Pond v tank for ELN

[vickicottier]

I have 3 ELN turtles that currently live inside in a 4ft tank. I’m going to do a total tank redo as one of our turtles got she’ll rot (poor parenting on my part after some major life changes.
But we are moving forward the vet suggested moving the turtles to a pond outside but I saw on this forum that some people keep their adult turtles in tanks inside with the right set up.

is one more preferred to the other. Can I keep them inside in my 4ft tank with the right water conditions and proper set up?

 

[Friller2009]

@Flaviemys purvisi

There is absolutely no way you can keep 3 adult Eastern long neck turtles in a standard 4ft fish tank. If it had crazy depth like 8+ foot then possibly.

If not get them into a pond ASAP. At least 3ft deep pretty wide pretty long, planted with plants like Val to provide shade and cover, stock it with a ton of gudgeons like fire tails

 

[vickicottier]

Ok thanks. Do you know of any pond suppliers. I am looking them up but any recommendations would be great.
At the moment the turtles are 8cm 9cm and 10cm. They are small for their age. But I was told
They would grown to the size of the tank then stop. (Thinking I may have been given bad advice)

 

[Friller2009]

Ok thanks. Do you know of any pond suppliers. I am looking them up but any recommendations would be great.
At the moment the turtles are 8cm 9cm and 10cm. They are small for their age. But I was told
They would grown to the size of the tank then stop. (Thinking I may have been given bad advice)

Personally I would dig a pond myself. Commercial ponds aren’t really suited for turtles. They are too shallow. As i stated previously you need it to be at least 3ft deep, otherwise it will be bad for your turtles health, if shallower than 3ft there is not enough room for a temperature gradient for your turtle to escape to.I would dig out something like 8ftx6ftx3ft and have a further 2ft of land around it. You will need a fence and lid as turtles can climb much further than you think. I have seen Eastern Long necks climb up house fences.

When someone says that a thing will grow to fit the enclosure then stop is absolute bull crap. While they can grow to fit the enclosure this basically means, this animal will grow to most of the size of this enclosure.

Since your turtles are quite small, they can stay in the enclosure for a while but I would recommend getting them out into a pond by spring. This allows them to be used to the enclosure before summer.

 

[Herpetology]

https://blueheelertanks.com.au/3000-litre-poly-tank-aquaculture-aquaponics/ is good for one or two ELN, 3 might be pushing it (might want to look at a size slightly larger, they do have a 5k Litre) Depending on where you live, you will need a water heater too + some sort of pump system to keep the water clean

itll be expensive...

Those turtles will get a carapace about the size of a 30cm ruler (+ the length of their neck) - you wouldnt be able to keep one in your tank, recommended depth alone is 3ft

They are small for their age. But I was told
They would grown to the size of the tank then stop.

yes, you can stunt their growth by keeping in a small space, they wont grow any more then they can in your tank and will run into serious issues down the track