Turtle aquariums Your turtle will want a glass aquarium or an outdoor pond to live in. If its a young turtle, an aquarium is usually the best choice. Some people keep their turtles in bowls, but bowls are usually to small to be a good place for the turtles to live and we strongly advice against it. There are special turtle tanks on the market, but you can turn a normal fish tank into a good turtle aquarium by your self. A custom made turtle aquarium is usually wider and shallower than a fish tank. The most important thing is that you give your turtle sufficient room for swimming around and an area where he can get out of the water. This area can for example be made up by rocks and gravel. If you dont provide the turtle with land to rest on it will eventually become more and more exhausted from swimming and finally drown. A piece of land is also important for the shell development. The land area does not need to be very big, since the turtle spends almost all his time in the water. An aquarium of 16" (25 litres) is enough to satisfy a young turtle, but keep in mind that he will probably outgrow it in a year or two. It is therefore better to buy an aquarium at least 18" (35 litres), preferably even 24" (60 litres), since it will be big enough for several years.