Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys,

I am a snake hobbiest and i want to get my mom[who is a school teacher] a turtle set for her classroom.

I would like a water turle set up that is large enough to house several turtles and will allow them to grow to a fairly good size.

I am looking for information on what supplies I need.

I'm thinking a 40 gallon aquarium
What pump should I buy?
What kind of substraight should I use?
Where should I buy my equipment?

I just need one of you experts to walk me through this.

I live in Arlington Texas. So if anyone is local that would also be helpful. I will be needing some turtles as soon as I get the set up working properly.

Thanks Tony

a 40gal is big enough for one turtle, is you get one of the smaller species, like mud or musk turtles, or one of the smaller asian turtles, like four-eyeds or stripe-necks. alot of experts like the marineland magnum350 filter and they hook it up to a undergravel filter with just a whole bunch of gravel on it. i use it and its just super great, keeps the water clean and its easy to take care of. the undergravel filter is cheap and you can get it with the tank. the magnum is expensive if you get it at a store but not to bad if you get it online. check the suppliers at kingsnake and compare prices.

but you realy need to think about what kind of turt and where youre going to get it. dont buy from a store becuase there all wildcaught. check dealers at kingsnake for captibve breed baabies. dont get rederard sliders or cooters. they grow huge and cant live in your 40 gal. even with the smaller muds or 4-eyeds, set up the tank with a raised-up basking platfore so the turt can swim under it and all over the tank.

Actually, a male slider or male painted would be OK in a 40 or 55 gallon. It's not the ideal, but with so many sliders in rescue needing new homes, a 40 gallon with all the proper accessories might seem like heaven to a slider that has been living in a 10 or 20 gallon with or without proper lighting and/or filtration and/or haul-out spot it's whole life. You can check out animals for adoption or rescues in your area by going to www.petfinder.com (do a national search for reptiles) and www.anapsid.org.

Katrina