I'm looking at the tank and I can see that it's too small! Tank length compared to their length is almost irrelevant, water volume is what counts as any experienced turt keeper will tell you.

An excellent plan, and the easiest way to achieve that is by having a big tank with lots of water and a big powerful external filter, that way maintenance is reduced to a minimum.

I see what looks like an internal filter in your tank? The only reason you are getting away with that is by feeding them in a separate tank so they don't make much mess in the main tank, I wonder do you ever test your water, and what are the results?

[quote]ok...i accept your point but I just got this over xmas and therefore very unlikely to buy a bigger tank now. I was hoping this would provide the necessary living space for the rest of their life!Well, I was told to get a smaller one by the pets shop. I wish I could name and shame the pets shop!


It's a Fluval 3 plus....was again told to buy Fluval 2! I knew I had to get a filter bigger than the one designed for the tank...which I did....I don't test the water really...but probably will buy a water testing kit....any cheap suggestion? Thank you for all your hekp so far
By the way, are you a trader cuz you sound like you know your stuff

No I'm not a trader, just a turt keeper for over 20 years during which time I hope I've learned a bit, mostly from other keepers with far more experience than I have.

The thing with filters is that they're designed and rated for fish, and fish waste is very different to turt waste, so as a rule of thumb we recommend external filters rated for 2-3 times the water volume depending on how many turts are in the tank.

As an example I have a young Cumberland Slider about 2" SCL in 80 litres of water, the filter is an Eheim Classic 2213 external rated for 250 litre aquariums.

My adult female Southern Painted Turtle is roughly 5" SCL (they are a small species) and lives in 200 litres of water, with an Eheim Classic 2217 rated for 600 litres.

And I have a 6" female Florida Red Belly and a 4.5" male Southern Painted in a 500 litre indoor pool, with a pond type filter rated for 2000-3000 litres.

In the summer the three adults live in an 1800 litre outdoor pond with a filter rated for 10,000 litres.

The tanks and indoor pool rarely require any cleaning at all, I just top up the water to make up for evaporation as neccessary. The turts rummage around at the bottom looking for food, stir up any waste, and that gets sucked straight out and is dealt with by the filters. When tested the water is always spot on and is always visually crystal clear.

As I said it helps that you feed yours in a separate tank otherwise that little internal filter wouldn't cope at all, but with a suitable size external filter you could feed them in the main tank and still have perfect water quality.

Any water testing kit will do as long as it tests for the main problem chemicals, Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, and Phosphate. Ph (acidity/alkalinity) can be useful but I don't really bother with that TBH, and some people test water hardness but this doesn't tend to be a problem for turts, except in very hard water areas where they can get mineral deposits on their shells which can be hard to remove safely.

Do you have some pictures? I would love to see them.

Those are very nice terrapins you got there!

I must say you are regarded as a professional terrapins keeper...not like me still learning the ropes!

Do you have pictures of your various aquariums? I'm interested to see how others set-up their tanks.


Re the tank hood I have removed the transparent plastic cover because UVB light apparently can't get through it. Is this true?

Since there are no transparent cover...will water vapour damages the light tube or increases the risk of electricution?

I am new, just like you. Graham's advice has always come in very useful to me. The fact you are here asking your questions shows that you care, as long as you keep asking im learning new things too haha.

All the best to you and your turts!

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Proud to be a Dagger

Welcome to the forum

Some people are not happy hearing things that they don't want to hear, it's refreshing that you're taking Graham's advice on board !!!

I'm learning so much from this thread and don't even keep Turtles

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Questions & Answers

1. I've found a website selling the water testing kits...

Aquatics Warehouse UK API TEST KITS AND PH ADJUSTERS

...but these are indicators of health risks right? What chemicals do you need to 'reduce/remove' the pollutants, say, ammonia, nitrate, and nitrate.

Is it 'cheaper' to buy from, say, gardens centre for ponds treatment? This is because those kits designed for aquariums tend to be more expensive and smaller in quantity.

I don't at the moment, my indoor setups are only temporary as my turts spend most of the year outdoors in the pond, I find it hard to get good photos of the tanks too.

I would hope not, a professional is just someone who does something for a living, it doesn't neccessarily mean they are any good at it or even that they enjoy it.
I'm an amateur who keeps turts for the love of them, the word amateur literally means "lover".