My wife and I found a baby painted turtle and she decided to keep it. We ended up with a 75 gal aquarium because they get kind of big if they are properly fed and kept healthy. First of all they need to ‘bask’ under the proper lighting. We use reptile bulbs and clamp on reflector from our local pet store. For a long time we used a floating platform that is sloped. It’s called a ‘floating turtle dock’.
This worked for a while then one of her turtles began chewing it to pieces. Now we use bricks/block to prop up a platform. One thing that is very important when it comes to keeping a turtle is to keep in mind that they live for decades. This is a long term responsibility and should be done right. Doing it right will also make life so much easier on you. Ideally you would want an aquarium that has been drilled so that it has a built in overflow. This makes life so much easier and makes for a more efficiently running aquarium and maintenance will be much more effective. If you don’t or can’t drill the tank, I would build a siphon overflow. You might say “why not just buy an overflow”? The problem is I have not seen an overflow for sale that will work on a tank that is kept about 2/3 full at all times (we don’t want the turdlers jumping out of the tank) so we don’t fill it completely. Here’s my DIY Overflow Page:
http://randystacye.com/diy_overflow.htm
I would definitely use a sump, UV sterilizer (turtles can give you salmonella) and use filter socks. Canister filters are a pain in the U know what. A decent size return pump is important. Turtles are dirty and fresh water systems are much more maintenance than salt tanks. I use RO/DI water for the turtle tank. My wife started with the plants and I ended up yanking them out and tossing them in the trash shortly after. Plants can make huge mess, clog just about everything etc... I don’t know much about maintaining plants properly, she didn’t either and neither of us was all that interested; the tanks were enough for us. We keep snails that we find in the wild, I find them helpful, they are cute and reproduce like wild fire. We keep a Pleco (algae eating sucker fish) and some of those bottom feeders/cat fish which help as a maintenance crew.
DIY Filter Sock Page:
http://randystacye.com/diy_filter_sock.htm
The turtles started out as my wife’s hobby/responsibility, the tank began to get nasty and I had to help out. She now cares for their health and I take care of the system. I made the overflow, sump (Rubbermaid tote), filter sock, installed the UV sterilizer (JEBO cheapo – works great), and a Little Giant Aquarium Pump; now the system is pristine!
I would go on some turtle forums to learn how to properly feed them. My wife hand feeds hers and they are sweet and very personable. They love going outside, respond to their names and are very intelligent. My wife would be more than willing to answer any questions RE: turtle care – hers are very healthy. Don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.
I hope this has been at least a little helpful.
