Pet turtles spend their entire lives in a tank, so naturally, you want to make sure that they have the best possible conditions, but what does this exactly mean? It can actually mean a lot of things, but one of the most important things is having enough water in the tank.
In general, you want the water in the tank to be twice as deep as the shell of your turtle. As for the volume of water, you want to have 10 gallons of water for every inch of shell that your turtle has.
For example, if you have a turtle that has a shell of 4 inches, you want the water in the tank to have a depth of 8 inches, and in total, you want to have at least 40 gallons of water in the tank. Now, let’s go over why.
Why Turtles Need So Much Water
If you didn’t know this already, it can be quite surprising to find out that turtles need so much water. And they really do need all of it.
Despite being known for their slowness, turtles are actually very active and fast underwater. And they need some space in order to move around. If they don’t have enough space to move around, their health will slowly start to deteriorate, and they will end up sick.
But there is one more reason why you want to make sure that there is enough water in the tank, and this one is closely related to you, the owner. Turtles are really messy creatures, and they can turn a clean tank into a complete mess in just a few days. And while there are all kinds of substances and water filters to help out with this problem. If you don’t have enough water in the tank, they won’t be able to do anything, and the tank will start to look and smell really bad in just a few days.
To give you a real-life example, I had a turtle that went from 3 to 5 inches in a relatively short period of time, and I didn’t exactly notice the growth so I let it stay in its 30-gallon tank. But what I realized was the fact that I had to change the water every 4 or 5 days, otherwise, the bad smell will take over the entire room. Now that I moved upgraded the tank to 50 gallons one, I only have to change the water after about 2 weeks. So, the difference is quite significant.
You should know that the 10 gallons per inch of wheel rule, is used to set the minimum. So if you want and you can get a bigger tank. It won’t do any harm to your turtle, quite the contrary, your turtle will really love the extra space.
As for the depth, having a depth 2 times the length of the shell is a good start. I would say that in most cases you can have the water even deeper. But anything that is shallower than that is not recommended.
What Type of Water Turtles Need
Now that you know how much water you should have in the tank, we should also take a quick look at what type of water you should use, since this is just as important, and it’s not as easy as you might expect.
The only reasonable place to get water for a turtle tank is the tap. But not all tap water is the same, where that water originates and how it’s treated can differ greatly from region to region. So, some regions might have water that is good for turtles, while other regions might have water that is not suitable for turtles. And the only certain way to know for sure is to test it, fortunately, there are a few ways to do this, and one of them is completely free, so let’s start with that one.
Most countries in the world have a specific agency that tests and provides information on the water in multiple areas. So you can google the agency in your country that does this and you should be able to find some information about the water in your area. The problem with this is that they usually choose an area and test it there, but there can be big differences between the water in the testing point and the water that reaches your home. It’s even possible that your house has a rusted pipe which can make your water different from the water your neighbor receives. While this is a good way to get a general idea about your water, it’s not the most precise.
Another way to test your water is to buy a water testing kit. They are quite cheap and they are really easy to use. Here is a link to a testing kit that I’ve used before: API MASTER TEST KITS for Freshwater, Saltwater, Reef Aquariums, and Pond.
The final and most professional way of doing it is to take a sample of your water and take it to a water testing lab. In this case, I can’t make any recommendations since I never used this kind of testing method. But this is a little bit too much if you ask me, the test kits from above should be more than enough.
The surprising thing when it comes to turtles and water is that they are not very sensitive, but they still require quite a specific level of ph and chlorine levels. To find out why that is we have to look at the water in its natural habitat.
As for what characteristics you should be looking for in your water, here they are:
- A pH between 6.0 and 8
- A chlorine level of 0
- An ammonia level of 0
- A nitrite level of 0.5 ppm (parts per million) or less (preferably zero)
- A nitrate level of 40 ppm or less
Those values are good for most species, but if you have a slightly more exotic species you might want to do some research for that specific species.
Treating the Water
The way in which we can make tap water good for turtles is by eliminating the chemicals from it, and how can we do this? By adding more chemicals.
While this might sound strange, this is the proper way to do it. Some chemicals are completely harmless to turtles, and they can make the bad chemicals go away. In a way chemicals are just like bacteria, some bacterias are good and we can’t live without them, while other bacterias are bad and they make us sick.
And speaking of bacteria, you have to be careful about how many of those substances you use. If you put too much of them you run the risk of getting rid of the good bacteria that get rid of the bad ones. And this can be very dangerous for your turtle.
Final Thoughts
So, in general, you want the water in the tank to be twice as deep as the shell of your turtle. As for the volume of water, you want to have 10 gallons of water for every inch of shell that your turtle has.
As for what water to use, tap water is usually fine, but I would recommend you to test it first, or at least look online for some information about your local water first.
I hope this article answered all of your questions regarding turtles, how much water, and what kind of water they need. If there is anything else that you would like to know, feel free to leave your questions in the comet section bellow and I will answer them as soon as possible.
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