The Lowest Maintenance
Turtle Aquarium For Your Pet

A well set up turtle aquarium provides a safe and interesting place for your turtle to live.

A tank that is set up properly will mean the least amount of maintenance for you and the best health for your pet.

What You Will Need

The Tank

- a tank!
- gravel or pebbles for the bottom of the tank
- water plants (real or plastic)
- underwater objects for your turtle to investigate
- a basking area, either rocks or a platform

Heat and Light

- a heat lamp
- UV light: this can be combined with the heat lamp
- a timer for the light
- water heater
- thermostat
- thermometer to check the water temperature is OK

Water Quality

- aquarium pump
- fish tank filter
- de-chlorinator if using tap water
- kit for testing and adjusting pH

The Tank

The tank should be large enough for a basking spot and a good amount of water for the turtle to swim in. The minimum size of the tank will be determined by the size of your turtle, but in general the larger the turtle aquarium the better for your pet. But bear in mind that larger tanks also take more effort to clean.

The gravel or pebbles on the bottom of the tank are called the substrate. Large smooth pebbles are easiest to clean but smaller stones may be better for your turtle to poke around in.

Water plants make the tank more interesting for the turtle. Plastic plants are easily moved around, can be cleaned and won't be eaten. Live plants oxygenate the water and can add to your pet's diet.

Other underwater objects such as branches, sculptures and so on should be secured so they cannot fall on and trap yout pet. They should also be positioned so that your pet can easily swim around or under them without becoming trapped. If you are going to use objects from the garden, give them a good clean with soap and bleach solution. But make sure to rinse them very thoroughly before putting them in the water.

The basking area can be anywhere in the turtle aquarium. It needs to be big enough for the turtle to sit completely out of the water. This is important for both heat absorption and drying out to keep your pet's skin healthy. If your turtle is a very active swimmer and you want deeper water in the tank, a platform might be preferable to a rock pile, and certainly easier to clean.

Heat and Light

The heat and UV light your turtle needs can be provided by a single bulb. This needs to be positioned above the basking area so that the turtle can get both the heat and UV it needs while out of the water.

Connecting a timer to the light allows you to set a regular day / night cycle for your pet rather than a "whenever I go to bed" lighting scheme. A cycle of 12 hours light and dark is generally fine but check your individual species' requirements.

The water temperature is maintained by the water heater and the thermostat controls the heater, just like the timer does for the light. Water temperature of around 24 degrees celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit) is usually OK but again check your turtle's specific needs.

Water Quality

Turtles are quite messy and will quickly foul the tank water. To keep the amount of water changing and tank cleaning to a minimum a good pump and filter combination is a must. A high quality aquarium pump with a capacity well in excess of your tank's minimum requirements is always a good idea. The pump will last far longer and can be used if you need to buy a larger tank in the future.

An external cannister filter is the easiest to remove and clean. As with the pump, the higher the rating the better. Filters are rated by Liters Per Hour (LPH) of water filtered. This value will decrease as the filter becomes clogged so always overestimate your tank's needs.

Dechlorinators are chemicals you add to the water to get rid of excess chlorine. They are readily available from pet stores. You can pay as much as you like for these chemicals, but since you'll be changing the water in your turtle aquarium often, low price is an important factor.

Kits for testing and maintaining a neutral pH are also cheap and available at the pet store. Generally a pH of between 5.5 to 7 is best, preferably closer to 7.

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