Large Turtle Tank

so freaking cute , little resort . everything worked perfect , easy to clean

Very nice easy to clean

I read the reviews and like others, mine didn’t come with a light, but that’s fine since I’m using my own light source. There was no damage to the enclosure and everything is as should be. I got the XL.Out of the box, I got this setup for a hatchling Chinese Box Turtle which is a terrestrial turtle for the most part but is more aquatic in hatchling stages. Good water area and useable land area.What I did: I knew I had to do somebody things to make this t the right setup. I cut the sponge for the pump in half and got carbon media to help with filtration. I also added an aerator. I added a background to the walls and added some live plants (spider plant and moss) for natural humidity. I have plexiglass covers to seal in the humidity and hole for the basking lamp.This setup is not a great setup for fully aquatic turtles and definitely nothing more than a hatchling. But for my needs it works great. It is temporary for maybe 1 year, but by no means should a subadult or adult turtle be housed in this for their permanent enclosure.So great for specific needs but not great for a long term housing solution for any turtle.

Somewhat easy to put together. No instructions for the filter part. Came with "extra" filter peices with no clue what to do with them. Motor is not loud. Not sure what everyone is talking about with that.

The media could not be loaded. Some people were getting used tanks apparently but thankfully this tank I received seems new and unused and came very protectively wrapped. Just to make sure no harmful bacteria was on it if it was used for some reason (which I doubt) I thoroughly cleaned it with reptile cleaning wipes that break down said harmful bacteria and any build up. When unboxing, make sure to remove the film from BOTH SIDES of the acrylic glass! Some people have been saying their glass is foggy and it is untrue, they just haven’t double checked for the film.Noise wise, the tank does a light humming and the little waterfall isn’t a bother in my opinion and actually relaxes me. The tank DOES NOT come with the light so you will have to purchase it separately as I did. Same goes with the decor and substrate, of course. I love that the waterfall adds motion to the water because my turtles like to chase the food that falls inside and they get a little exercise. Anyways, I will update this if any of my opinions change in the future, as I’ve only had the tank for a few hours at the time I’m posting this.6/21/23 - IMPORTANT UPDATE ⚠️⚠️⚠️: PLEASE, for the love of god, keep on eye on smaller turtles when using this tank!!! My baby turtle Oogway flipped over when getting off the basking platform while I was away and because he was stuck in the corner of the stairs and the wall, he was unable to flip back over because he couldn’t get a good grip on anything and sadly passed away. I’m heartbroken and wish I could’ve saved him but it was too late. I was using this tank as a starter before I upgraded to a larger tank because my turtles were the size of a quarter and wanted to keep an eye on them. I’m writing this so that other pet owners can avoid the same mistake and be aware that this can happen. Rip Oogway, you will be missed little buddy. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you the life you deserved. 💔

I bought this as a first time baby yellow bellied slider owner with zero knowledge of turtles. I thought this would be cute and perfect bc my turtle at the time was only a 1 inch circumference teeny baby. I noticed my turtle seemed really depressed in here. She wouldnt' move around and just hid in the same place. She never explored or ate anything I provided for her.Additionally, The filter is such that you need to clean AT LEAST weekly or it will fill with greenish bacteria. I thought, okay, maybe its this turtle specifically and bought her a bigger enclosure with more water to dive into. Instant change. She was clearly SO much happier, swimming everywhere, curious about her surroundings, eating plenty, growing, interacting with me, HUGE change.I recently rescued another baby turtle of the same size and decided to put her temporarily into this enclosure (the one I am reviewing as you cannot have 2 turtles of different sizes until they are at least 3" in size or the bigger one will harm the small one) and the same result. Depressed, stagnant, not eating, never sunning.Summary: Turtles of ANY size will be depressed in this enclosure. I would NOT recommend for any turtle of any size unless extremely extremely temporary (Im talking like a week max). Best bet is to buy a big tupperware container, a fish tank filter that can hang on the side and make your own enclosure. Your turtle will thank you.My first ever review but feels so important to let people know. DO NOT BUY THIS TANK.