Best turtle tanks 2025: Set up a perfect turtle tank

We’ve come out of our shell to help you find the best turtle tanks. And by tanks, we mean aquarium tanks, not armored war machines… your turtle does not need a battle tank, they already have their own armor.

Despite being quite exotic, turtles are like any other pet. They need sufficient space to live in and explore, suitable environmental conditions within that space, and that space to be kept clean and hygienic. That means providing them with a large enough tank relative to their size; see the “How big should your turtle tank be” section below for more info on that. They also need sufficient light, warmth, and clean water. The first two will be provided by a UV lamp that acts as a substitute for the sun, while the latter is achieved using an aquarium filter.

Beyond that, you’ll also want to decorate your turtle's tank to help them feel at home. The ideal environment within a tank will depend on whether you have an aquatic, semi-aquatic, or land-based turtle, but all of them need a mixture of land and water so they have areas to swim, along with exposed land where they can bask. They also like hidey holes – both above and below the waterline – where they can conceal themselves. Check out our guide to pet turtle care for more info.

Some of the best turtle tanks that we’ve looked at below are complete starter sets that come with the lamp, filter, and even some decorations included. Others are just tanks, so you’ll need to account for the cost of the other necessities when purchasing one of them.

The Quick List

PetsRadar's pick of the best turtle tanks 2025

Best turtle tank overall

Turtle aquariums are not simple. To make sure they are kept healthy and happy, you need all the right components. Rather than spend time trawling the web or stores looking for all the parts, it is well worth considering a starter kit, especially if this is your first time with a turtle.

The Tetra Aquatic Turtle Deluxe Kit provides everything you need to give your turtle a happy home. The kit includes a 20-gallon tank, which is ideal for small aquatic turtles. If you have a larger turtle or more than one, you should think about getting a bigger tank. A decorative filter (with three cartridges) is included to make sure that the water is kept clean via its three-stage filtration process. The beauty of the filter is that it blends in with the habitat. It is hidden inside the basking platform, and creates a beautiful waterfall.

Keeping the water and environment at a constant temperature is crucial for a cold-blooded reptile. To ensure that your shelled buddy is a happy one, the starter kit includes a couple of dome lamps. These are incorporated into the screen top to help maintain a constant temperature. Make sure you place the basking platform under the UV light to create a prime spot for your turtle. The kit also includes a boxwood plant mat. This is ideal when starting out, but you may want to consider more decorations once your turtle has settled in.

All living creatures need food, and the kit includes the essentials, so you don't need to worry what to feed your turtle. Finally, your aquarium will need a place to call its own. This should be away from a source of heat or direct sunlight, and will need to measure at least 30in wide x 12in deep x 12in tall to accommodate the Tetra tank.

Best baby turtle tank

If you're looking for a temporary home that won't be too intimidating for a baby turtle, this Hamiledyi Small Turtle Tank is an ideal nursery tank.

It doesn’t come with any filters, heat lamps, or food – It is just a tank, but it's a great budget option. You don't want to spend a fortune on a tank that your baby turtle will quickly outgrow after all. It is ideal for those who have a small baby turtle – ideally up to 2.5in in length – and already own a heat lamp and water filter. Just make sure that your lamp and filter are compatible with the tank.

The tank is lightweight, weighing in at just 1.7 pounds, and made from strong, durable plastic. The bottom of the tank provides a small swimming area and a non-slip ramp that leads to the other areas. This helps ensure that your buddy doesn’t keep slipping back into the swimming area.

At the top of the ramp, there is a small feeding area and a basking platform. There is also a "planting area" which comes supplied with a few small plastic plant decorations, but you can also use that area to put some real greenery into their enclosure. Just make sure you prepare to move your turtle into a bigger and more bodacious pad when they hit those teenage years.

Best large turtle tank

The larger an aquarium, the more space your pet turtle will have, and the happier they will be. Plus, a large aquarium allows for growing room, and even the addition of more turtles in the future.

This kit has a large-capacity tank that can hold up to 55 gallons of water. As you might expect, a bigger aquarium takes up more space than a smaller aquarium. So you will need to make sure you have enough space for the tank. It measures 4ft3in in length, and is 2ft wide and 1ft5in in height. It weighs in at a heavy 521 pounds when filled with water, and that’s without any additional gravel or decor. So you will need a sturdy platform to hold the tank.

So what else is included in the kit? There is a powerful 200W heater that will heat up the water and keep it at a steady temperature. To ensure that the water temperature is at the right level, there is a stick-on digital thermometer. Another addition to help keep the temperature constant, and stop anything falling into the aquarium, is a Tetra hinged hood. This comprises two hoods, giving easy access to both ends of the tank. These also help keep the heat in. To keep the water clean – and your turtle healthy – there is the quiet and economical WPF 60 Filter.

The decor is a little sparse, consisting of two plant multipacks and a boxwood plant. Notable by their absences are an environment to occupy your pet turtle, or a platform to warm itself. This is something you will need to purchase to complete the setup. Once you are up and running, the included lighting adds a natural daylight effect. This means you get an illuminated view of the entire aquarium.

Finally, for peace of mind, the aquarium comes with an easy-to-understand set-up guide, which has plenty of tips and pointers on how to get started.

Best LED turtle tank

The GloFish aquarium kit is primarily aimed at those who want to keep tropical fish, but it contains almost everything you need for a turtle.

So what’s in the kit? First, there is a 20-gallon glass aquarium, which is ideal for small turtles; then there is a Tetra mini UL heater to keep the water temperature at the right level, and to ensure that the tank stays clean, there is a Tetra Whisper 20 filter.

In addition to the essentials, the kit comes with a GloFish 13in LED light stick, one GloFish yellow anemone, and two plant multipacks. This gives the tank a little decoration, but it’s not just your standard decor. The fluorescent decor and LED lighting creates a colorful neon display. It's ideal in darker rooms, and if you don’t want the neon display on, you can simply switch it off. There is also fish food included. While you can feed turtles fish food, it doesn’t give them all the nutrition they need. It will need to be supplemented with the right food.

As we mentioned before, the GloFish contains 'almost' everything you need. The kit is missing a UV lamp and a basking platform, which are essential for any turtle aquarium. What this does mean is that you can customize the habitat's decor, and get the exact basking platform that you want for your turtle. One good example is the TetraFauna Viqaquarium all-in-one land and water environment. Want to know more about the Viqaquarium? Read more about it in this buying guide.

There are smaller sizes too, including 10, 5 and 3-gallon options, and an upright portrait option if you have a small turtle. Even so, we recommend the large option if you need growing room.

Best terrestrial turtle tank

If you’ve got a terrestrial (land-based) turtle — such as a box turtle — and you need an indoor housing solution for them then we’d highly recommend the REPTI ZOO Reptile Terrarium.

The tank is built from tempered glass with a metal frame, offering premium build quality at a relatively affordable price. It has both sliding doors and am openable top with an anti-escape design to make it easy for you to get in, while stopping your inquisitive turtle from getting out. There are plenty of cable pass-through slots so you can hook up lamps, misters, and other devices easily. The tank needs to be assembled, but there are simple instructions to follow, and even a tutorial video that you can watch on their website.

It’s not designed to be filled to the brim with water, but there bottom level of the tank is watertight so you can create smaller swimming areas and water features inside, which makes it ideal for primarily terrestrial turtles who still want to swim around every now and then.

Best turtle tank insert

Aquarium kits are great for those who are new to keeping turtles. They contain all the necessary gear that you need to give your buddy a happy home. However, with a ready-made one, you get little choice of the environment or how the turtle's habitat will look and work.

The alternative is to purchase all the gear you need separately to get a more customized aquarium. As we have already mentioned, turtles are cold-blooded and need an environment where they can come out of the water, breathe, and bask in the warmth of a heat lamp.

The TetraFauna Viquarium is an all-in-one land and water environment that is ideal for aquatic turtles. It converts an ordinary aquarium into an aqua-terrarium. This is a combination of an aquarium and terrarium, which effectively means that it has a dry land part and a water section for swimming, making it perfect for transforming any aquarium into a habitat that is perfect for turtles.

The Viquarium boasts three realistic land areas that will allow your turtle to warm up. There is one high area and two lower areas allowing your hard-shelled buddy to choose where they want to hang out. The high area has a cascading waterfall feature hidden inside. This is powered by the Tetra Whisper filtration system, which ensures that the water is kept clean. The waterfall flows into a riverbed that links to the other basking areas to create a more natural environment.

The Viquarium will fit into most 20-55 gallon tanks, and can be placed to the left or right. This brings a bit of flexibility to a turtles habitat, which will help keep them happy and, of course, healthy.

How to choose the best turtle aquarium

When choosing an aquarium for your pet turtle, there are a number factors to consider, but perhaps the most important is the tank size. Turtles come in many different sizes, so here’s a quick guide to help you choose the right size tank. Multiply the length of your turtle by ten, and this equals the capacity you need. For example, if your turtle is two inches long, multiply that by 10, and you get 20. So a 20-gallon tank is your ideal choice. If you are thinking of having multiple turtles in a tank, you will want to go larger. Alternatively, get more than one aquarium.

When a tank size has been decided, you need to think of all the necessary equipment to go with it. You will need water heaters, heat lamps, water filters, thermometers, lighting, and tank decoration. If you are a beginner at keeping turtles then a starter kit such as the Tetra Aquatic Turtle Deluxe Kit is a no-nonsense option. It has a decent size tank and all the extras you need to get started straight away.

If you want a bigger aquarium then the Tetra 55 Gallon Aquarium Kit is a great choice. But be aware that this is not a small tank – it’s over four feet in length, so you will need plenty of space for it. It doesn’t come with much in the way of a basking platform or decor, so you might want to add the TetraFauna Viquarium. This offers a realistic land and water environment, comes with a water filter, and fits most 20-55 gallon tanks.

If you want something a little more fancy then try the GloFish Aquarium Kit Fish Tank, which has a fluorescent decor.

Whatever you choose, make sure that your turtle has enough room, an area to bask in, a constant water temperature, and a water filter to keep the aquarium clean, and your turtle happy.

How big should a tank be for a turtle?

It's important to make sure that any pet has a big enough enclosure, as small homes can stifle their natural behaviors, leading to stress, unhappiness, and even health issues. We spoke to one of our expert vets, Dr Lisa Coder, to get the lowdown on all things turtle tank.

"The size enclosure you choose for your turtle greatly depends on the size of your pet. As a general minimum, 10 gallons per inch of turtle is appropriate, although I usually recommend a 40-50 gallon horizontal tank to start, regardless of turtle size." explains Dr Coder. "You can get a small tank for a small turtle, but as they grow you will have to purchase a larger tank."

Dr Coder also made it clear that while you don't want to overface a baby turtle with a huge tank at first, there are ways around that if you want to avoid buying twice. "If you have a juvenile turtle, you can provide a tank large enough for the anticipated adult size and add additional decorations, hides, a pond, or other enrichment to use the extra space. Otherwise, you can get tank dividers and keep your turtle in a smaller section and enlarge it as she grows."