Ok, if you guys are familiar with my water turtle enclosure pointers, you know then that I really like to push for Rubbermaid tubs and Stock Tanks used for horses and cattle. These make great aquatic turtle enclosures because they are very inexpensive (at least the tubs are) and are light and easy to clean. I take mine outside once a month to scrub and hose out. They also don't have the sharp 90˚ corners of aquariums. You can buy a smaller style ones when you have a baby turtle and adjust the size as your turtle grows.
At the moment I'm keeping my Stinkpot Musk Turtle in a transparent tub so I can see him from the side better. Some turtles don't do well when they can see out and will bump the sides trying to swim out. If your turtle doesn't get use to this after a week or so, buy a solid color tub instead.
The 40 gallon tub I bought cost me $9.00 bucks at Walmart which is much more reasonable price then an aquarium of that size. I have a few rocks and plants for him to climb on and a small cave for him to hide in. I have a basking spot for him but he never uses it. Still unless you have a species that isn't a basker like a Mata Mata or Alligator Snapper, you should provide a place for your turtle to get completely dry and bask. I keep the tub about 3/4 filled and I'm running a Rena FilStar XP1 Canister Filter. To keep the water warm I run a submergible Stealth Heater. Just be careful that the heater is not touching the sides or bottom of the tub otherwise you may melt a hole through it! I have a UVB basking light in the one corner. If you have a turtle that is a basking species, I highly recommend a light that gives off a full spectrum. UVB is very important to these types of turtles because they spend large parts of their days out of the water in natural sunlight.
Here is my set up for my 2.5 inch long juvenile [SIZE=-1]Sternotherus odoratus. [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]This setup might not work for all aquatic species, but it can give you some ideas. Hope this helps!
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At the moment I'm keeping my Stinkpot Musk Turtle in a transparent tub so I can see him from the side better. Some turtles don't do well when they can see out and will bump the sides trying to swim out. If your turtle doesn't get use to this after a week or so, buy a solid color tub instead.
The 40 gallon tub I bought cost me $9.00 bucks at Walmart which is much more reasonable price then an aquarium of that size. I have a few rocks and plants for him to climb on and a small cave for him to hide in. I have a basking spot for him but he never uses it. Still unless you have a species that isn't a basker like a Mata Mata or Alligator Snapper, you should provide a place for your turtle to get completely dry and bask. I keep the tub about 3/4 filled and I'm running a Rena FilStar XP1 Canister Filter. To keep the water warm I run a submergible Stealth Heater. Just be careful that the heater is not touching the sides or bottom of the tub otherwise you may melt a hole through it! I have a UVB basking light in the one corner. If you have a turtle that is a basking species, I highly recommend a light that gives off a full spectrum. UVB is very important to these types of turtles because they spend large parts of their days out of the water in natural sunlight.
Here is my set up for my 2.5 inch long juvenile [SIZE=-1]Sternotherus odoratus. [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]This setup might not work for all aquatic species, but it can give you some ideas. Hope this helps!
[/SIZE]
They are installed and mesurements taken .I will place order for doors on mon . Almost done 
