Turtle Monday: Aquatic Turtle Basics

My "30 Breeder"

In my opinion, turtles are by far the easiest pet to own and maintain. That doesn't say that they require no work and no investment of money or time at all. But once you do your research and work out your plans, they can go almost on autopilot thereafter.

So where should you start?

First, see if you have the space for a setup. Even if you get a hatchling, you should be thinking about the long term. A hatchling can be kept in a small tupperware type basin for a while, but that's it. You should be thinking about the long run

WHAT DOES AN AVERAGE ADULT AQUATIC TURTLE NEED?

1. A thirty (30) gallon "breeder" tank. That means it's wider than it is tall.
2. A filter.
3. A basking spot.
4. A heat lamp.
5. A full spectrum light.

In addition to the five basic items listed above, I also highly recommend choosing a spot for the tank close to a sink. Water needs to be replaced on a regular basis, so keeping the tank close to a sink can make your life a lot easier when it comes to siphoning out the water.

The best siphon you can buy, the Viper, or was it Asp? Some snake name...

Okay, let's discuss set up. You decide you will only get one turtle. On the turtlesale message board they tell people you need ten gallons of water per one inch of turtle shell. So if you have a single six inch turtle, you will require a sixty gallon tank. WRONG!!! That was a fable they created. I used to see them say in the mod section about how they knew they were providing the wrong info, but would rather that people provide more space than not enough. Nice way to spend people's money.

The truth:

For a single adult aquatic turtle you will only need a 30 gallon breeder, and for each additional turtle you will need an extra 10 gallons. So, if you plan on 2 adults, you need at least a 40 gallon tank; for 3 turtles, 50 gallons; and so on.

Silent Bob in his hatchling setup.

If you are starting off with a hatchling and want to tank a economic route, you will not need a filter yet, more than likely. You should be able to dump the water a couple times a day and keep the water clean so your turtle can remain healthy. But once you commit to a glass tank, or a much larger plastic bin, then you will require filtration. When you go to the pet shops they LOVE to steer you to the in-tank filters. In the beginning that might be fine, but when you have a big tank, those filters won't be able to deal with the load. I prefer canister filters. They look like canister vacuums for your tank. I have two Fluval 304 Filters for my two tanks. They do a great job, and you can find the 304 or 305 online for very reasonable prices. They cost a lot more than the in-tank filters, but save you a ton of time and effort in the long run. When I had the Fluval 3 in-tank filters I had to clean them out at least once or twice each week. Now I clean out the 304 every 6 weeks or so. You can improve their performance very easily, but I will get to that another time.

Tomorrow I will discuss other supplies.