A large heated aquarium with a swimming area at least as deep as the turtle is wide (so it can flip back over if it fall upside down). Add a rock or shelf which allow the turtle to completely get out of the water. Add a heat lamp (most commonly a shop lamp with a 60W light bulb) above the basking area, and a fluorescent light with a VitaLite(tni) bulb to replace sunlight. (Setting the tank under a window will not do. because that light is filtered). Change the water at least once a week completely, and wash the tank out with a thin bleach solution a few times every year. Adding a strong aquarium filter will reduce the frequency of cleaning. Filters: A Fluval4(tm) submersible filter will keep a 20 gallon tank with 2 turtles clean for about 10 days. If you want more filter power, or your tank is larger, consider getting a power filter. Your local fish store will be able to help you. Get a filter 2-3 times as strong as for a fish tank of the same size. (More on filters below.) Keeping the bottom of the tank bare will not only help cleaning, it will also prevent turtles from swallowing sand and rocks, which can lead to problems.

Water Quality, Waste Management, and Filters

Water quality is the number one challenge when keeping water turtles. The ideal to strive for, is a lot of very clean water. Change the water often. Tab water is fine. If you are concerned about chlorine, let the water sit for 24 hours before using Turtles produce two kinds of waste: visible and invisible. The visible solids can (and should) be removed with a net.(available at aquarium stores - don't use the same net for your fish!), especially larger pieces, before they fall apart. Invisible waste, must be dealt with by frequent waiter changes or filtration. Disintegrating waste produces ammonia. Ammonia (the stuff that is in A/ax!) is bad for people, and it is bad for turtles. It makes them sick, and it can make their skin and shell root. Every turtle tank will have ammonia in it. You cannot avoid it, but you can deal with it. Note, that letting feeder fish swim (and eliminate) in the turtle tank, raises ammonia level. Also, common dechlorinators also increase ammonia levels. A filter that has settled in, i.e. has been running for 4-6 weeks will eventually harbor enough bacteria that like ammonia and the levels will go down. Unfortunately, most filters are dirty and beyond use, and therefore in need of replacement, before that equilibrium is ever reached. Filtering over carbon and other specialized filter media also helps. If you are using a large cannister filter get one about 4 times as powerful as you would for an aquarium the same size, you might get lucky. You will still have to clean/rinse the media more often than for a fish tank. Feeding your turtles outside the tank also reduces waste. Many turtles will eliminate shortly after eating. If you leave them in their feeding tub for a while after feeding, they will eliminate, and you get less waste in the tank. Fluval submersible filters come in 4 sizes. The largest size is big enough for about 35 gallons of water with three turtles. Water changes every 7-10 days. Use the carbon cartridges.

Heaters and Temperature

You can either heat the tank from inside the water or outside the tank. Heating pads: They are available at drug stores. Put under the tank and adjust level. They don't usually have a thermostat, so check the water temperature daily, and turn the pad on or off. depending on the weather. Heating Strips: a variation on pads. Usually not powerful enough for a turtle tank. Basking lamp: If your apartment is always warm, and you have just one small turtle in a small tank, the basking lamp, usually a 60W bulb, can suffice to keep the water warm.

Light

Turtles need several hours of exposure to natural sunlight every day This helps them synthesize vitamin D3. If you keep your pet outdoors, and there is sun and shade available in the enclosure, you don't have to worry. If your turtle is indoors all the time, you have to provide a source of UV light. Most commonly people use full spectrum lights like VitaLite(tm). The bulbs are fairly-expensive (and should be changed at least once a year), but mandatory to keep your animal healthy. There are all sorts of other brands of bulbs that claim to be full-spectrum. Most of them do not supply enough UV, or the wrong kind. Plant lights, like are not good enough. Black lights, on the other hand, produce too much UV for your turtle to be exposed to continuously. So do tanning lights. Some of ray turtles enjoy a walk outdoors every once in a while. Watch your turtle at all times, so he won't get hurt or lost. Turtles can get lost very quickly, if they want to. Turtles need a basking light The silvery shop lights from the hardware store are great. Place it on a screen top or hang if (high enough that the turtles cannot touch the bulb). I find that a 60W bulb is about the right strength. The lights should be on between 10 and 14 hours a day, depending whether you use a yearly cycle, or not.