Aqueon 40 Gallon Breeder Turtle Tank

No big updates, just has to change out thee UVB bulb to another bulb since it was almost a year since the last change - I moved some plants around from the column tank to this tank (just still trying to find a nice way to tie them down since the turtle keeps moving them all over the tank). Once I do another tank cleaning (as the substrate is somewhat dirty again due to the breakdown of lettuce over time), I'll throw up some more photos!

Just a small update, I completely cleaned out the tank from all of the leftover lettuce over time leaving a lovely mess (drained about 30 of the 40 gallon tank). I’ve also purchased another surface skimmer to help push water around and moved the direction of water from counterclockwise to now clockwise. I’ve also stabilized the driftwood slightly more by adding more sand and fixing the rock points that it is surrounded by.

I still need to clean out the canister filter, but that will be at a later date. I’m also now down to just 4 of the original zebra danios, with the Chinese algae eater being eaten (it’s gone) recently. Turtle is a little bit bigger and doing healthy, no issues so far!

I might add some additional stocking of faster fish, possibly some of the smaller cichlids in order to add volume in the water column compared to the 4 danios that now school together throughout the tank. I need to also add in more plants, so far it’s left the Anubias alone but it still seems not so green compared to what I think it could be. Possibly thinking of Amazon swords (fast growing), Water wisteria (fast growing) or Java fern (bad taste) to add in around the driftwood.

Have been fighting a battle with some of this lovely black beard algae, so I'll have to grab some more photos and attach them to this gallery album for this tank now that it's pretty cleaned up (although some of the plants have taken a hit in growth or their thickness). Otherwise, the cichlids have a ton of fry that the turtle seems to not want to eat - so I've handed them out to other shops/stores around me that want some free fry to either sell or use as bait for others. The cichlids completely ate the danios as they started to mate, and would be aggressive with the turtle but it stood its ground (no damage done whatsoever to either).

Cleaned out the canister filter, and skimmers after I had to do a bunch of doses of hydrogen peroxide and threw out a bunch of the sludge that has collected over time (and some filter pads just completely in terms of them being reusable). Added in some more filter media sponges to the skimmers to allow them to work and will just clean those out weekly now instead of having no filter media within them. Will need to buy another new o-ring seal for the filter however, as it started to gush out water like many people complain SunSun canister filters do after being cleaned out (plumber's tape solved this when placed thickly around the o-ring and where it connects). Have no issues with water dripping or leaking out at all.

I wish you the best of luck with Black Beard Algae, since it seems to be the worst algae to remove due to it being so persistent even when dosing with various chemicals.

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Gilbert said:

I wish you the best of luck with Black Beard Algae, since it seems to be the worst algae to remove due to it being so persistent even when dosing with various chemicals.

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Sadly, I thought I had removed it all but it is back again. I think dosing daily with hydrogen peroxide and doing a few more deep cleans of this tank might help out - but what is really confusing me is that every time my cichlids have babies, I tend to get this algae back. Otherwise, I just have the common algae from sunlight hitting the tank for a few hours each day (but that is to be expected).

Here is a good picture of the level of black beard algae I’m attacking. Ironically it's cleared up from a large portion of the tank (while also turning my plants pretty bare in terms of leaves and whatnot). Otherwise, dosing hydrogen peroxide seems to be attacking it head-on without any major issues that others have faced. I've moved the water outlet pipe (the dry dock is wet in the photos since I was testing where to move it towards for better water circulation), and have slightly shifted the dry rock back a little bit to anchor it down better as the turtle is digging randomly which has shifted it forward and made it wobbly.

I do have a few baby cichlids roaming the tank (which can be seen by other screenshots I took today), and the turtle is healthier than ever. Still has the odd spot on its shell that did appear as shell rot when I first picked it up, but at this point, I believe it's just the coloration since it hasn't gotten worse or better over the past 2 years.

Wow, I haven’t updated this journal in a LONG TIME.

Some major changes:

I mixed up the driftwood appearance a tad as before I felt it was too empty, then way too much wood, and now it feels about right with spaces for the cichlids to hide while also providing support to the basking area that got wobbly after a while (screws were tightened but some weren't screwed in correctly and had to have a new hole or attachment point added).

The turtle has grown and is doing well. Sadly, every single Chinese algae eater would hunt down until they were fully consumed and eaten. The same is true for any Malaysian Trumpet Snail I would add in, so they all disappeared.

I've added in Pink Convict Cichlids to help with coloring and mixing things up from the current normal Convict Cichlids that are in here. Additionally, there is now a smaller (temporarily added) Pleco in order to help remove all traces of BBA that I had (which worked, sadly the hydrogen peroxide treatments daily helped keep it in check but it would always come back as I missed spots).

Love seeing a proper setup for a sideneck—your filtration and lighting choices look solid for long-term health. That custom driftwood basking spot is a great touch; using deck screws is smart for durability. For the next tank upgrade, consider planning room for a larger canister filter and a bigger basking area since African sidenecks get more active with size. If you add more cichlids, just watch aggression as they mature. Curious how that black sand holds up with turtle waste—does it stay manageable, or clog the filter?

For a first setup, you've put together a fantastic equipment lineup and that driftwood basking area is a great touch—using stainless wood screws is a solid choice for durability and safety. The Anubias choices should tolerate the turtle's activity well. If you notice much plant uprooting, you might anchor the roots with rocks or try floating plants as an alternative.

For future upgrades, consider building a larger above-tank basking area—this saves swimming space and can be adapted as the turtle grows. When moving to a 120+ gallon, external canister filters rated for more than double your tank's size will make maintenance much easier, given the high bioload of turtles.

For others with less active or injured turtles, shallower water with easy-access ramps and more resting or basking points helps reduce stress.

Out of curiosity, have you noticed if your sideneck prefers floating or crawling through the wood more? This might help you tweak future driftwood placement as the turtle grows.

The setup described is well-suited for an African Sideneck turtle at juvenile or subadult stages. The hardware selection, particularly the canister filter and dual dome lighting, addresses both the high bioload associated with turtles and their specific UVB/UVA and basking heat requirements. Stainless steel, deck-rated screws for the DIY basking platform are an appropriate choice for water resistance and longevity. The use of Black Diamond Blasting Sand and Anubias varieties for flora is practical, as both are durable and compatible with turtle activity.

Regarding long-term planning, the necessity for an upgrade to a significantly larger enclosure is accurate, given the adult size potential of the species. Investment costs can vary based on sourcing and timing, but the reported total seems reasonable for the included equipment and livestock. For turtles with reduced mobility or diminished swimming interest, emphasis on basking platforms and accessible resting areas is essential in future setups. Integrating additional driftwood and plants could further benefit both the enrichment and overall habitat stability for the animal.