Water Care

Water care is a very important part of keeping your turtle healthy. Turtles love to swim and need a great deal of room to move about. Providing a tank for your turtle where the water depth is at least twice the length of your turtle and providing swimming room (length) at least four times the size of your turtle. These would be minimum requirements for your turtle.

Turtles are very messy so you need to clean the water often. Having a good filtration system is essential, but does not eliminate the need for water changes. When purchasing a filter you want to get one that is good for at least double the amount of water in your tank. There are several options for filtration systems, in-tank filters, underwater filters, external (hang on tank) filters and canister filters.

Canister Filters

“A canister filter is a large, powerful aquarium filter used for mechanical, biological and optionally, chemical. Canister filters sit below the tank, usually inside of the aquarium stand. They are closed cylinders that stand about 15″ (38 cm) high, with locking lids. The lids have intake and outtake valves that connect to tubing, which feeds up into the tank. The intake tube draws water into the filter where it follows a circuitous path through various filter mediums before being expelled at the outtake valve to return to the tank.” - WiseGeek

These filters are initially the most expensive filter you can buy but the pay offs are great. With fewer filter changes required and its surprisingly low energy consumption the Canister filter will pay you back in time.

WeeTurtle says: This filter changed my life! Saturdays used to be solely dedicated to the changing of my turtles water. The addition of this filter to our large aquarium reduced the hours needed to clean it and the smell. This filter only needs to be changed once every3 months or so. Do not neglect adding fresh water to the tank every week though to keep your turtle happy.

External (Hang on Tank) Filters

“A hang on tank or H.O.T. filter can provide mechanical, biological and chemical filtration in an aquarium. It is called a hang on tank filter because it hangs on the back wall of the aquarium, with the filter itself external to the tank. An intake tube extends inside the aquarium pulling water into the body of the filter, where it passes through various mediums before being returned to the tank.” -WiseGeek

These filters are less expensive than the Canister Filters, however not nearly as effective. Though waste in the water is filtered in each way (mechanical, biological and chemical) frequent changes are needed to keep the system working. The foam pad often becomes bogged down with waste in as little as a week and to keep carbon active it needs to be changed often.

Underwater Filters

Underwater/Submersible filters are a less expensive highly effective filtration system. Placed underwater these filters create a great current in the water that allows debris and waste in the water to be moved towards the filter canister. A foam pad is used in these filters with optional (recommended by WeeTurtle) carbon inserts. The foam pads should be throughly rinsed once a week, but do not need to be replaced until the foam has stretched out and no longer fits naturally into the canister or allows waste particles to pass through it. Carbon inserts should be replaced every other time the filter is cleaned to promote beneficial bacteria growth.

In-tank Filters

These filters hang from the inside of the tank generally by hook, or suction cups. Mesh bag filters are used with this particular system with carbon particles placed inside the bag. This bag is placed in a canister, usually accompanied by a foam pad to eliminate toxins making their way back to the water. These filters will need to be cleaned weekly with the bag being disposed of and the addition of a new carbon particles. Rinse the foam pad less often, good bacteria grows in here that helps keep the water looking crystal clear. This filtration system works well with smaller turtles as the do not produce much waste, however as they grow this filter becomes obsolete and will need to be replaced by one of the above mentioned. These filters are excellent for starters as they are easily available and relatively cheap, however they are better designed to put up with the waste from fish and not from turtles.