Thinking of owning a tortoise or box turtle...

I just a acquired a 30 Long aquarium and have been wanting a tortoise for awhile now. I have looked around at a lot of caresheets, but I still don't know which tortoise or box turtle would be good for a 30 long aquarium. I would like a very personable tortoise or box turtle and one that would fit for a beginner.
Thanks!

I live in ohio so i could probably keep outdoors for some of the year.

I have been doing some reading on turtles lately, and ran across this:

Land Turtles – typically box turtles or tortoises. Heavy, dome-shaped animals who don’t swim well. Range from fairly small (Egyptian Tortoise; 3-toed box turtle) up to enormous. Can be kept indoors but the consensus is that a good outdoor setup is best for overall well-being. The smallest should be kept in at least a 40 gallon Rubbermaid tub, & that’s awfully cramped. Most should have a 4’x4’ or larger setup. Clear-walled enclosures (i.e.: aquariums) aren’t good.

Here's the link for the page it's on:

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Art...landturtle.htm

Maybe someone on here will dispute what I've posted, but I don't know anything other than what I've recently read.
Good luck!

I agree with Troi that a 30-long is just way too small for a land turtle. That tank would be more suited for a small water turtle; musk or mud species.

If you are wanting a box turtle, start your outdoor enclosure and get it ready. As far as the glass tank, if you use it, trim the bottom 5 or 6 inches with something that will obstruct the view. I have bought the rolls of border material that you use at the tops of walls, it works well. What I have found that works well indoors is the "holiday tree" storage bin sold at Wal Mart. Its around 5 or 6 ft long, somewhere around 3 ft wide, and shallow.

That makes sense (duh)...maybe I can use one of my larger tanks as a temp indoor enclosure after all!

I have also used 40 qt bins to store them over the winter as well. I keep a small bowl of fresh water in there. I only put 2 in each one. I have seen some disturbing photos of torts stored in fridges, as many as would fit on a shelf. No bins of any sort, just torts, wall to wall. It may work for them, but my conscious wouldn't allow that. And since I only have 4 box turtles, they are pets, not a business venture. Any and all babies will be released back into the wild. Since mine stay outdoors from April until around Nov, and stored in my cold garage, I don't worry about the releasing back to the wild. I would never do that with my cb snakes, but thats a different story all together. I am not incubating any eggs, if they lay them, they are out there to hatch on their own.