Hi my name is Adam and I acquired 2 hatching RES from when I was on vacation in South Carolina. I did my research on RES after getting them and did not know all the work/money they require! I managed to build them a suitable habitat out of a 40gal breeder tank (planning on upgrading to 125gal within the year). Looking to house some fish eventually as well.
Here's my two little guys. Squirtle (pokemon fan) and Myrtle (purchased them while on vacation in Myrtle Beach) I captioned this *Suns out, buns out*.
This is an outdated picture of my setup. A few things have changed.
1. I ******* hate that ridiculous Tetrafauna rock filter. Thing did absolutely nothing! Figured out right away it was a scam and purchased a SunSun 304B which I love and keeps the tank sparkling clean.
2. I raised the water level much higher and have about 34gal in total giving my turtles more room to swim and making sure the basking dock isn't too high to the point where they can escape.
3. I have also moved the bigger UVB lighting more over the basking dock so my RES can receive more beneficial vitamins.
4. I now also have stand for my tank as it is not housed on the ground anymore.
Been using Reddit and some other credible sources when learning about habitat/diet and overall maintenance. Then I found about this site and figured I would give it a go as I have already found some incredibly helpful posts and topics.
Thanks for the warm welcome and hope to speak to all you turtle lovers in the future!