BEST TURTLE ENCLOSURES: Tub vs. Tanks 

My turtle abused me. She uses the see through glass tank to ask me to feed her. Her ravenous look makes me feel guilty.

“And they moved into this 75 gallon tub. And they could do whatever that want and could have the fun all they want” * turtle in the tub, swimming backwards*

If you are going to buy, buy once and forget it. Go for the adult size, do research on the type of turtle you want to get and you won't have to keep upgrading all the time.

THANK YOU for this video. I recently rescued a 15 year old RES who was kept in a 20 gallon aquarium with just enough water to barely cover the top of his shell. He also had no basking area, lighting or filtration. To anyone reading this who is considering getting a turtle...please do tons of research and make sure you are at least meeting your turtles basic needs! This channel is a great start for turtle info.

I used to have a tub like that for my two RESs back when I had a mini-backyard. Maude escaped twice - once for 3 weeks and again for 2 months. So they will still try to escape, just because that's what living things do in captivity. But it was still a great setup. Now I have an 80 gal aquarium...but I really miss that tub!

You’re great- a guy who likes turtles and seems nice and responsible god you’re perfect

I work in a reptile & amphibian research centre and we keep all of our animals in big plastic tubs. It certainly isn't as pretty as vivariums and aquariums, but it's way better for the animals. I completely agree with all of this advice. For our non-aquatic animals we often install a side-view window to help with checking on their health. It's a clear panel we install after cutting a hole in the side, and then we keep a sliding cover over it when we're not using it to view the animal. We have done this on some of the aquatic tanks (pretty much just quarantine tanks) by using a piece of clear acrylic that's bigger than the hole & fixed to the outside of the tub with an offensive amount of silicone, so that can be an option if you need it.

All you gotta do is add decorative wallpaper (back/2 sides) to mimic the underwater environment in a aquarium. Furthermore, this is hands down the absolute best video on Turtle Time Turtle Care to date. Well done. I am partial to an aquarium primarily because I enjoy being able to watch them swim and do their thing. I am going to add wallpaper on the two sides; leaving only the front visible right now it's just on the back. By the way...mine are hatchlings.

"for all you newbies with quarter sized turtle you got for $5 dollars" GOT ME LAUGHING FOR HOURS.

Great job on this video! My red eared slider, Henry is 23 years old. Started with a 55 gallon aquarium then went to a tub when the aquarium got a leak, (plus he grew and needed something bigger). Looking forward to a new home where I can get a 300 gallon tub and fence / screen in one of the two ponds for the summer months. 👍🏻

Great video! You remind me so much of myself 20 years ago when I was in college. We had a 275 plastic preformed pond in our apartment with 10 turts. It was great. We ultimately ended up adopting them all out, but I would love to get back into keeping turts again.

I feel like some ppl don't even think about unconventional ways to care for certain animals. Like the storage bins. I would've never thought of that! But I already have extras laying around

So informative...keep the videos coming, learning a ton😀. You are awesome Dan!

Thanks for this video. I will give this a try and transfer my turtle from my smaller aquarium to a much larger plastic container and see how he behaves.

Funny to see you so calm! I have aquarium for baby turtles & a 600 gallon pond for my bigger painted & RES that I rescued. Tons of work to keep pond looking clear

I may be rescuing two red eared sliders (disclaimer: not from the wild!) and your video has made me feel SO MUCH BETTER. Thank you!!

Cool video Dan! Keep ‘em coming 😃

In my fantasy world, I wish I had a pond for my turtles 😭 but then I think about the predators and quickly shut down my dreams lol so for now tubs/ aquariums will do in my apartment :,)

my red eared slider escaped many times before and in some cases he went into another room in my house...lol

thank you since more than 5 years I am keeping my turtles in plastic tub and also I feed them in a separate tub. I had purchased tank but i noticed they didn't like and I kept them only two days and this is my own experience that I am keeping them in tub but I liked your video and I am happy that I keep them in tub. Inside the tub I made dry land for them also I change their water often and there is automatic heater also. I mostly fill them all the time in filter water because I found tap water is not good.

I paid 200 for a 125 gallon tank. You can find deals if you look. But yeah I agree tons seem to be a better choice. Maybe some day I will switch out

You're absolutely right. I had four in tanks that were visibly overactive during their normal sleep cycle and my two in tubs were sleeping happily. I'm going tomorrow to buy tubs for everyone.

Those storage tubs that you were talking about are pretty cheap here in Mexico, I'm thinking on getting a 310L tub, it costs 40-50 dollars. They are very durable, I think they are made of the same plastic as the classic flower pots you find in every other Home Depot or Walmart. I'm glad I found out your channel.

totally agreed that tubs are better than tanks, honestly fish belong in tanks for display and all that and they learn that they cant get out, but if you put a turtle into an fish tank it would spend most of its time pacing the glass causing stress and fruaturation which can sometimes lead to death if not fixed.P.s you couldve just tilted your tub sideways to get it into the dorm lol.btw nice video, very educational.👏👏

I've had the opposite experience. My turtles seem to enjoy being able to look outside of their aquarium and by no means feel trapped/trying to make escape attempts. When I switched one of them to a tub, she then started trying to make escape attempts. Even though you say tubs are pliable, they can be prone to cracking sometimes. Also, an aquarium of equal capacity to a tub is smaller dimension wise than a tub.

BEST VIDEO EVER. You answered so many of my question and taught me so much about turtles and habitats! Thanks you so much you were a great help. Your video was EXTREMELY well made and simple. THANKSSSS

Rip headphones users at 3:36

The PERFECT video for what I'm looking for. Subscribed.

0:26 I felt that statement. My turtle is almost six, and I didn’t think it was so much work.

aquariums are not as fragile as you seem to think they are.

I got a 80 gallon aquariam for 15 at a thrift great find was thinking about run before i got this

Great vid Dan!

Thanks for the tips I just upgraded from 10 gallon to 30 gal turtle tank

Thanks Dan you do a great job explaining things

i got a small red slider a few days ago maybe a week and it hasn’t been eating. is that bad??

Duuude super awesome! Time and Time again I hear stories about turtle escapees and my first question is, "Did you have it in a tub or aquarium?" And most people don't understand or even know how stressful it is for turtles to be in a tank in the first place. I agree when they're young it's safer keeping them in an aquarium but I still keep visual shields up. Less stress equals happier turtles

How do you keep the tanks clean? My uncle had red eared sliders and the water would look so gross all the time and he did regular water changes.

Hey Dan, I don't know if this topic has been discussed, but turtle owners should be cautious about the types of plastic aquarium plants they use in enclosures. I learned this the hard way as I have a RES that consumed and reconsumed part of a pet store plant. I saw a bunch of floating fragments and wondered what was going on. After I removed them, as well as the parent plant, more would appear. Clearly the plastic was working its way through the turtle's digestive system. Before I realized what was happening, "Two Spot's" health declined. Following my removal of the plastic plant and some TLC, all is back to normal. Then I observed my juvenile Japanese Pond Turtle doing the same thing with feathery plastic plants. Out they went and several treats of salmon did a good flush. From now on, I will only place large-leaved and thick plastic plants in my enclosures. I hope this information may serve you and your subscribers in some way. Thanks for all you are sharing. Cheers, Rich

Dan, thank you so much for such great videos. We are struggling as these hatchlings showed up early March in our pool, right after our snow and ice storm. They are thriving, we monitor their growth but boy these 3 can really make that water stinky. I am trying my best. Any suggestions?

What happens if it’s cold and you have a outside pond what do you do? And it’s winter I my country and I’m also worried that they won’t have enough uvb and uva :(

You really answered all my questions. Thanks

My turtle is in aquarium for years n she is fine with it...she knows her meal time n also i use to take her outside the aquarium most of the time to have her sunbathe n excercise...😁😁😁

Can you tell me where you bought the tub lights and filter please. The one behind you

I have an adolescent yellow belly slider and she is in about a 15 or 20 gallon tank rn. Ik she needs something bigger but i cant afford it. I have tubs in my house but im not sure if my filtration system would work in it or if my lighting would go on top or of how big they are. Is this ok? Or do i need to just try and wait it out to b able to afford something bigger?

Years ago when my children were you we had a red ear slider. A bigger one but it had like a gash on its shell any way the kids grew up n were gone and my nephew took it to the big zoo where he worked. It made me happy and now I think the turtle is still there.

Awesome info and video!!

Great info. Upgrading for my red slider. He need a lot of room. I just wanted to know. What filter are you using in the tub?

I want to buy a 110 gallon oval stock tank from Tractor Supply. How big of a filter should I get? My single RES will be the only turtle in it, but I may have some plecos and real plants to help with the waste.

Cuz of this video I put my turtle in a tub and she is doing way better

Do you have any advice on taking care of a red eared slider who had his legs chewed off? I'm trying to figure out what kind of habitat to give him and also if he can have a companion...

I have those small plastic colorful tubs and I keep asking my mom to buy a 120 gallon tank because my turtle is big but she says that the little plastic tub is enough, how do you get her to buy a 120 gallon tank?!

thank you so much. i am new to having a turtle and currently have a nice tank setup. however, i am very fearfull of the tank because glass :/ so, looking into a tub. youre so helpful.

hi im thinking of getting a big indoor pond for my yellow bellied turtle he is about 21 years old now and has very sharp claws does anyone know the right thickness of a pond liner would be alright for him?

Please answer this question what type of water do you use tap or spring water ??? I am using spring water because I heard tap water will make them sick ?

Do you have any recommendations for a tub that’s under $150 or around that price range? I’ve been looking to upgrade my turtles tank but I haven’t found any.

youre videos are so informative more power love it

I have two turtles. Both are natural escape artists. One of them managed to lodge the lid into his tub and use it as an escape ramp. The other (older turtle) will attempt to climb anything.

Im making a 65 gallon aquarium, is that ok for one RES and 5 other non-reptiliam tank mates?

Question. What about when the plastic starts to break down? Surely this is going to happen long before that of glass and can't be good for your terrapins.

Hi I'm looking to buy the same 75 black gallon tank for my red ear slider . Hes about the size of my palm now . What filtration system would you suggest for a large tub like that ? Aslo where did you get that basking rock from ?????

How do you perform water changes on something like this on the ground?

RIP earbud people @ 3:40 Other wise, very informative vid

I use tubs for my goldfish and turtle they are great!

This dude is smokin 🔥 🔥 🔥 he's on fire!!! Ohh and nice 🐢 too.

how did you do your baskign area island thing in the center? :o please

now i want a pond for my turtles (: ill try to look in it i love my turtles so much so i wanna give them the best home i can offer for them

Amazing video thx for this

When i found my baby RES 4 years ago i never kept it in a tank always tubs cuz it seemed like the best for her and well i guess it was😁

9 thumbs down??? This was a super well done video, those 9 people are smoking crack. Keep up the good work!

awesome video I just subscribed

I’m torn between tank and tub.. space is an issue for me.. I live in a small apartment. ideally tank will be a better option for me but I’m also concern about them always wanting to escape if they can see thru.. ☹️

cool video. nice to see other peoples opinions.

This is a great channel

Does the room get really humid without a lid on the tub? Or does the water evaporate faster?

What would you recommend for wood or box turtles

Thank u sooo much dear for the helping nd useful video...I need it ...

Thank you so much 🙏🏻

My 300g Rubbermaid pond is in my outdoor aviary. One day a Parakeet landed on a basking turtle and they both went to sleep.

Great video👍

I lost my turtle for a month and while watching this video i found him back, this video is a miracle

Not good to fill so much when they’re as little as beef. I made that mistake and had an unfortunate fatality for my little critter. He’d flipped upside down over and couldn’t flip back . By the time I I noticed and flipped him back on dry land. He was choking on the water and unfortunately passed. He drowned . He was my fav. So just a little heads up.

How do or where do I get the tub you have

great video! I am curious about the lamps - I am trying to figure out how to fix them so that they don´t fall into the water - are there any basic tips on how to fix them, especially when it comes to let´s say more akward angles and shapes like here when it´s a tub..? I´m thinkng about getting a tub or at least making a tank topper for a smaller tank that I have now...thank you!!

I want to get a tub but I have cats. Any suggestions to keep them out?

How much of work to clean and how often?

Where can I get a $5 yellow belly slider from

I like this. I just subscribed.

Great Video man, made my way hear from The turtle girls channel and shoutout, I just picked up 4 x baby fresh water turts and hope to learn a lot from your channel as well :)

Can you get a RES at petco or petsmart or like where cuz I’m not patient enough to get one online and I’m just scared it would come dead😬

*I have a clear tub.....* *Would you recommend a clear or colored one?*

Tubs are the best. When you need to clean them you just take the turtles out and tip all the water out in one go.. then refill with the hose. So quick and easy. You can also move in indoors and outdoors according to the weather. I keep my hatchlings in water lily plant pots outside with a rock in the middle for basking. When they get too big for these plant pots they go into my pond or large tubs.

What tub and tub size are you using?

Yo since you replied my my comment I got a question, how deep should the water be for an 8inch long yellow spotted river turtle?

I have a 20 gallon tub and I have 3 red ear sliders of 3 inchs is it good

Is tub okay to put outside?

Thanks helped a lot

How does your ornate feel about having so many turtles

Thank you.Your Baby’s Are Beautiful.How do I change my husband mind, I want one so bad 🌿🐢💚🌿🐢 Do the tubs give off pc ? Even the ones at Walmart ? I so want to do a pond for them to or will make one for Tortoise.Been reading about both for months and Lots of RU-vid videos.

I learned so much

I love turtle and conditioning videos, I also need to improve my English. so i watch turtle videos in english, thanks friend