The Zoo Med turtle dock is one of the most popular basking platform for pet turtles. It’s attached through suction cups to the tank wall and the dock floats so can adjust to water level changes.
Zoo Med Turtle Dock Review
It comes in 4 sizes:
- Mini: 9.5 x 5 inches – good for 5 gallons and up
- Small: 11 x 5 inches – good for 10 gallons and up
- Medium: 15 x 7 inches – good for 20 gallons and up
- Large: 19 x 8 inches – good for 40 gallons and up
Pros
- Attached through suction cups to the inside wall of a turtle tank.
- Ramp has slight incline for easy turtle access to the basking area.
- Adjusts to the water level as it floats on the rails.
- Looks natural like a fake rock
- Made from non toxic materials
- Available in 4 sizes
Cons
- Potential snag risk. Smaller turtles like a hatchling turtle could get stuck on the wire frame and drown. There was a case of this in a forum.
- Turtles may nibble on the dock eventually destroying it.
- Larger turtles cause the platform to sink underwater causing turtles not to bask.
Installation
Installation is simple since the just use suction cups to attach the frame to the inside of the turtle tank.
The platform itself just floats up and down.
Below is a review video showing what’s included in the box and how it works.
Maintenance
As mentioned in the video it is easy to clean from a basic perspective of taking it out and rinsing it off. The difficulty comes with long term ownership.
As time goes on algae will accumulate on the platform and it will become unsightly and difficult to get the slime off the platform.
Conclusion
The zoo med turtle dock is a nice option and provides decent results for most people. Having it long term may or may not work out for you.
Algae accumulation over time may make it not visually appealing and the possibility of your turtle nibbling on it is also there.
As you are getting into turtle ownership it could be a great segway between buying accessories and later on crafting and creating your own.