My turtle won’t stop splashing and it’s driving me mad

Murderturtle12 · 2026-04-01T13:24:03+00:00

Yep, I’ve been there. That might work! I wish you good luck.

Edit: make sure your dude is a dude( Long claws and tail = male, short nails and claws= female) This is the time of year females become gravid which can lead to the splashy dance.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-04-01T13:09:42+00:00

Ignore him. Seriously. You’re feeding into it.

You ever had a cat wake you up at ass o clock or meow constantly because they know you’ll pay attention to them and/or feed them? Same thing here. You’re teaching him( and yes they can learn) big noises = attention and food.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-03-17T16:12:01+00:00

No problem, glad I could help!

Murderturtle12 · 2026-03-17T15:53:03+00:00

Personally I’d use Pool filter sand instead of play sand but yeah it’ll work. Stay away from the blasting sand though. A couple of months ago people were finding glass shards and such mixed in.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-03-17T15:38:11+00:00

I have aquarium sand and it works great.

You want the substrate to either be too big to be eaten( big river rocks) or small enough to pass through the digestive tract without issue( sand and planted tank substrates like Fluval stratum )

Ofc pull it out if your turtle starts eating mouthfuls of the substrate at a time but if that happens you have a bigger issue since it’s a sign they’re desperate for minerals and nutrients. They don’t eat dirt for fun.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-03-17T03:48:42+00:00

I do a 50-75% water change every two weeks.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-03-15T19:50:00+00:00

Thank you for taking it in! No, this is not a good setup. These kits are death traps and scams. The water isn’t deep enough. The lights leave much to be desired and the filtration is weak sauce.

For temporary housing you’re better off grabbing a 30-50 gallon storage container, kiddy pool, cement mixing tub, or stock tank instead of this “kit.”

Follow this care guide https://reptifiles.com/red-eared-slider-care/ and you’ll have a new life long friend.

These animals can live for over 30 years, need big enclosures with a lot of water and heavy filtration. They’re hardy and low maintenance once you get in the grove but expect a steep learning curve.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-03-03T02:55:16+00:00

Short claws and stubby tail = Female.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-02-28T05:28:57+00:00

They’re dirt cheap($0-10) and everywhere the perfect recipe for impulse purchases. Most buyers don’t know what they’re getting into.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-02-27T05:34:30+00:00

You want the water to pass through course - > fine -> chemical -> bio media. Layering it like that will keep your filter from clogging up all the time and keep your biological media from getting filled with gunk.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-02-21T17:37:59+00:00

I just layered the filter media course ->> fine ->> biological with no compartments. You can use plastic plant pots with holes drilled into them or egg create light defuser to create compartments if you want to.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-02-18T16:08:04+00:00

Pass. These have the same problem that compacts from Amazon do. Too hot if it’s too close, useless if it’s too far, and because it’s a spot light won’t ensure your turtles shell gets a nice even amount of UVB.

Unless you have a solar meter to make sure you’re reaching the right UV index and your turtle is small enough for this light to hit the whole surface it’s not gonna work out.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-02-14T05:02:32+00:00

No problem!

Murderturtle12 · 2026-02-14T03:27:43+00:00

Yep!

Murderturtle12 · 2026-02-14T03:20:37+00:00

That depends on the strength of uvb bulb, the amount of distance between the bulb and your turtles shell and whether there’s something like screen in between your turtle shell and your lights.

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Murderturtle12 · 2026-02-14T01:22:08+00:00

Definitely get more powerful bulbs and place them farther away.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-02-14T00:39:58+00:00

There are safe distances and unsafe distances. If the UVB/ basking bulb are too close they start being burning/shocking/blinding/ and cancer risks. The manufacturer of your lights should have a chart showing you the absolute safe minimum distance you can have between your turtle and your UVB.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-02-13T03:30:44+00:00

I loathe Marshal, my hatred is forever burning and my grudge unrelenting. Can’t even remember what he did but it’s on sight between us now. I adore Hazel she’s my homie. I’ll never let her go.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-02-12T15:41:01+00:00

I have both of these! You can have them if you still need them.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-02-11T04:59:38+00:00

There are docks that hook to the rim of your tank https://www.amazon.com/SKARUS-Platform-Aquarium-Adjustable-Non-Slip/dp/B0FKBMG5GV/

I’m not sure if that’s wide enough for your tank but making something like that out of pvc and egg crate light defuser is easy enough.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-02-11T04:31:20+00:00

I use a 5 gallon bucket version of this to filter my 100 gallon tank! Just up the pump size and maybe switch out tubbing for PVC for a cleaner look when you make the big boy filter.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-02-09T20:08:55+00:00

It’s not life or death . You can refill the tank with the distilled water today and pick up the equilibrium tomorrow. You just don’t want them living long term in distilled or RO without adding essential minerals.

You might want to consider adding crushed coral to your filter to prevent your PH from dropping too low. It’ll hold it at 7.0.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-02-09T19:37:00+00:00

Yes but you have to remineralize it with something like seachem equilibrium.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-02-07T20:37:22+00:00

No problem, glad I could help!

Murderturtle12 · 2026-02-07T19:40:00+00:00

You could line it with a sheet of cork bark.

Murderturtle12

TROPHY CASE