20 Gallon Tank Turtle Beginner.......Possible in 20 Gallon?

Well, I have been reading A LOT about turtle care and from what I've learnt, a 20 gallon may or may not be sufficient for a tiny baby turtle. I have got mixed opinions online. The other day at my LFS, I saw about a dozen pure white colored turtles crammed up into what looked like an 8 gallon which was filled with water to the BRIM. I tried looking these turtles online but didn't find anything relevant. Here's what I have learnt thus far ~

1. Turtles need a large tank.
But I think, not sure, but do they need to stay in the tank all the time? Can't I take it in my hands and take it for a walk?

2. They need a UV/UVB Lamp.
But at the same time, there are tons of experienced people out there who say that they never got a lamp and only took there turtles basking in the sun. As a side note, I live in a place that has got good sunlight 85% of the year.

By any chance, can I keep a turtle in my 20 gallon (water deep enough so he can swim and a raised platform and log to rest.) with about 2 hours of basking everyday? I am willing to rehome if he grows large. And any suggestions on how long will it be before that are appreciated.
Don't bash me for my lack of knowledge XD. Cheers!

Another piece of information I realized might be important, Its a regular 20 gallon and not a 20 long. Could send the footprint in a while.

 

If you are ready to re-home him later, a 20 is fine to start with. There should definitely be a basking station on the tank so he can bask when he wants to. He may get used to you picking him up. Mine wasn't a huge fan of being held, but it was ok. He did definitely learn where the food came from though, and he would follow my fingers to get his pellets in the morning.
The type of turtle it is makes a big difference for what kind of tank environment he needs and size of tank. The popular red-ear sliders swim very well, so you can put the basking dock at the top of the tank and give him more room to swim, which is a lot of fun to watch. Musk turtles - another popular and smaller turtle - do not swim well. Their dry dock needs to be something they can walk on to. If the turtles were pure white, were they some kind of albino?

Sunshine is good, but does it go through a glass window? A lot of windows these days block out the UV light, so the sunshine is not really sufficient.
If/when I get a turtle again (my daughters loved the turtle), I will get a proper UV/UVB light.

The turtles I have looked at are slow growers, but they will all need a big home eventually

Oh, also, and you probably already know this, but make sure you have a filter and heater on the tank. With a 20 gallon, be prepared for water changes every week.
My tank had a lot of plants too, to take up some of the ammonia/nitrite/nitrates he was producing. The plants also gave him stuff to explore. I would give him sinking pellets in the evening and it was a lot of fun watching him try to find them all.

 

If you are ready to re-home him later, a 20 is fine to start with. There should definitely be a basking station on the tank so he can bask when he wants to. He may get used to you picking him up. Mine wasn't a huge fan of being held, but it was ok. He did definitely learn where the food came from though, and he would follow my fingers to get his pellets in the morning.
The type of turtle it is makes a big difference for what kind of tank environment he needs and size of tank. The popular red-ear sliders swim very well, so you can put the basking dock at the top of the tank and give him more room to swim, which is a lot of fun to watch. Musk turtles - another popular and smaller turtle - do not swim well. Their dry dock needs to be something they can walk on to. If the turtles were pure white, were they some kind of albino?

Sunshine is good, but does it go through a glass window? A lot of windows these days block out the UV light, so the sunshine is not really sufficient.
If/when I get a turtle again (my daughters loved the turtle), I will get a proper UV/UVB light.

The turtles I have looked at are slow growers, but they will all need a big home eventually

Thank you so much for replying!
Yes, I am ready to rehome him later, but how long can I have him/her before they need to be rehomed? (Keeping in mind I get the easiest beginner turtle to start from).
Also, I wasn't talking about the sunshine that comes through the window (I have a window across the room, but only little sunlight enters the tank.) I was talking about taking the turtle to my terrace where we have loads of sunshine for basking.
Yea, you are right, the turtles I saw could be albinos. They were super cute!

Oh, also, and you probably already know this, but make sure you have a filter and heater on the tank. With a 20 gallon, be prepared for water changes every week.
My tank had a lot of plants too, to take up some of the ammonia/nitrite/nitrates he was producing. The plants also gave him stuff to explore. I would give him sinking pellets in the evening and it was a lot of fun watching him try to find them all.

Trust me, if I get a turtle, I am more than happy to do weekly water changes, even bi - weekly. I am doing Freshwater Fish Only Tanks as of now But I will be adding Pothos to my tank soon, its my winter vacation project! What kind of filter would work for a turtle? I use internal filters as of now. Someone online who happens to be good at keeping turtles told me that they take out there turtle from the enclosure at feeding time and place him in a separate container, so that the original tank is not made dirty. Turtles are super messy!

 

Re-homing will depend on the turtle. You will want to move him up to a bigger tank before the small one he's in feels cramped. Maybe a year? Maybe less. Really, whenever you can afford the bigger tank, your turtle will be happy with the bigger space.
The terrace sounds good if it stays warm. Just remember it has to be a daily thing. I think I would still advise the lamp. He will know when he needs to warm up and dry out the shell better than we could ever guess. Just my two cents though

Edit: send a picture if you can

 

Re-homing will depend on the turtle. You will want to move him up to a bigger tank before the small one he's in feels cramped. Maybe a year? Maybe less. Really, whenever you can afford the bigger tank, your turtle will be happy with the bigger space.
The terrace sounds good if it stays warm. Just remember it has to be a daily thing. I think I would still advise the lamp. He will know when he needs to warm up and dry out the shell better than we could ever guess. Just my two cents though

Edit: send a picture if you can

So is it a "I can, but shouldn't" kind of situation?

 

Trust me, if I get a turtle, I am more than happy to do weekly water changes, even bi - weekly. I am doing Freshwater Fish Only Tanks as of now But I will be adding Pothos to my tank soon, its my winter vacation project! What kind of filter would work for a turtle? I use internal filters as of now. Someone online who happens to be good at keeping turtles told me that they take out there turtle from the enclosure at feeding time and place him in a separate container, so that the original tank is not made dirty. Turtles are super messy!

That's a pretty good idea with the feeding. A very good idea. Internal filters tend to be best for a turtle tank because the water can't go all the way to the top. Sponge filters are good for beneficial bacteria, but they don't really help clear out the waste. Internal filter seems like the best way to go.

You might check out the plant section at your fish store next time you are there. You can ask the people working there which are easy to keep. A lot of nice plants will thrive in your tanks even if you don't have a powerful plant light. They give comfort to most kinds of fish and help you keep the water clean.

 

Re-homing will depend on the turtle. You will want to move him up to a bigger tank before the small one he's in feels cramped. Maybe a year? Maybe less. Really, whenever you can afford the bigger tank, your turtle will be happy with the bigger space.
The terrace sounds good if it stays warm. Just remember it has to be a daily thing. I think I would still advise the lamp. He will know when he needs to warm up and dry out the shell better than we could ever guess. Just my two cents though

Edit: send a picture if you can

Um..I will definitely get a picture of those turtles the next time I visit my LFS.

 

So is it a "I can, but shouldn't" kind of situation?

With the light/terrace? It is not something I've tried where I live (it gets too cold here in the winter), but maybe it will work out just fine. Hopefully someone that has tried it can hop on here. Maybe give it a shot.

 

That's a pretty good idea with the feeding. A very good idea. Internal filters tend to be best for a turtle tank because the water can't go all the way to the top. Sponge filters are good for beneficial bacteria, but they don't really help clear out the waste. Internal filter seems like the best way to go.

You might check out the plant section at your fish store next time you are there. You can ask the people working there which are easy to keep. A lot of nice plants will thrive in your tanks even if you don't have a powerful plant light. They give comfort to most kinds of fish and help you keep the water clean.

I will definitely ask them. Also, when the question of lighting arises, do turtles have any special lighting requirements?

 

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I will definitely ask them. Also, when the question of lighting arises, do turtles have any special lighting requirements?

They need the UV/UVB light, other than that, I don't think they care much. Do try to keep the light schedule regular. The lights should come on and go off at the same time everyday. Honestly, a timer for this is well worth the small price, but you can do without

 

I think a lot of these questions depends on the type of turtle and sex of the turtle. Most of the time females are going to get a lot bigger quicker in most cases. I have a painted I got as a hatching (quarter size) about a year and a half ago and he is a little over 2.5 inches now . He is in a 29 gallon filled most of the way with an above tank basking area. He probably could still be ok in the 20 but I upgraded for water quality keeping 20 gallon turtle tanks clean is a big job. I have a a red cheeked mud turtle that I adopted supposedly she is only one year old and she is already pushing 5 inches (I suspect she is a little older than a year) I tried a 20 standard to begin too small then I got the 20 long filled half way. Mud turtles are bottom dwellers and not as good swimmers as sliders and such. Anyways she is going to need a 40 eventually. As far the painted we will see how big he gets but he will need something even larger! I wonder what kind of turtles you are looking at? try and get a photo

 

Purchasing a turtle such as a slider turtle is a long-term commitment. They can live for 30 years and grow up to 12". Before purchasing one, be sure you are willing to keep a pet that could be with you for the next three decades.

A 20 gallon tank (preferably 20 long) is the minimum size for a juvenile, A mid-size turtle might be OK in a 40 gallon breeder; but an full grown adult is going to need a minimum of 75 gallons. Make sure you plan for the future.

 

Start them out in their forever home

 

I think a lot of these questions depends on the type of turtle and sex of the turtle. Most of the time females are going to get a lot bigger quicker in most cases. I have a painted I got as a hatching (quarter size) about a year and a half ago and he is a little over 2.5 inches now . He is in a 29 gallon filled most of the way with an above tank basking area. He probably could still be ok in the 20 but I upgraded for water quality keeping 20 gallon turtle tanks clean is a big job. I have a a red cheeked mud turtle that I adopted supposedly she is only one year old and she is already pushing 5 inches (I suspect she is a little older than a year) I tried a 20 standard to begin too small then I got the 20 long filled half way. Mud turtles are bottom dwellers and not as good swimmers as sliders and such. Anyways she is going to need a 40 eventually. As far the painted we will see how big he gets but he will need something even larger! I wonder what kind of turtles you are looking at? try and get a photo

I'd love to get a pic of the turtle but can't go to my LFS as of now. They were all white and about the size of a finger. After looking at all the responses, I am beginning to think that how would we go about with a tortoise? They aren't aquatic like turtles so am sure they could live comfortably on land and if given a proper enclosure (terrarium), they are gonna be super happy right?
I have outdoor space for a proper enclosure with natural light, but the thing is that we have loads of cats here who will happily trouble my future tortoise. Not to forget the birds. Anyway out of this?

 

Yeah, these questions really depend on the turtle, but I wouldn't give any fully aquatic species for a walk. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have it outside, in the sun, for 10-15 minutes.; but I'd be very careful of not dropping it (they can surprise you, if you're not used to handling) or leaving it outside for too long and potentially forgetting (it happens).

I have a razorback musk that's a little over a year and a half. It lives in a 40g breeder, filled 3/4 with water, though it's still small enough to where it would do well in a smaller enclosure for a while. I have a large piece of driftwood that I pulled out of a lake for it to crawl onto (it never has). After lots of research and from my own experience, I decided a long time ago UVB to be a waste of money. Again, I believe it really depends on the species. For basking turtles, I would get one.

I don't know of any species of turtle that is "all white." The closest thing I can think of are some softshell species and diamondback terrapins, which have lighter tones.

Never owned tortoises. If you really like turtles, maybe you could try terrestrial species, like box turtles.

 

If you are leaning towards a tortoise, I recommend horsefield, Hermann's, or red footed because they stay a reasonable size. If you want something more fancy, indian stars are really nice and again stay pretty small. I'm not a fan of keeping tortoises in vivs to be honest, I just dont think they're big enough. They can be surprisingly active. Outdoor enclosure would be much better. (This is just my opinion though) Could you construct some sort of pen with a chicken wire top to stop other pets harassing the tortoise? And you will need a hutch of some sort for the tortoise to go into at night time, which you should fit with a basking light for days when the weather is undesirable. Yes they're not aquatic at all, infact they would drown.

With tortoises you'll need to supplement calcium to stop the shell from concaving and for general health. The calcium supplement is a power that you sprinkle onto its food.

Be cautious of being sold an african spur thigh/sulcata; they're the second largest species of tortoise (first being Galapagos if you were wondering) and just get massive, yet they're sold in the pet trade as tiny babies without any warning for some unknown reason..