What Size Aquarium - The bigger the better? - TropicZone Specialty Pet Foods

What Size Aquarium – The bigger the better?

A very common question from our readers here at Turtle-Tech deals with what size aquarium would be appropriate for properly housing their Aquatic Turtles. A valid question to be sure! Especially if you are just beginning with Aquatic turtles and want to start out right. Choosing the wrong size aquarium can be frustrating, costly, and ultimately impracticable for use with your turtles. So as a beginner, you would certainly like to get it right the first time! To begin with, let’s start off by saying please pass on the small plastic turtle “bowls” that are still available at some pet outlets. As the picture reminds us, with a smile, these are simply not appropriate for Aquatic Turtles. Always look to actual aquariums or specially built Terrariums for this purpose.

So, what size aquarium should you consider for your turtles home? The answer really hinges on three basic questions: The first is of course an obvious one- how many turtles will be housed in the aquarium and what size are they currently? The second question is: how much room do you have to devote to your new turtle paradise? And thirdly: what’s your budget? A lot of people would simply say to buy the biggest aquarium your space and your budget will allow, but honestly this approach isn’t good advice for many turtle hobbyist, or their turtles. For beginners just starting out, bigger isn’t always better. Really, we have found the best way to answer the question of “how big” is to review the two most common scenarios for keeping Aquatic Turtles.

Scenario 1: The Beginning Turtle Hobbyist. If you’re just starting out keeping Aquatic Turtles chances are you’ll be starting off with hatchlings or baby turtles. Most beginners do, they are cute, colorful, affordable, and regularly available to the pet trade. They are also the easiest to care for, assuming you provide what they need to stay happy and healthy (please refer to the Turtle-Tech articles: “The Art of Raising Baby Turtles” and “Starting out with Aquatic Turtles”). An appropriately sized aquarium is a must. For turtle hobbyist in this scenario we normally suggest a smaller aquarium to start with, a 15-20 gallon aquarium works fine for 1-4 baby turtles. This size aquarium is inexpensive, compact, and easily maintained, and under normal circumstances can house these turtles for approximately the next 12-16 months (though some slider varieties could outgrow this somewhat faster). Once that point is reached, the turtles are ready to be moved into larger quarters. Remember, baby turtles in stage 1 and stage 2 of their growth cycles, do best in smaller aquariums with shallow water, where they can be easily viewed and monitored. Once they grow into their juvenile stage (stage 3) of their growth cycle they are ready for a larger aquarium and its time for an upgrade!

Scenario 2: The Experienced Turtle Hobbyist. If you’re an experienced hobbyist in keeping Aquatic Turtles, you’re probably working with larger turtles at different stages of growth. Here is where the “buy big” advice would be more appropriate. Depending on the quantity of turtles and their sizes, more swimming space can be a real benefit, 40-60 gallon aquariums, or even larger are within this range. But with this larger aquarium space comes larger filtration units, additional lighting, and generally more maintenance. At this point, your aquariums size will depend on what species you keep, what maximum size you can expect from them, the quantity of turtles to be housed, and your maintenance program. A good general rule of thumb for larger turtles is one adult turtle per 30-40 gallons of swim space.

So, what’s the real answer to “how big” should your turtle tank be? Ultimately, it’s your choice, but shoot for a size that will allow your turtles to swim and exercise freely, one that you can easily keep clean and maintain, heated and lighted properly, and one that you can afford and have room for. Really it’s a balance of all that, and although there is no one easy answer that fits all, following these guidelines should help in selecting the right size aquarium.

And for many hobbyists, a few different sized aquariums is the real answer to “How Big”?