Acrylic aquariums for water turtles - good or bad idea?

gp!

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I haven't found any recent discussion around acrylic or glass (this seems to be the most recent from 2014: https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/glass-or-acrylic.104387/)

Has anyone had good luck with acrylic tanks for aquatic turtles? I am sure the larger ones can scratch the viewing planes pretty easy. How about the smaller ones like mud or musk turtles?

If you have used an acrylic aquarium for your turtles for a reasonable length of time and are happy with how it has held up please share some details =)
 

wellington

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I don't keep turtles but have an acrylic aquarium that I used to keep marine fish in. I wouldn't buy another one. My dog face puffer scratched the crap out of it with his beak. I would imagine turtle nails would too.
The scratches can be buffed out but it makes a weak spot/area.
Sharp nails are sharp nails.
 

gp!

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I don't keep turtles but have an acrylic aquarium that I used to keep marine fish in. I wouldn't buy another one. My dog face puffer scratched the crap out of it with his beak. I would imagine turtle nails would too.
The scratches can be buffed out but it makes a weak spot/area.
Sharp nails are sharp nails.

Ah bummer to hear that. Are the little turtles as destructive as the puffers? Thanks for the reply!

Still hoping to hear first hand experience
 

everyday

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Ah bummer to hear that. Are the little turtles as destructive as the puffers? Thanks for the reply!

Still hoping to hear first hand experience
Hello we get some acrylic tanks and glass tanks donated to us regularly.
The glass tanks look always new after a cleaning but the acrylic tanks are a pain to get good looking again. After u get some of the stretches out it only takes a few weeks before there are new ones.
It looks really bad and we only use the acrylic ones if all glass tanks are occupied.

That's why I chose glass in my home turtle aquarium.

I'm sure acrylic tanks can work somehow but I don't know how. All acrylic tanks that we have (7) look terrible. Some of them were only used one year then donated to us...
 

Markw84

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What type and size of turtle are you talking about? I use a tank I made myself with an acrylic front that works quite well for smaller turtles. (I don't believe a turtle bigger than 6" should be housed in a tank at all.) It is a 5ft x 2ft, x 16" tall tank built of PVC with the front an acrylic panel. I use it to raise some of the smaller turtles to a safer size for the outdoor pond. Aquatic, smaller turtles do not have the leverage, suspended in water, to do much damage or scratching to the acrylic front panel.

The keratin of turtle nails has a MOHS hardness rating of 2.5. Acrylic is in the 3.5 range. So unless great force is used, nails will not scratch acrylic. (the teeth of a puffer fish is in the 5.0 hardness range)

I have no issues with mine at all after several years of constant use. The acrylic is far lighter weight than a glass panel. When you are talking a tank large enough for most any turtle, that is a big advantage. I will certainly use acrylic again in future builds for turtles.
 
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gp!

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What type and size of turtle are you talking about? I use a tank I made myself with an acrylic front that works quite well for smaller turtles. (I don't believe a turtle bigger than 6" should be housed in a tank at all.) It is a 5ft x 2ft, x 16" tall tank built of PVC with the front an acrylic panel. I use it to raise some of the smaller turtles to a safer size for the outdoor pond. Aquatic, smaller turtles do not have the leverage, suspended in water, to do much damage or scratching to the acrylic front panel.

The keratin of turtle nails has a MOHS hardness rating of 2.5. Acrylic is in the 3.5 range. So unless great force is used, nails will not scratch acrylic. (the teeth of a puffer fish is in the 5.0 hardness range)

I have no issues with mine at all after several years of constant use. The acrylic is far lighter weight than a glass panel. When you are talking a tank large enough for most any turtle, that is a big advantage. I will certainly use acrylic again in future builds for turtles.

That is great news! Thanks for your the feedback.

I have been trying to decide on the species. I was set on diamond back terrapins but unfortunately that won't work out. Perhaps musk or map? Too bad an alligator snapping turtle isn't a good fit :)

Which ones have you had luck with? Suitability to acrylic displays would be high on my selection criteria. I haven't had the tank made yet, but glass would be too heavy.
 

gp!

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I can't edit the post. I didn't mean map. Those unfortunately won't work out either.

These are three I had on my list. But I like the idea of smaller than the Reeves

Mississippi Mud Turtle (4 inches)
Musk Turtle -"stinkpot turtle" (2-4.5 inches) Reeve's Turtle (6 inches)
 

Markw84

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I can't edit the post. I didn't mean map. Those unfortunately won't work out either.

These are three I had on my list. But I like the idea of smaller than the Reeves

Mississippi Mud Turtle (4 inches)
Musk Turtle -"stinkpot turtle" (2-4.5 inches) Reeve's Turtle (6 inches)
The turtles I would consider able to live indoors in a tank would be in my order of favorites:

Spotted Turtles
Southern Painted Turtles
Mud Turtles
Musk Turtles
 

gp!

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The turtles I would consider able to live indoors in a tank would be in my order of favorites:

Spotted Turtles
Southern Painted Turtles
Mud Turtles
Musk Turtles

Unfortunately spotted turtles are not a choice for me. They are really neat looking.

Painted turtle is actually one I had many years ago.

Have you had luck with any of these housed in an acrylic tank?

- Southern Painted Turtles
- Mud Turtles
- Musk Turtles

I have space for tank dimensions in the ballpark of 16' long, 2' tall, 2 or 3' wide. Do you think I could mix these three types together or would the size difference be too much?
 

Markw84

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Unfortunately spotted turtles are not a choice for me. They are really neat looking.

Painted turtle is actually one I had many years ago.

Have you had luck with any of these housed in an acrylic tank?

- Southern Painted Turtles
- Mud Turtles
- Musk Turtles

I have space for tank dimensions in the ballpark of 16' long, 2' tall, 2 or 3' wide. Do you think I could mix these three types together or would the size difference be too much?
Southern painted and mud will do fine together. Common musk (stinkpot) are notorious tail nippers, so if you kept them with the others, they would end up with stubby tails! Razorback musk are pretty territorial and the males get a bit large for indoors. The don't play well with others. SO the S painted and mud are a great choice.

I didn't see before that you are outside the US, so I would not be able to ship spotted to you, and would imagine them not available.
 
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