When Captain Renault asked Rick Blaine why he came to Casablanca in the 1942 film Casablanca, Blaine said that he came for the waters. “What waters?” Renault replied. “We’re in the desert.”
Coming for the waters but being in the desert is the oxymoron we all face when designing the ultimate aquatic turtle enclosure. We desire something that looks spectacular yet is also incredibly easy to keep clean.
Natural-looking habitats definitely hold a special appeal, but they rarely fall into both categories. Pleasing visually, these wonderful little ecospheres must be cleaned and kept, and more complex and elaborate enclosures have more things to maintain and move for cleaning. The degree of difficulty in enclosure maintenance is directly proportional to how often this upkeep is completed. Having your habitat live up to its potential (and your vision) will take quite a bit of extra work, but it’s worth it.
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