75 Gallon Turtle Tank Setup - Easy Build to Optimize Space!

[@taylorcortez1804]

hi! :) where can I find the plexi glass/glass for the sides of the DIY basking platfrom? I'm also struggling with securing the ramp so that my turtle doesnt weigh it down. Any advice would be super appreciated! Thanks in advance!

[@MrMcGiblets1]

I built a similar size basking platform for under $25 with some egg crate and zip ties, a small, very thin piece of plywood, and some sand.

[@caseystump5506]

Did you make the tank topper yourself?

[@MizaT11]

Hi! Question in general about your tanks and setups - How do you manage your nitrate levels? Of all the research we've done, it basically boils down to constant water changes, or plants. We've been trying with a variety of different plants but... Holy crap our turtle (yellow belly slider) will not stop eating or destroying everything we put in there (which is infuriating because she absolutely hates lettuce or any kind of greens!). Maybe it's boredom, maybe she's just constantly looking for food. The plant she won't flat out devour so far is hornwort, but she'll still nip at it every now and then and dig it out, which makes the tank a complete and total mess. We're aiming to put a sponge around our intake soon so it doesn't clog up our filter again. We're trying to brainstorm some ideas, including building some kind of compartment or divider in the tank where plants can grow undisturbed. It would have to be open enough for water to flow through, and easy enough to remove for maintenance. We thought about lining up the entire backside with plants, and build a kind of wall in front of them, but that would make it really hard to scrub or clean the backside from algae. Most people we've seen have zero plants or something. Are turtles hardy enough for high levels of nitrate? We hope to add tiny fish to the tank some day, but want the levels to normalize first. We're stumped. Some kind of crate or divider seems like the best solution, but I'd like to know of there's any other viable solution before committing to that.

[@mariovanandchairzardvan1227]

This is just an idea put a hang on tank power filter and just put plants on there but one problem tho they're loud

[@PTNT_PlushToyIslandTNT]

​@@mariovanandchairzardvan1227yup. Get an aquaclear and fill it with plants

[@xmoney999]

Hey, do you have any recommendations for a turtle topper for a 125 gallon tank

[@daagn6433]

please tell me the website where I can buy such a hiding place for the turtle, I mean the trunk in the aquarium?

[@bethanywilliams8878]

I need a basking topper for my cooter turtle. I have a 75 gallon tank. She is 12 in long. Yes she is my big girl. Do you build and sell basking toppers? I need one!!!!!

[@joseandres1993]

How long does it stay clean?

[@LongLiveYourTurtle]

I do water changes every two weeks and clean the filter every ~2ish months. Some spot algae removal and everything stays clean with this schedule!

[@SwouperMan]

What kind of water pump is that?

[@AJen912]

Is this Harold’s new set up?

[@LongLiveYourTurtle]

Yes! Trying to keep it simple for her. Thanks for the comment and support! :)

[@iamOTHER44]

Is that much filtration necessary for just one turtle or are you over compensating so you don’t have to do as much maintenance?

[@laurenbootoff2164]

It is necessary, full grown turtles produce a lot of bacteria, and the filter he has does a great job of filtering it out

[@iamOTHER44]

@@laurenbootoff2164 Ok, so by that logic if I were to get a tank size larger than 75G I would need an even bigger canister filter, or do you think it would suit a 125G as well?

[@LaNoturna]

@@iamOTHER44 For turtles, the canister filter you get should clean two to three times the capacity of your tank. You want to look for the capacity of the canister in the description as the GPH title isn’t it. So if you have a 75 gallon tank, you need a canister filter that cleans a 150 to 225 gallon tank. The one this guy has in the video is a Fluval FX4 or FX6, which are the BEST heavy duty filters you can get. The FX4 cleans up to a 250 gallon tank, and the FX6 cleans up to a 400 gallon tank-so either of those for a 75 gallon tank with a turtle are more than enough.

[@joseandres1993]

@@LaNoturnabut will that reduce the amount of times we have to clean the tank? I saw he added sand in the tank it would be a huge hassle to take that out for cleaning

[@LaNoturna]

@@joseandres1993 Using a canister filter that is two to three times the capacity of your tank will definitely reduce cleaning time. I have the FX4 canister filter for my turtle’s 75 gallon tank, and I can go up to six months without cleaning the filter. You still have to do maintenance like replacing 25% of the tank water with new water every 2 weeks, and making sure to scrub any algae or gunk off of surfaces-but that personally takes me maybe 15 minutes to do, so it’s not very time consuming. The sand at the bottom is supposed to stay there. The sand and any plants (real or artificial) or other objects you have in the tank contain good bacteria that is needed for the water to stay clear and to keep your turtle healthy. It’s also important to clean the filter media with the 25% tank water you take out for the water changes. You can’t use tap water to clean it as it will kill all the good bacteria. To clean the sand, you can use a sand vacuum every two weeks or so-you just hover the vacuum over the top of the sand, but you can’t go deeper than that as that will also kill the good bacteria it has.

[@sbondo77]

Hi, doesn't your turtle destroy plants? Is that den made of wood? Beautiful basking area. Excellent

[@LongLiveYourTurtle]

Hi, she gets interested in the plants and will bite at them. I just make sure to get ones that are one solid piece (like one piece of grass) and not the ones that are multiple pieces per stem. The cave is fake wood (plastic?)

[@tonyguarini6140]

What brand of tank is the best for 75 gallon? Great video

[@LongLiveYourTurtle]

Name brands like Aqueon are my go to!

[@tonyguarini6140]

Thanks, can’t wait for my basking station to arrive. I set up a 75 gallon aquarium. Can a baby turtle survive in that size tank? Can 2 work in that size tank. I see you have a red eared slider. I was looking at 2 painted turtles. Your thoughts? Love the channel.

[@JR-ii5de]

Nice work. How often do you need to replace the sand?

[@LongLiveYourTurtle]

Hello! Not often to not at all. As long as you keep up with cleaning and your turtle moves the sand around enough (I don’t put a lot in for this reason) your sand should stay clean.

[@hbic3]

DON'T use sand. You'll regret it. Best to have NO substrate or large size gravel, and NO plastic plants. NO PLASTIC PLANTS.

[@JR-ii5de]

@@hbic3 Do you recommend putting anything at the bottom of the tank?

[@LaNoturna]

@@hbic3 Turtles should have substrate as it’s in their natural habitat. It is more of a cleanup, but why have a turtle if you’re not wanting to do the upkeep? They are not animals you can cuddle with and pet; all we can really do for them is provide food and an enriched habitat. If providing that for them is an issue, there’s really no point in having a turtle. Also, not all turtles munch on fake plants. A lot of the time they munch on things they shouldn’t because they have a deficiency in their diet, so if they are munching on fake plants then there is likely an issue with their diet and that needs to be corrected. Adding cuttlebone or a calcium block in the tank helps if they are indeed eating a proper diet.

[@bostonbones]

Where did you get the stand?

[@Darinililuo]

Hey, do you know anywhere I can get a hatchling diamondback Terrapin? I've been wanting one for a while now.

[@BlackBarbie228]

Hey I read the links in the comments and the one for the heater isn’t working.

[@LongLiveYourTurtle]

Hey, thanks for the heads up - amzn.to/3Sw7b1t

[@Gwangjangdong_PZ]

Is sand safe for terrapins? Does anything happen if they ingest it?

[@LaNoturna]

If it’s fine sand (play sand and pool filter sand are), then it is safe for all turtles. They have it in their natural habitat and will eat some of it while eating food, and it goes through their digestive tract fine.

[@Rececer]

I am going to get that same heater as you soon, but i am worried about my turtle biting the wire and getting electrocuted. She is very bity and tries to eat everything even if it is not food. And even when she knows its not food she keeps eating it!! Do you think it will be safe for my RES???

[@Icebox187]

I honestly get the actual turtle heaters with the green cover around the heater itself. The wiring, they just swim around or use to "stand on." Imo, they are more likely to step on the heating bit and burn themselves. My turtle stomps all over them :P

[@Mustang09Hotty]

What cover did you use for the filter area. I recently got a 55 gal tank an a folding screen cover that fits it but with the new canister filter there the lid wont fully go down obviously. Currently it has a floating dock to get on on the other side of tank. Mine needs a cover because I have toddlers that like to stick their hands where it dont belong

[@LongLiveYourTurtle]

I used a glass cover designed for standard aquariums like my 75 gallon. There is a middle brace on the tank so I use the glass on one side and the basker on the other. They sell them on amazon.

[@Mustang09Hotty]

@@LongLiveYourTurtle your not really suppose to use a glass cover for aquatic turtles they need air the mesh provides.

[@brianbianchi5021]

where dis you get the basking area on the top of your tank... I have a 75 gallon tank and am looking for something that my turtle can bask in that sits on top of the tank

[@parthpatel6617]

Did you find it? Please let me know

[@elizabethn.491]

@@parthpatel6617 they link one in their description

[@ervgonzalez4863]

Where did you get basking platform?

[@LongLiveYourTurtle]

This is a product I sell. You can find it on the LLYT Etsy page. It is currently out of stock but a similar model will be available soon! (see the info here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/roeyd4mdqJdme8U)

[@albertsrour8687]

Is that basking are a diy?

[@LongLiveYourTurtle]

This is a product I sell. You can find it on the LLYT Etsy page. It is currently out of stock but a similar model will be available soon! (see the info here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/roeyd4mdqJdme8U)

[@albertsrour8687]

@@LongLiveYourTurtle thanks. I couldn't find LLYT at Etsy. Any link?

[@tylenol2028]

Hey Dan what is that canister your using?

[@LongLiveYourTurtle]

Fluval FX6 for this (amzn.to/3f8Usn2) ! if you need something a little cheaper try the SunSun HW 704B (amzn.to/3UD4HAk)

[@BlackBarbie228]

I have a question about turtle tanks I need help with. Is there a way to combat hard water? No matter what I do even with weekly water changes I get hard water white stains all on my tank and filter . It’s so white you it looks like the stains the salt leaves behind after melting the snow 😑

[@MrKneeah]

Ever figure it out?

[@alanmcnew5376]

Get a water softener

[@tirapatstew1355]

I actually wondered if I had enough things in my tank for my turtle. He only has one big rock.

[@LongLiveYourTurtle]

I think space is number one when it comes to pet turtles. Enrichment from something like decorations can be added but should never impede space. I like sand and driftwood the most as my turtle's love to rummage around in or around it. Thanks for the comment!

[@tirapatstew1355]

@@LongLiveYourTurtle oh ok! We don’t have anything at the bottom of the tank either. It’s a bare bottom. But I just watched your video about adding a rest place for your turtle with the acrylic glass. We will try that as well. He can use something else besides the ramp

[@hbic3]

Water level too high. A Turtle can and WILL push that lid up and get out unless you lower the water level enough that they can't get their feet and head up there. NO substrate for a turtle. NO plastic plants.

[@LaNoturna]

The glass lid is pretty heavy, and without anything to stand on they won’t be able to push that glass lid (I have the same one and it’s heavy). You can definitely have substrate for a turtle and should-it’s in their natural habitat and will provide enrichment. As far as the fake plants, it depends on the turtle. Many times turtle will munch on plants (or anything) because they have a deficiency in their diet. If their diet is good but they’re still trying to bite things in the tank, they probably need calcium (cuttlebone or a calcium block can be put in the tank). They should not go after the plants with a proper diet and calcium available for them to eat.

[@1acym460]

People have preferences of what they would like their tank to look like.