seems OK though.

__________________
2.3.0 Southern Painted Turtles
1.0.0 Florida Red Belly
2.1.1 Common Musks
1.0.0 Classic Cornsnake
0.0.2 GALS + infinite babies
0.1.0 Tibetan Spaniel
1.2.0 Brahma Chickens

its worried me that they aren't the right size for there age

and not knowing what they are meant to look like. they seem active and eating well have ordered the complete food you suggested so hopefully they will thrive now

__________________
Chrissie x
1.1 yellow bellied turtles Minnie and Mickey
0.0.3 cold water fish - bob wendy and spud
1.0 hamster - tinkerbell
1.0 lop rabbit - molly
1.0 guinea pig - rainbow
0.0.10 tropical fish tetra and pleco
1.1 kids chloe and connor 1.0 oh - matt