Turtle aquarium

A simple setup for a small to medium sized aquatic turtle or two would include the following components: A glass aquarium of minimum 20 gallons with a 40 gallon breeder or larger tank being ideal; a screen lid; an incandescent lamp for heat and light on top of the screen and over the land area; a full spectrum fluorescent light to provide UVB and other natural components of light (sunlight would be an alternate choice if the tank were placed near a window but would not overheat); water filled to cover the turtle so that the turtle can sit in it with its head sticking out while resting (a deeper area is okay but there should be an area where the turtle can rest in shallow water); a land area created with slate, rocks, etc. that does not have any sharp edges; an easy way for the turtle to get from the water to the land; a heater in the water if it is below the turtle's preferred range; a filter for the water (a Duetto or other submerged filter works well); a food dish; and other odds and ends. Total costs in the USA will run about $100 to $300 for this setup. The water should be kept clean by changing it as often as needed (this is the biggest pain with keeping aquatic reptiles unless you can have a drain built in; I hate changing my lizard's 10 gallon "pond").

Aquatic turtles need an area where they can completely haul out of the water if they wish. This is often called the basking area as it is often underneath the incandescent heat lamps. For small turtles, it is easy to create a small basking area using rocks or slate. Be sure the turtle can crawl onto the rock, and there are no sharp edges to cut the turtle.

If the turtle's tank has a lot of rocks and shelves, there may be enough places to hide. Turtles are not as skittish as some other animals in needing places to hide but it varies depending on the species, size, age, etc. In addition to rocks and ledges, the addition of real (may get eaten) or fake plants may work for some situations. If the turtle starts to eat fake plants, they have to be removed (both my baby snapper and sailfin lizard had fake plants once but started to eat them). For land areas, a small box or log can be used for a hiding place. All reptiles need two kinds of light sources. The first is an incandescent lamp for basking that produces heat. Being cold-blooded, all reptiles need to warm themselves up via the sun or incandescent lamps (or ceramic heat emitters). I used a 100 W daylight during the day and a 75 W black night light during the night. The other light required is fluorescent full spectrum lighting with UV rays OR natural sunlight. The UVB rays are especially needed to allow the turtle to process enough Vitamin D. Vitamin deficiencies (A and D mostly) are manifested as swollen, oozing eyes and malformed shells for the most part. If those things show up, check the lighting situation. Incandescent fixtures should be ceramic where the bulb goes due to the high heat.

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