Life of a Pet Turtle Worth $300?

I've get a pet turtle. I like my turtle, but... I don't love him. His name is Donatello and I got him as a [late] 20th birthday present. That makes him a little over 4.5 years old. When I got him I liked the idea of having a pet turtle. I liked that he is virtually silent (he does not have a squeaky exercise wheel like a gerbil), he is more fun to play with than fish, and he was allowed to live in the dorms.

He was bought from a vendor on the side of the road near Orlando, FL. He was one of hundreds of babies about the size of a quarter in a large tank mounted in the camper top of a pickup truck. Honestly my whole family was amazed that he survived the 10 hour drive home. Everyone was equally surprised when he survived a whole semester at college under my care. After a little research I learned that turtles are very long lived, and this species regularly lives over 20 years once they get to adulthood. Now I have a problem.

My life has changed a lot since college. In particular I've met my wife and moved from a dingy college apartment to a nice new house. My wife doesn't have a problem with the turtle per se, but she does have a big problem with "pond water" in the house. The way she sees it the turtle is a bed of bacteria and "gross" for our guests to look at. So far, that's not been too much of a problem because he lives in my office and is rarely bothered by others.

Once a month I buy Donny a new carbon filter for his water pump and some new turtle pellets. The total cost is about $5 per month. I swap out half of his water every month and every three months I empty the whole tank and scrub it out. This does not keep it spotless, but its way better than the average drainage pond. The last couple months there has been an algae problem and lately his aquarium has green slime for the first time. This has led my wife to double her complaining about the "pond water" because it is actually a little icky (again this is a new problem).

Right now he lives in a standard 20 gallon aquarium. I upgraded him to his current digs two years ago when he outgrew his 5 gallon plastic cage. Now my friend has again out grown his tank. I noticed that his shell is starting to grow a ridge in the middle (apparently a symptom of caging too small). It seems like he now needs at least a 46 gallon aquarium and a full 55 gallon might be a good idea. I spent an hour at the conglomerate pet superstore last night and the turtle's new house is going to cost at least $300. That is $300 for an animal that cost $30 on the side of the road.

My wife threatened to put him in a nearby pond. I know that would be a death sentence, but I really don't have $300 in the budget. It is also unfair to keep a turtle that I'm not caring for properly. Should I put his new house on the credit card? Should I let nature take its course in the wild? Either way I'll be upset with myself. Suggestions?

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