Budget & Things I Bought

You may be wondering, “What is a good budget for getting and setting up a turtle?”

Honestly, I have no idea. I did not have a budget planned out and I don’t think I want to know how much I ended up spending ( refuse to add up the below).

I am generally a person who price shops and weighs quality vs price, so I didn’t go crazy and throw money at it, but I did not sit down and write out a budget for this.

The Turtle:

• 3-Stripe Mud Turtle, ~$100, Make sure you buy captive bred, NOT wild caught

Here are all the items I bought when I first set up the tank:

• 29 Gal Tank, Aqueon, $60, Link
• Tank Screen, Exo Terra Screen Cover, 20-29 Gallon, $19, Link
• Tank Heater #1, Zilla 100W submersible, $23, Link
  • I recommend Tank Heater #2, see below
• Filter, Zilla 20 Gal, $15, Link
  • I recommend going with a filter for at least a 20 gal tank instead. Zilla has a 40 Gal filter for $33. You could also go for a canister filter. Turtle are messy and my tank has never been filled up all the way, but the 20 gal filter struggles.
• Filter Cartridges, Zilla Medium, $26 for 12, Link
• Dome Housing, Zoo Med, $25, Link
• Heat Bulb, Repti Tuff 75W, $11, Link
• UVB Bulb, Reptisun 5.0 UVB/13 Watt Tropical, $15, Link
• Tank Accessories
  • Vine, Thrive, $10, Link
  • Little Plants, Top Fin, $6, Link
  • Plant, Top Fin, $3, Link
• Basking Spot #1, Zilla, $35, Link
  • I do not recommend this for a small turtle or a Mud Turtle! See Basking #3 below.
• Turtle Food, Retomin Select a Food, $4, Link
  • Cosetta ate this as a hatchling just fine and still likes it. There is hatchling formula available though.
• Water Conditioner, ReptiSafe, $21 for 3, Link
• Net, Imagitarium, $2, Link
  • This is NOT for catching your turtle, only for removing uneaten food.
• Gravel Vacuum,Top Fin, $19, Link
• Gravel, Thrive, $15 for 10lbs, Link
  • I bought 2 bags
• Aquarium Thermometer, Zacro, 2 for $11, Link

Here are the things I bought later:

• Basking Spot #2, I can’t find this one, see #3 for recommended
• Basking Spot #3, Kudosale, $13, Link
  • Mud Turtles are not big baskers, so this was a good size to provide a covered spot, but not create a huge dead zone in the tank.
• Automatic Feeder, Barkmew, $19, Link
• Tank Heater #2, Top Fin Compact, 100W, $25, Link
• More Tank Accessories
  • Grass Mats, Top Fin, $2.50, Link
    • I hate these. They make it hard to vacuum the tank. Do not recommend.
  • Tank Insert, $35, Link
    • This is not the exact one I have, but it is similar
  • Tank Plant, Med-Lrg, Top Fin, $10, Link
    • I bought this one so I could increase the water depth and give her a plant to rest on, while not taking up a lot of floor space so she can walk around on the bottom.
• Moss Ball, Fluval, $7, Link
  • I’m not sure this does anything really, but I like the way it looks!
• Test Strips #1, API, $6 for 4, Link
  • Recommend #2, the test for free chlorine
• Test Strips #2, JJ CARE, $10 for 120, Link
• Eco Clean, Flukers, $8, Link
• Suction Cups with Small Zip Ties, Pawfly, $10 for 20, Link
  • I use these to raise the legs of Basking Spot #3 to still be able to use it when the water got deeper.