What kind of aquarium should i get for a turtle

There are certain species, such as snapping turtles, that you simply cannot mix with anything whatsoever. Even a larger turtle of the same species will sometimes resort to bullying, injuring and maiming a smaller turtle. And fish? This just makes things a million times more complicated and difficult.

Can it be done? Yes, as long as you adhere to these guidelines. Turtles Need Big Tanks The general rule among turtle hobbyists when it comes to aquarium space is: 10 gallons of water for every 1 inch of turtle shell, per turtle And a lot of the common types of turtles that people own can get quite large, such as red-eared sliders.

Turtles Need A Filter One of the reasons why I recommend turtle owners to seriously consider canister-filtration systems is that they are powerful enough to deal with all of the waste that turtles emit.

Aerating your water. This does a number of things, one of which is pump oxygen into the water to help create an environment for good bacteria to thrive. Do Turtles Eat Fish Yes, turtles do eat fish. This should be obvious, but you will need at least a few hiding places for your fish. These can be places such as: Turned-over flowering pots PVC pipes Pieces of driftwood Large rocks Commercial fish hideouts Any of these are OK, but I would recommend that any hideout that you place into your tank follow these guidelines: Be safe and secure from your turtle getting inside it and eating the fish Be safe and secure from your turtle eating it Because of this, I would not recommend relying on water-plants to act as hiding places for your fish.

In particular, red-eared sliders, painted turtles and cooters are extremely good at this. What can live with musk turtles? If you have one of those species, here is what I would recommend: Wait until the turtle is older and has matured. All of the species I have ever seen that have worked well with turtles have had several of the following traits: They were quick and speedy.

Essentially, they could easily get away from a slower, more lumbering turtle in pursuit. They were small or slender. Medium-sized fish or even fish with long fins and tails are much less able to make speedy escapes.

They were intelligent at least for a fish. They were a bit feisty. Basically, a fish that can nip back is going to be a lot more likely to scare away your turtle than one that just gets chased everywhere. They are: Tetra fish Zebrafish Yellow ciclids For someone who has never added fish to a turtle tank, I would strongly recommend starting out with a small school of tetra or zebrafish.

Can Turtles Live With Cichlids? Note: I am ONLY talking specifically about electric yellow cichlids labidochromis caeruleus and not any other cichlid species, including but not limited to: Convict cichlids Red Devil cichlids Wolf cichlids Cichlids in general are very territorial, and can become very aggressive, particularly when they are mating.

Dangerous Fish For Turtles Basically, you will want to avoid putting anything that is too aggressive, or anything that can potentially injure, main or kill your turtle in the same aquarium. This means avoiding the following species at all costs! Catfish Piranha Electric eels Lobsters With that being said, are there any other species that can live with turtles? Can Turtles Live With Goldfish?

One of the most common questions I have seen is whether goldfish can live with turtles. Goldfish produce a ridiculous amount of waste.

These things are essentially the turtles of the fish world. Moreover, they can grow large! If not eaten, they can easily grow larger than the turtle that they are sharing your tank with, and can easily over-breed in your tank. Turtle tank mates Along with turtles, there are plenty of other suitable turtle tank mates. This allows you to create the perfect environment for your hard-shelled buddy. Aquarium kits are great for those who are new to keeping turtles.

They contain all the necessary gear that you need to give your buddy a happy home. However, with a ready-made one, you get little choice of the environment or how the turtle's habitat will look and work. The alternative is to purchase all the gear you need separately to get a more customized aquarium. As we have already mentioned, turtles are cold-blooded and need an environment where they can come out of the water, breathe, and bask in the warmth of a heat lamp.

The TetraFauna Viqaquarium is an all-in-one land and water environment that is ideal for aquatic turtles. It converts an ordinary aquarium into an aqua-terrarium. This is a combination of an aquarium and terrarium, which effectively means that it has a dry land part and a water section for swimming, making it perfect for transforming any aquarium into a habitat that is perfect for turtles.

The Viqaquarium boasts three realistic land areas that will allow your turtle to warm up. There is one high area and two lower areas allowing your hard-shelled buddy to choose where they want to hang out. The high area has a cascading waterfall feature hidden inside.

This is powered by the Tetra Whisper filtration system, which ensures that the water is kept clean. The waterfall flows into a riverbed that links to the other basking areas to create a more natural environment. The Viqaquarium will fit into most gallon aquariums, and can be placed to the left or right of an aquarium. This brings a bit of flexibility to a turtles habitat, which will help keep them happy and, of course, healthy. When choosing an aquarium for your pet turtle, there are a number factors to consider, but perhaps the most important is the tank size.

Multiply the length of your turtle by ten, and this equals the capacity you need. For example, if your turtle is two inches long, multiply that by 10, and you get So a gallon tank is your ideal choice. If you are thinking of having multiple turtles in a tank, you may want to go larger. Alternatively, get more than one aquarium. When a tank size has been decided, you need to think of all the necessary equipment to go with it. You will need water heaters, heat lamps, water filters, thermometers, lighting, and tank decoration.

If you are a beginner at keeping turtles then a starter kit such as the Tetra Aquatic Turtle Deluxe Kit is a no-nonsense option. It has a decent size tank and all the extras you need to get started straight away. Alternatively, if you don't want to spend too much money then the Turtle Habitat Terrapin Lake Reptile Aquarium Tank is really cheap, but you will need to buy heat lamps and water heaters. If you want a bigger aquarium then the Tetra 55 Gallon Aquarium Kit is a great choice.

This offers a realistic land and water environment, comes with a water filter, and fits most gallon tanks. This aquarium is stronger and lighter than a glass tank, and its convex shape offers better view of your turtle. Group 30 Created with Sketch. Group 29 Created with Sketch. Included in this guide: 1. Tetra Aquatic Turtle Deluxe Kit. Specifications Capacity: 20 gallons. Weight: 41 pounds. Filter: Included. Reasons to avoid - Lack of tank decoration - For small turtles only.

Hamiledyi Turtle Aquarium Tank with Platform. Specifications Capacity: 3 gallons. Size: Weight: grams. Filter: Not included. Reasons to avoid - No tank decor - No lamp or filter. Specifications Capacity: 3, 5, 10, 20 gallon. Weight: Reasons to avoid - No UV lamp - No basking platform. Tetra 55 Gallon Aquarium Kit. Specifications Capacity: 55 gallon. Weight: 79 pounds. Reasons to avoid - Heavy - Limited tank decoration.

Specifications Capacity: 36 gallon. Weight: 20 pounds. Reasons to avoid - Expensive - Few accessories - Not for beginners. They also come in a variety of sizes, shapes and types, another big advantage. If you do put a turtle in a fish tank, you should keep in mind that turtles do eat fish.

Indoor plastic tubs are perfect for people that want a massive habitat inside the safety and comfort of your home. They are also hundreds of dollars cheaper than glass aquariums. These reasons are why pet turtle owners with this type of set-up usually place them in their garage or a spare bedroom. Now, concerning outdoor ponds, to be quite honest, if I were rich, an outdoor pond would be perfect. Setting these types of aquariums up is a million times easier in my opinion than tubs and outdoor ponds, as:.

Lastly, they are easy to acquire. They are easily found in supermarkets, pet shops and through online shopping venues such as Amazon. There is one big drawback to using a fish aquarium for your turtle. You need the biggest tank you can get! The reason for this is that the general rule for aquarium size is; 10 gallons for every 1 inch of shell length, per turtle.

A lot of people make the mistake of getting a small aquarium because they have a young or juvenile turtle. Big mistake! Speaking of how quickly turtles can grow, now is a good time to transition to what specific types of turtles work best in fish tanks.

The reason for this is quite simple; these species thrive in most water environments, and a fish tank can easily facilitate this.

Because most fish tanks are rectangular and are longer and deeper than they are wide, you can provide a good amount of water in a relatively small amount of space. For other species, such as box turtles and tortoises, my opinion is that a traditional aquarium is just unnecessary for a lot of people. Box turtles tend to spend most of their day on solid earth, but they still spend some amount of time in shallow waters.

This maximizes the amount of ground space but also lets you put a smaller dish, tray or container for water inside. Because these totes or containers are designed for reptiles, a lot of them are well-ventilated and quite versatile.

For box turtles and tortoises, I simply find them to be far superior, less wasteful of space and A LOT less expensive than traditional fish tanks. My favorite turtle tank for box turtles is the Tetra 55 Gallon Aquarium.