Turtle Aquarium Setup Tips

Your turtle aquarium setup is every bit as important as what you feed him to keep him happy and healthy. There are several aspects of your turtle's habitat that need to be addressed. Each of these aspects depends on your breed of turtle - what is right for a red ear slider may not be right for a box turtle.

• Aquarium Size
• Water Supply
• Land Area
• Sunlight/UVB
• Temperature

If your turtle is a baby or juvenile, you need to size the aquarium for how large he is mostly to become. You need to do your homework on your breed of turtle. Find out how large they become, and how much water they will need to live comfortably.

For example, red ear sliders like to swim, so they need some depth in their water supply to give them ample room to swim. Musk turtles, however, prefer shallow water that is easy to get in and out of.

Your turtle will need some land in their aquarium. Even water turtles like to surface and get some much needed sun (or UVB) rays. Make sure you have ample space for your breed of turtle. 

When people think turtle, they automatically think water. And though most turtles do like to be around water, not all live in the water. Some can even drown in water!

Find out if your breed wants deep enough water to swim around in, or just wade in with very gentle slopes to get in and out.

You must also make sure to keep your turtle's water clean. Turtles are notoriously messy eaters. If you do not clean up the food and the water, the aquarium will become a health hazard to your turtle.

You might want to consider a water filter to help keep the water supply clean, which can be found at aquatic turtle supplies stores and online. At the very least you will need to change out the water every week.

Sunlight, or UV-B light, is an often overlooked aspect of turtle supplies. But this is extremely important to the overall health of your pet turtle.

Natural sunlight is best, but realize that if there is glass between the sunlight and your turtle (i.e. a window), he may not be getting as much UVB from the sun as he needs. So, unless your turtle habitat is outside in direct sunlight, you should consider getting a UV-B bulb (available at most pet turtle supply stores).

Temperature control is very important in your turtle aquarium setup. Turtles are cold-blooded, which means their body temperature is regulated by their environment. To thrive, your turtle needs a specific air temperature range and water temperature range.

Water heaters are the best way to ensure a specific water temperature range. For the air temperature, a basking light works great. Allow your aquarium to have different temperatures so your turtle can decide to move if too hot or cold. In other words, don't make the entire land portion the same temperature - provide a warm spot (by the basking light) and have part of the land area not covered by the basking light.