How to Setup an Aquarium for Your Turtle?
It is not so easy to set an ideal aquarium for your turtle pet as it requires a lot of effort. The very first thing to keep in mind before setting up and aquarium for your pet is that you have to give them the environment that is close to their natural habitat. As if your turtle is semi-aquatic which means they need water r as well as land in their tank. They spend most of their time in the water but for basking in the daylight to get their bodies warmth which is important for turtle’s health.
- Aoile Reptile Turtle Tortoise Vivarium Box Aquarium Tank with Basking Ramp
BUY
Size of the tank:
It is very important to buy an aquarium of the right to keep your pet happy and healthy for a longer time. As a general rule of thumb, there must be 10 gallons of water per inch of the turtle so a minimum size of 20 gallons for the hatchling.
Storage tubs or large plastic containers are good alternatives to the aquarium as long as you don’t mind if you are unable to view the turtle from the side.
You must provide your pet turtle an adequate amount of water to swim. The length of the tank must be at least 5 times the length of the turtle and the width of the tank should be as deep as the 3 times the length of the turtle.
Maintenance of the Tank:
Turtles are the pretty messy creature that’s why the tank set up for them must have a very good filtration system such as power filter or canister filter to keep the water clean. Filtration of water reduces the frequency of water changes. Turtles require 25% water changes weekly cleaning of the tank once a month or more. If you feed your turtle in a separate container this will reduce the load on the filtration system.
Area for Basking in the Tank:
By stacking smooth rocks and sloping large smooth gravel can help in making a land area where turtle can bask and dry off. You could also use plastic or wood. You must construct the basking spot such that your turtle can climb up easily and completely dry off.
- Colorido Aquarium Fish Tank Turtle Reptile Island Dock Basking Platform Simulation Rock
The Decoration of Tank:
Decorate your tank in such a way that it is easy to clean it up. Plants can be a nice addition to your tank but turtles are likely to uproot them or make a snack of them.
Gravel placed in the tank must be large enough not to be swallowed by the turtle and they may also make it difficult to clean the tank.
- Turtle Island Platform PU Foam Automatic Floating Reptiles Bask Terrace Terrarium Basking Platform Island Climb Aquarium Décor
The Heater in the Tank:
A Heater in the tank is required to keep the temperature suitable for your pet. The Temperature in the tank must be maintained up to 78-80 degree for hatchlings. The ambient air must be between 75-80 degrees and basking spot between 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit.
YMMY 300w 150w 50w Submersible Aquarium Heater Auto Thermostat Heater with Suction, LED Small Mini Temperature Display Aquarium Fish Tank Heater for Fish Tank Water.
BUY- Pet Reptile USB Fast Heating Pad Waterproof Bendable Carbon Fiber Warmer Bed Mat Pad Adjustable Temperature
Light in the Tank:
Basking light and light which provide full spectrum UVA/UVB must be installed in the tank. For proper calcium metabolism, UVA/UVB is necessary. It also helps in improving the health of your pet such as improving appetite.
- 00 W Heat Lamp Heating Infrared Bulb, Red Pet Light Health Lamp Heating Lamp for Lizard Tortoise Spider Snake Chameleon – E 27 (Working Hours:1500 h. Damaged Can Be Replaced Without Charge)
- Corner Biz Aquarium 25/50/75W UVA+UVB 3.0 Reptile Lamp Bulb Turtle Basking UV Light Bulbs Heating Lamp Amphibians Lizards Temperature Controller
How Does an Ideal Tank Look Like?
An ideal tank for the turtle is one which fulfills the following conditions. When you bring a pet to home you must need to give them the proper and right conditions for living in the captivity. An ideal tank provides the best conditions to live long happily.
- Ideal tank size is five times larger than the length of the turtle and the width of the tank is three times the length of the turtle.
- It has a proper basking area for a turtle to dry off themselves and bask in the heat.
- The Ideal tank has good quality filtration systems to maintain the high-quality water in the tank.
- It has a heater and light in it to maintain the required temperature and provide warmth to the turtle.
- Most suitable decoration pieces are used.
What Does Turtle Eat?
Turtles are an omnivore in nature which means that they eat both plants and animals. Omnivore’s pet turtle will eat commercial turtle food pellets, feeder fish and insects, fruits and vegetables. If your pet is herbivorous, they will eat only fruits and vegetables.
Commercial pelleted food:
This food is specially made for turtles as this food float on the surface it will be easy to feed your pet and keep the tank clean by easy removal of waste food from the surface.
- Josh’s Frogs Adult Aquatic Turtle Food (32 oz)
- King British Turtle And Terrapin Complete Food – 80g
Insects/ Feeder fish:
This food can be a great source of proteins and minerals like potassium, calcium and other vitamins i.e. vitamin A. with pellet they should make up 25% of turtle food.
What does baby turtle eat?
It depends on the turtle’s age and nutritional requirements. It is noted that young sliders eat more protein than older animals. The baby turtles must eat higher amounts of pellets /feeder fish relative to the vegetables and fruits.
- Josh’s Frogs Baby Aquatic Turtle Food (3.5 oz)
How Much Food Turtle Eat?
You must feed your pet one cup a day. Their requirement of food varies with age as once your turtle reaches around 7 years old they can feed in every other day or 4 to 5 times a week. Give your pet around 1 cup of food per day then make changes in it according to your turtle responds.
Common Turtle diseases:
There are many diseases which can harm your pet in captivity. The list of a few of them is as follows:
- Vitamin A deficiency
Causes:
All meat diet, poor quality commercial diet
Symptoms:
- Lack of appetite’
- Swelling of the eyelids
- Swelling of the ear
- Respiratory infection
- Lethargy
Treatment:
- Oral or injected Vitamin A
- Zoo Med Repti Turtle Eye Drops
- Respiratory diseases
Causes:
- Bacteria
- Secondary to Vitamin A deficiency
Symptoms:
- Excess mucus in their oral cavities
- Nasal discharge
- Lethargy
- Loss of appetite
- Wheezing
- Stretching the neck out with each breath
- Open-mouth breathing or gasping
Treatment:
- Abscesses
Causes:
- Vitamin A deficiency
Symptoms:
- Infected pus-filled swelling within a tissue of the body
Treatment:
- API Turtle FIX Antibacterial Turtle Remedy
- Shell infections
Causes:
- Bacteria or Fungus
- Often secondary to trauma
Symptoms:
- Deep ulcers or pitting on the body of the shell.
Treatment:
- OCEAN FREE Turtle Medication | 20ml | Bacteria & Fungus
- ColourfulShop Taiyomax 1with 1 Turtle Conditioner Calcium Plus Food
- Parasites and fractures