Ideas for a turtle tank

[Mr.Midas]

I'm going to turn my 75 gallon tank into a turtle tank and I'm looking for some suggestions, like substrate and different ways to make land/beach areas. I'd like to put some other animals in there aswell but I dont know if there are any practical options. I have a guppy in with her now that has stuck around for several months so I might just do something like that.

[67chevelle]

I'm planning a 55 for a turtle tank and have found this site helpful.
http://www.turtletimes.com/
Sand or large river rocks should be used for substrate.Turtles will eat small gravel.Lots of filtration also.A large canister would be best.Here are some of the lamps and fixtures I'm probably going to get.
http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-light-fixtures/513264/zoo-med-deep-dome-lamp-fixture.html
http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-light-fixtures/510303/zoo-med-reptile-lamp-stand.html
http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-incandescent-bulbs/107801/zoo-med-powersun-uv.html
I still haven't got one yet,so hopefully someone with actual experience with them can help too.But these links should get you started with what you need.

[keithnj]

id go without the substrate- turtles are very messy- id also go with twice the amount of filtration for your volume of water. you can house any fast moving fish you want w/ your turtle but dont be upset if you find them missing over time.

[Notophthalmus]

What kind of turtle?

I think a basking platform is better than a built-up land area in most cases, as it leaves more open water and is easier to move. You can build one easily with a 1/2" PVC pipe frame and insulation foam platform. Paint the whole thing with black, brown, or other neutral-colored Krylon Fusion spraypaint and let sit for a couple of days before putting it in the tank. The turtle will eventually tear up the platform, but it isn't hard to replace as needed.

[Mr.Midas]

opps, maybe I should have mentioned that she's a RES lol. I have a fluval 305 for a filter and there will only be between 6 and 8 inches of water in the tank as the turtle's shell is only about 6 inches long.

[Bonne46]

If the turtle is 6" big you want that 75g full all the way. Also if it is a female your going have to upgrade tank to at least a 100g for the turtle to live in. Females get up to 12" big, you want for every inch of turtle is equal to 10g of water.

Far as substrate either river rocks that are bigger then the turtles head or sand.

Make sure you have a heat lamp and UVB bulb over the basking platform. Also the basking platform needs to be completely dry when the turtle is on there basking.

I'm hoping at the same time you have a heater on this tank? If not you need one.

Since its 6" big, how often you feeding her and what? It should be every other day feeding and a mix of pellet foods/veggies (carrots, collard greens), and animal matter (guppies or minnows, gold fish are to fatty for them)

67chevelle posted a great forum for turtles, I highly suggest going on there, I am a member of that forum and it has helped me out when I first started owning a turtle several years ago. I am now at 4 turtles and still going.

[vettech]

Depends on what kind of turtle you have. If it is a slider or water turtle, there is no fish you can keep with them as turtles are very dirty and it is hard to keep the water clean enough for fish to thrive ( they can survive , but not thrive) . If you create a partial land/partial water environment, you may be able to do some frogs that stay mostly on land. Size of the inhabitants also makes a difference.
Do some research on specific species to make sure they are compatible. Good luck!

[Vicious_Fish]

I recommend that you check out this care sheet on RES.

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-red_ear_slider.htm

[Mr.Midas]

If the turtle is 6" big you want that 75g full all the way.

I read on a couple care sheets and was told by a herpetologist (well a friend of mine who was told be his herpetologist sister lol) that the water should not be much deeper than the length of the carapace and that the turtle should be able to poke their head out of the water while standing on its tip-toes, is that accurate?
The RES I have is a female but unfortunately it was raised is very poor conditions. I rescued her from a girl who had kept it in a 5 gallon tank with no heater or basking lamp and a diet of strictly pellets. When I got her she had a soft spot on her shell and what im assuming is some sort of skeletal disfigurement on her right hand as it is swollen and not as flexible as her left; it has been that way since I recieved her and hasn't changed.
As a result of these poor living conditions, my RES that should be nearly a foot long is only 6 inches. I'm not sure of her excact age but I can guess that she is between 7 and 10 years old. Is there any chance of her growing more at this point or is she permanent?
As for housing, I think im just going to use slate on the bottom of the tank for practicality as it will be much easier to clean. I think I will also go with some sort of synthetic platform topped with slate as opposed to beach/gravel. Should I have both a slate basking spot and wood or will just one or the other suffice?

PS- I do have both a heater in the water and a basking lamp. I also keep egg shells and sepia bone in the tank for extra calcium.

thanks for any help :)

[kyryah]

I read on a couple care sheets and was told by a herpetologist (well a friend of mine who was told be his herpetologist sister lol) that the water should not be much deeper than the length of the carapace and that the turtle should be able to poke their head out of the water while standing on its tip-toes, is that accurate?

The RES I have is a female but unfortunately it was raised is very poor conditions. I rescued her from a girl who had kept it in a 5 gallon tank with no heater or basking lamp and a diet of strictly pellets. When I got her she had a soft spot on her shell and what im assuming is some sort of skeletal disfigurement on her right hand as it is swollen and not as flexible as her left; it has been that way since I recieved her and hasn't changed.
As a result of these poor living conditions, my RES that should be nearly a foot long is only 6 inches. I'm not sure of her excact age but I can guess that she is between 7 and 10 years old. Is there any chance of her growing more at this point or is she permanent?
As for housing, I think im just going to use slate on the bottom of the tank for practicality as it will be much easier to clean. I think I will also go with some sort of synthetic platform topped with slate as opposed to beach/gravel. Should I have both a slate basking spot and wood or will just one or the other suffice?

PS- I do have both a heater in the water and a basking lamp. I also keep egg shells and sepia bone in the tank for extra calcium.

thanks for any help :)

No. The depth of water needs to be NO LESS than one and one half times the length of the turtle. If you want any chance of her stunting to correct itself, you MUST utilize the entire space of that 75 gallon tank. That means an above tank basking platform. Just because the poor thing is stunted does not mean that you can be lax on space requirements. You also need about 10X filtration on the tank. That means filtration for no less than 750 gallons worth of volume.

You mention both a soft shell and a basking light - what kind of light are we talking here? She needs a UV lamp. Otherwise the shell will continue to soften and she will die. She needs to be fed a calcium rich diet and she needs to get lots of D3 assimilation from UV lighting. The deformities that you are describing are metabolic bone disease.

She may grow more, but not if you only put 6-8" of water in the tank. She needs space, and if you are going to use a 75 gallon tank, I do not understand why you would not want to utilize all of it. If you want a sounding platform that she can use to stand on and stick her head out, use a piece of driftwood, etc. Personally I only use platforms like that for tiny hatchlings. Most adult turtles do not need them.

I would not use sand OR river rock. You are asking for a filthy stinky mess if you do. I use ceramic tile personally, so there is something there but it doesn't trap a bunch of sediment and gunk.

Kristina

[maxking23]

I thought that having a little of that 'smoke machine' will make it look nice...

[Mr.Midas]

Thanks for the quick reply Kristina :) I am going to use ceramic tile as my substrate, the filtration is going to be an issue though. I have a fluval 305 but I can't afford anything bigger. Should I be able to get away with this filter if I do frequent water changes?

PS- Nice snake :)

[Vicious_Fish]

You also need about 10X filtration on the tank. That means filtration for no less than 750 gallons worth of volume. Kristina

Are you serious Kristina? I don't know about you but I don't have access to purchase the filters Sea World uses. ;)

But I agree, they need more filtration than a tank containing fish. I go with at least 2-3x the filtration. You'll still need to do a few large volume water changes during the week. 50% or more at a time. Contrary to popular belief, turtles are a lot of work to keep happy as you can see.

[Bonne46]

Yes you need to build a above tank basking platform. There's slot of missinformation saying not to fill tanks all the way for turtles but that depends on species. RES are dominate swimmer they need as much water space as possible.

If you start feeding her right and giving her right water space and proper basking area she will grow some more. You need to also remember since she is a female it will lay eggs.

For substrate pick whatever you can use the ceramic tile that will help on clean up, but with sand it's not really a mess FYI. All my turtle tanks have sand and there crystal clear.

[Bonne46]

Oh also the 10x filteration that's overkill. In my several years of owning turtles, helping people with purcahsing and informing them on turtles never do I say 10x. Grant it you can do it I mean the more the better but at minium it should be 3x.

Your fluval's will work for now just clean it often.

Edit: for lighting to be specific you need a UVB light and a heat lamp. For heat you can buy a heat lamp or use a normal household bulb as long as it gets to right temperature. Or if you don't want to use 2 lamps you can get a mercury vapor bulb that produces both UVB and heat. Just make sure it's at proper distance or you can burn your turtle.

[Mr.Midas]

Okay, Thanks for all the help guys :)