Many potential pet buyers have avoided buying water turtles. This is due in large part to the fact that aquatic turtles live in their toilet and the water can become a rotten, smelly mess. People don’t want this in their homes. However, recent developments in filtration and new ideas about habitat setup have changed this for the better. The following practices, applied to your own setup, should result in a clean environment and a happy, healthy aquatic pet.

The first, and most beneficial, step is to use more water. The more dilute the turtles’ waste, the better. A larger tank filled to a higher level will disperse poops over a larger area. While hatchlings should be raised in ten-gallon tanks, a four-inch turtle should have a minimum of fifteen gallons of water. That means, at minimum, a twenty-gallon tank. An adult red-eared slider (measuring 7-10 inches) should be housed in a tank of at least sixty gallons. Larger is better. Because we use deep water, a floating island ($6-$12) is needed as a haul-out point where the animal can bask under a heat lamp ($18-$20). The heat lamp allows the turtle to raise his body temperature for optimum digestion of foods.

Use no gravel on the bottom of the tank. The gravel traps large amounts of excrement and other debris and, when they deteriorate, the water quality is ruined. The best aesthetic a turtle tank can have is water with the clarity of gin. Decorations like gravel defeat this purpose.

Use a sponge filter. These inexpensive filters ($20-$50ea) are submersible and have a small, yet powerful, pump for moving large volumes of water. The current developed by the pump will stir up the solids and eventually trap them in the sponge. The most important function of this filter is to grow bacteria. Yes, I did say grow bacteria. These are friendly little beasts that eat the turtles’ waste, chemically changing the ammonia into a relatively safe chemical called nitrate. Nitrate will also build up and can be unsafe at high concentration. Thus, a weekly partial (30-50%) water change must be done. Your new filter will have no bacteria to start with. It takes four to six weeks to develop a healthy bacterial colony. More frequent partial water changes may be necessary in the first few weeks until the bacteria are established.

De-chlorinate the water ($3-$10). This is a must. Protect your friendly bacteria from chlorine (chloramines, too); these will kill them. Never wash the filter sponge in tap water. It contains chlorine. Instead, wash the sponge in the water you removed from the tank during your partial water change. We know it is safe as it was in the tank already. Our goal is just to get solids and other muck off the sponge, not to sterilize it. When replacing water after a partial water change, de-chlorinate that water before it goes into the tank. For larger tanks that are filled from a hose, remove the filter, replace the water and treat the entire tank for chlorine. Let the treated water sit for twenty minutes, then replace the filter.

Feed in another container. Crumbs left over after a meal can account for as much as half of the water-fouling materials. Feed in a kitty litter pan (about $5) and it will become zero percent of the problem. The turtle will need training but, like Pavlov’s dogs, will soon learn to be hungry when placed in the pan.

Follow all of these tips and your turtle will have healthy, beautiful, gin-clear water. There are few things more relaxing than to watch a healthy turtle swim around in crystal-clear water. Now you can have that too.