does the optima yellow top d34 battery need a special charger or will any regular 12V charger do?

i think you put this in the wrong section. beginners section would be better

reg 12v charger will work fine

these are the recommended chargers for them, but any charger should be fine.

http://ctek.com.au/CA2571B7001714EB/page/P...argers~&3=~

Cteks are awesome but honestly any charge will do unless your really anal about your battery in which case the Ctek or any PWM charger is best. Jaycar have a 12V 16amp PWM charger for slightly under $200. This is the one I have - But I use it all the time from charging my auxillary batteries for the patrol to charging the half dozen weekenders my family owns. I charge about 4 optima yellow tops on a regular basis

so if i was to charge it with a regular 12v charger how long should it be charged for?

till its charged is probably a good start.

depends on how low it is and the output current (and output pattern) of the charger.

look on the optima site they give you all the voltages and everything.