Beginner’s Guide to Turtle Care: Tips and Considerations for Setting Up a Turtle Tank

Today, let’s discuss the setup of a turtle tank. Once the water quality is well-maintained, we should arrange the environment according to the habits of most aquatic turtles. Here’s an additional piece of knowledge: the turtles we commonly keep, such as Chinese three-clawed turtles, flower turtles, some Brazilian-faced turtles, and egg turtle types like musk turtles and razor-backed turtles, all fall under the category of aquatic turtles. You can search for specific scientific content online. So, what exactly are the habits of aquatic turtles?

The first habit is the presence of water. Since aquatic turtles spend most of their time in water, I’ve previously discussed and analyzed the water level for keeping turtles, so I’ll just briefly mention it here. Healthy turtles can have a deeper water level, with no problem at a depth of several centimeters. As long as there is a basking platform or a shallow area for them to rest, it’s fine. The turtles I keep at home swim freely in deep water, and they are very healthy and problem-free.

Beginner's Guide to Turtle Care: Tips and Considerations for Setting Up a Turtle Tank

The second habit of aquatic turtles is basking. We need to set up a basking platform in the turtle tank. This platform can be a large rock, a piece of driftwood, or one of those simple basking platforms sold on the market. In summary, it’s a place where turtles can climb up to sunbathe. There are many benefits to turtles basking, such as promoting metabolism, aiding calcium absorption, and enhancing pigment deposition, which leads to better color development and disease prevention. Note that in the fall, when the temperature difference is significant, we should remove the basking platform in a timely manner.

The third habit is seeking shelter. Turtles are naturally timid, especially new ones. They are not used to new environments. You need to provide a place for them to hide to increase their sense of security and reduce stress. How can we create a shelter? The simplest method is to place a few longan leaves so that the turtles can hide under them. Alternatively, you can buy a hide box or build a slightly secluded area yourself. In any case, there should be a place where turtles can hide. With this shelter, we allow the turtles to choose for themselves whether they want to play in the water, bask in the sun, or hide. This decision is up to them.

After meeting these three conditions, the environment setup of our turtle tank is essentially complete. You can also plant some emergent aquatic plants in the tank, which help to purify the water quality, such as Acorus tatarinowii, Lysimachia nummularia, Spathiphyllum, and so on. Any plant with a well-developed root system that can be grown in water is suitable. It’s best to plant these in pots to prevent turtles from easily nibbling on them, as the beaks of young turtles are very sharp.

I believe that all other fancy decorations are unnecessary and can be said to be of no practical use. Based on my personal experience, I recommend keeping the tank bare. There’s no real purpose in having so many small stones in the tank; they only harbor dirt and pollute the water quality. I suggest simplifying our turtle tank by placing a shelter, a basking platform, appropriate water levels, and finally, a potted plant. This keeps it clean and easy to maintain, and it’s also convenient for observation.

That’s all for today’s content. If you find it helpful, please continue to follow the series of beginner’s turtle care guides. Friends who like it are welcome to like, follow, and share. See you next time, goodbye.

Original article by KPTer, if reproduced, please cite the source: https://www.kaipet.com/en/beginners-guide-turtle-care-tips-considerations-setting-turtle-tank

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