Basic Indoor Setup for Slider Turtles (and Other Water Turtles)

[~Cindy~]

Basic Indoor Setup for Slider Turtles (and Other Water Turtles)
===============================================================

Note: This is a basic setup. Please, find out what the latin name
of your turtle is and do some research on their specific needs.
Every species of turtle has somewhat different requirements, and
taking them into account will keep your turtle happier and healthier.

* Every turtle tank should have a swim area and a land area.
  "Swim area" is water deep enough for the turtle to swim; that is, the water
  must be at least as deep as the turtle's shell is wide, and the area must
  be big enough for the turtle to swim comfortably. For most water turtles,
  if kept indoors, the water must be heated (temperature varies with species).
 
  For strong swimmers, like sliders, the water can be much deeper. For mud
  turtles, the turtle should be able to reach the surface while standing
  on its hind legs. As for how much water? Use common sense. If it looks
  crowded and tight, then the turtle will probably feel that way, too.
 
  "Land area" refers to an area above water line, at the minimum big enough
  for the turtle to sit on. Some of the land area should be heated to about
  85-90F (using a lamp, for example) for basking. Turtles that are very
  aquatic do fine with a piece of wood or a rock under a heat lamp; while
  semi-aquatic turtles do better with a larger land area that allows them
  to move around and choose a variety of temperatures.

* A minimum indoor setup for a small turtle consists of:
    20 gallon aquarium or similar container (a 10 gallon tank is too small
    for anything but a baby turtle!!)

http://www.turtlesale.com/home/index.php?page=tanks-stands
 
  Some kind of filtration that is strong enough for a tank that size.
http://www.turtlesale.com/home/index.php?page=filters-refills

    An aquarium heater to heat water to about 78-82F, depending on turtle.
http://www.turtlesale.com/home/index.php?page=heaters
 
  A lamp, with a 40-60W incandescent light bulb, installed to warm
    basking/land area to 85-90 degrees (or a ceramic bulb for a larger basking
    area and tank) at the warmest spot.


   
 A UVA/UVB producing fluorescent light (recommended) or vitamin D3
    supplementation. See here!
[url=http://www.turtlesale.com/home/index.php?page=lamps]http://www.turtlesale.com/home/index.php?page=lamps

   
 A UVA/UVB producing fluorescent light (recommended) or vitamin D3
    supplementation. See here!
http://www.turtlesale.com/home/index.php?page=lamps
http://www.turtlesale.com/home/index.php?page=medications

    Land area, built from bricks, rocks, wooden boards, rocks, where turtle can
    easily climb out.
http://www.turtlesale.com/home/index.php?page=basking-platforms

    A floating aquarium thermometer (not those digital strips; they are not accurate)
    to verify all the temperatures.
http://www.turtlesale.com/home/index.php?page=heating-accessories

    A place to set up the tank away from direct sunlight.


* Substrate: I use no substrate at all in the swim area, just the bare glass bottom of
  the aquarium. It makes maintenance easier, keeps the turtles from swallowing
  anything, and the turtles don't mind. (Many turtles will eat rock or sand
  which can cause constipation/impaction.) Note that softshell turtles do
  need sandy substrate to bury.

* Land: I use a wooden bord or bricks as land areas. That way, the land area
  can be cleaned easily and dries off fast. It is important that the land
  area is dry. Make sure the turtle can climb out.

* Clean: It is important to keep a turtle tank clean, and a functional
  setup helps dramatically. You can use natural rocks and real branches
  instead of a bricks for a basking area. That looks very nice and is still
  easy to clean.

* Plants: You can add plastic plants for the turtles to hide (reduces stress and
  makes the tank look much prittier). Real plants are nice but get eaten
  within days; so unless you have lots of money or pond where you grow
  plants...
http://www.turtlesale.com/home/index.php?page=plants-decorations


* Decorations: Don't add too many decorations that will impede swimming.
  A few round river rocks make nice, safe decorations.

* Without a filter, change the water at least once a week completely; more
  often if it looks cloudy, dirty. You should use a net to remove feces that
  float around.

  Scrub the tank with a 10% bleach solution a few times a year. Adding a strong
  aquarium filter reduces the frequency of cleaning. Clean water is
  one of the biggest factor in keeping healthy water turtles.
  You may want to add one teaspoon of salt per gallon of water to help prevent diseases.
  I use untreated tap water, and have never had a problem with it; if you
  are concerned, us a water conditioner for aquariums.
http://www.turtlesale.com/home/index.php?page=water-treatment

* Filters: A Fluval4(tm) submersible filter will keep a 30 gallon tank with
  2 turtles clean for about 14 days. If you want more filter power, or your
  tank is larger, consider getting a canister filter. Your local fish store
  will be able to help you. Get a filter 2-3 times as strong as for a fish tank
  of the same size. (More on filters below.)
  While filters are expensive, what you gain in water quality and work
  reduction is well worth it.
http://www.turtlesale.com/home/index.php?page=filters-refills

* Keeping the bottom of the tank bare will not only help cleaning, it will
  also prevent turtles from swallowing sand and rocks, which can lead to
  problems (see below).

* (Marvellouse Idea Contributed by The Nevilles)
  I was reading your page on water turtle setups and wanted to add that I have
  30 gallon "turtle tank" from all glass aquariums that has one end cut to 1/2 height
  and fits a power filter without having the water all the way to the top of the tank.

More on Substrate in Tank
=========================

There is some controversy about this subject. No substrate seems to
be the best solution. While it may not look as nice as a gravel
bottom, it prevents some trouble. It also makes cleaning efficient.

Rock ingestion:
Some turtles ingest rocks, from sand grain size to whatever will
fit into their mouth. Some turtles get intestinal blockage because of it.
Even sand can accumulate and eventually turn into a plug that may need
to be surgically removed. Turtles that do not have the opportunity
to ingest sand and rocks live happily. No-one is sure why turtles
ingest substrate. It does not seem essential to their digestion. They
could even do it, because they are bored.

Turtles with blockages are a lot of trouble (ever tried to give Castor
Oil to a turtle?)
If you are worried about the slipperiness of the glass bottom
for turtles that "walk" on the bottom, you could try a piece
of shower mat (the version with the suction cups). This works
well, but debris tends to accumulate under the mat (and gets
not washed through the filter, so you need more water changes).
Or you could use gravel that is so big, that there is no chance it
will fit into a turtle's mouth (like river pebbles; looks very
pretty!)

More on Water Quality, Waste Management, and Filters
====================================================

Water quality is the number one challenge when keeping water turtles.
The ideal to strive for, is a lot of very clean water.

* Change the water as often as you can.
  Imagine, you had to swim in and drink the water!

* Tap water is fine. If you are concerned about chlorine, let the water sit
  for 24 hours before using it or use a water conditioner for
  aquariums.

* How often do you need to change the water? Well, it depends on the
  gallons of water per turtle, and whether you are using a filter.
  I change the water in the large outdoor tubs once a week, independent of
  how many turtles there are in it (never that many). Indoors every
  10 to 14 days, with a strong filter, depending on how much I have
  been feeding. Some foods soil the water more than others.
  While I use a filter on the indoor tank, I simply change the water
  often outdoors. (It is much easier to dump a tub full of water
  onto the grass than to pump it into the bathroom sink.)

* Give your turtle as much space as you can possibly afford. In
  this case, larger is always better. Custom made glass tanks are
  affordable. (Negotiate price and features, when you talk to a sales
  rep. Often extra features like screen tops, which you don't need
  for turtles, will make things a lot more expensive.)
  Plexiglass tanks are nice but a lot more expensive.

* Turtles produce two kinds of waste: visible and invisible.
  The visible solids can (and should) be removed with a net
  (available at aquarium stores - don't use the same net for your
  fish!), especially larger pieces, before they fall apart.
  Invisible waste, must be dealt with by frequent water changes
  and filtration.

* Disintegrating waste produces ammonia. Ammonia (the stuff that
  is in Ajax!) is bad for people, and it is bad for turtles.
  It makes them sick, and it can make their skin and shell root.
  It can be difficult to have no ammonia (it is possible),
  but you can minimize it. Use an aquarium testing kit to measure
  levels of ammonia.

  Note, that letting feeder fish swim (and eliminate) in the
  turtle tank, raises ammonia level. Also, some dechlorinators
  also increase ammonia levels unless they include chemicals
  to break down the ammonia.

* A filter that has settled in, i.e. has been running for 4-6 weeks
  will eventually harbor enough bacteria that like ammonia and
  the levels will go down. Unfortunately, most filters are dirty
  and beyond use, and therefore in need of replacement, before
  that equilibrium is ever reached.
  Filtering over carbon and other specialized filter media also
  helps. I use a Fluval 4 submersible with carbon cartridges for
  about 20 gallons of water. (Rinse your filter with cold water
  only to preserve as much beneficial bacteria as possible.)

* I you are using a large cannister filter get one about 3-4 times
  as powerful as you would for an aquarium the same size.
  You will still have to clean/rinse the media more often than for a fish tank.

* Feeding your turtles outside the tank also reduces waste.
  Many turtles will eliminate shortly after eating. If you
  leave them in their feeding tub for a while after feeding,
  they will eliminate, and you get less waste in the tank.
  Not overfeeding will keep the waste down.

* Adding a teaspoon of salt per gallon of water
  will reduce the level of "bad" bacteria and protect the
  turtles better from shell and skin diseases.

* A filter will not only reduce the frequency of water changes, it
  keeps the muck from floating around and being reingested by the
  animals.

* So, what filter should you use?
   1) as powerful as possible
   2) filter over mixed media (including carbon)
   3) Filter media must not be accessible to turtles
      (they *will* eventually eat it).
 
* Here is a non-exhaustive list of filters. For more information,
  refer to an aquarium book or the rec.aquaria newsgroup. The latter
  has an extensive FAQ on Filters and water quality. A lot of what
  they say applies for turtles, too.

  1) Fluval submersible filters come in 4 sizes. The largest size
     is big enough for about 35 gallons of water with three turtles.
     Water changes every 7-14 days.
     Use the carbon cartridges.
     The Fluval 3 is ok for one turtle.

  2) Fluval Cannister filters. Get the largest size you
     can afford. Filter over ceramic, carbon, and sponge and rinse frequently.

  3) Several brands of Power Filters. They are good, and easy to
     clean, but often they require a water level that is higher
     than you have in your turtle tank. They may also not have enough
     filtration media (but they do a good job at agitating the water).

  4) Undergravel filters. Not recommended as I don't recommend fine
     gravel, and messy when frequently changing the water completely.

* There is no need to dechlorinate the water. Anything suitable for human
  drinking is also suitable for turtles. Turtles are quite different from
  amphibians or fish in this regard.

* Changing the water: It is a good idea to set things up in a way that
  water changes become quick and simple. Invsting in some hoses and a pump
  is worth it. I use a powerhead with a hose to pump the water into the
  bathroom sink or the garden. When I was in an apartment, I pumped it over
  the balcony into the shrubs. (While the other shrubs dried out during the
  drought, the one under my balcony grew like crazy.)
     Then I use a hose with a special adapter to run water from the tab into
  tank. Adapters are available at hardware of plumming stores. You can then
  connect a regular garden hose to the tab.
     Make sure you empty the hose after use and store it in a place where it
  can dry out at least partially. Otherwise you get a lot of gunk growing in
  it, if you only use it occasionally.
  There is a hose system called "Python" that you connect to a sink, then
  suck off the water and fill in the water, all no trouble. I love it!

Heaters and Temperature
=======================

* You can either heat the tank from inside the water or outside the
  tank.

* Heating pads. They are available at drug stores.
  Put under the tank and adjust level. They don't usually have a
  thermostat, so check the water temperature daily, and turn the pad
  on or off, depending on the weather. A timer is a great help, here.
  Best for smaller tanks where you can't put a heater.

* Heating Strips: a variation on pads. Usually not powerful enough for
  a turtle tank.

* Basking lamp. If your apartment is always warm, and you have just one
  small turtle in a small tank, the basking lamp, usually a 60W bulb,
  can suffice to keep the water warm.

* Submersible heaters. They are very efficient and come with a thermostat.
  But, the are made of glass and a turtle can break it. So, you need to
  protect the heater, for example behind some bricks or in a slotted
  plastic tube (see my setups).
  If the glass heater breaks, both you and your turtle can get electrocuted.
  You can make a protective corner for the heater using bricks or tiles.

* Check the literature for the correct temperature for your turtle.
  Lower 80is is a good general range. The warmer the water
  the more active the turtles, but also the more bacteria in the water.

* Be sure the temperature is not too low, because it will put the turtle
  into a state, where it is too warm for hibernation and too cold to eat
  and move, and it will die. It is OK for the temperature to drop
  during the night, but you don't want it go go below about 65F.

* Again: Check the literature for specific information on temperatures
  that are correct for the species of water turtle you are keeping.

More on Lighting
================
* The basking light should be on about 12 hours a day. If you can vary
  it with the seasons, that's great. Turning it off at night provides
  a bit of cooling (the water heating still keeps the water warm).
  You can use a regular incandescent bulb or a ceramic heat bulb for
  a basking light. Make sure you use appropriate fixtures for the
  wattage.

* The fluorescent light should be on about 12-14 hours a day. Put
  the lights on timers. The fluorescent light should ideally be only
  a few inches away from the turtles when they are basking, and do not
  put the plastic cover on the hood! (It will filter the light.)
  Turtles need UVA and UVB light to make Vitamin D3; they are also
  more active if provided with fluorescent light. (So supplementing
  D3 isn't quite equivalent.)

* Read the sections on lighting and Vitamin D3 to find out more about
  why you need both a basking light and a fluorescent reptile light.



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