Hello everyone! I'm preparing myself to become a second time owner of two turtles. The first two that I had were rehomed because I had to move and since I was so in love with the little guys, I think it's high time to bring the fun back into my life, however; before I do so, I want to make sure everything is JUST RIGHT before I bring them into my home. I know quite a bit about turtle care myself but I figured it's always worth it to get a second opinion. Currently the only thing I have is a 55 gallon tank, the works of a basking area in the making, a heater and UVA/UVB bulbs. I know I have a lot more to go before this is ready for my future children. So here are the questions I am stumped on: 1.) I had a Fluval 405 in my previous 55 gallon tank. It worked well with my two RES but after about two years I noticed it started failing and even after bi-weekly cleanings of it, the tank would still get clogged up fairly quickly. What is the BEST filter that you would recommend. I know there are some out there that can be pretty costly at over $400 but I don't want to spend more than $250 on one, so what would be my best option? 2.) The research I've been doing about which breed to get has gotten me pretty far. I want some turts that will remain small for the duration of their lifes so I don't have to buy a 200 gallon tank in the furture. I know I will need to upgrade eventually...but for the next few years I'll be in a apartment and space is limited. With that being said, I've finally come up with a male Mississippi Map turtle and a male Reeves turtle. They seem to stay pretty small but the question I have is whether or not these two guys can live together in 55 gallon tank for 1-3 years without needing to upgrade or seperate them. Will they likely be aggressive towards one another? 3.) LAST QUESTION! My previous tank was BARE and BORING. I'm trying to find a good substrate to liven up the tank and make it beautiful. I was thinking of using sand....does this seem like a good idea and if so, what kind should I get? I don't want river rocks because that will just make it harder to clean the tank I know pebbles are out of the question because they will eat them. If sand doesn't work, what are some good ideas? Thank you so much for reading all that! If you have ANY idea about even just one of them I would appreciate all you have to say!!!
Hello, and welcome to the boards! I'll jump right in. 1.) The Fluval you had before is actually one of the best on the market. However, it may not have been able to keep up with two RES--some of the larger, and thus messier turtles. It should be much more suitable for the smaller species you are looking to get this time around. Eheim also makes a great canister filter and they are relatively inexpensive. Whatever you decide to go with, go with the biggest you can afford, and definitely stick with the canister filters. Eheim: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753158&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No 2.) Maps or Reeves are great choices, but I would choose one or the other. It's generally not a good idea to mix species--although it can be done in some circumstances. My main concern is that two males, even of different species, are more likely to become aggressive with one another. Maps are also more adept swimmers than Reeves, and will thrive in much deeper water than the weak-swimming Reeves can handle. 3.) Sand would be a great substrate choice for the water area, you'll just need to use either a floating basking platform or a sectioned off gravel/river rock area for the land portion. If you really want to liven up your tank, look for some large landscaping rocks or driftwood to utilize in the tank--just make sure they are securely set on the bottom and not on top of the substrate (so that digging turtles don't find themselves smashed underneath them). If you're feeling particularly ambitious and have a good amount of creativity in you, you could even design your own landscape using a DIY foam rock/background method. Well, I hope that covers everything. If you have any more questions or want more details on something, don't hesitate to ask. It's always great to see someone doing their research before getting their animal. Once again, welcome to the boards. =D
Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly!! Your answers have really helped As far as the Fluval goes, I think I may just try it again. It is the general consensus that they are the best and that's probably for a good reason! Upon hearing your advice I think I'll end up sticking with just one species. I'd like to have smaller turtle's so I can keep them in a smaller tank without the threat of having to upgrade, do you recommend any other type of breed for that? Are there particular breeds that are more friendly towards one another and can co-habitate better with another male? If not, would one turtle get lonely if I decided to just get one? Sand it is! I think it's beautiful though I imagine it's probably hard to clean. :/ What time of sand would you recommend for them? Play sand? I'm not really creative myself NOR handy but I have someone who is willing to try and construct my dream (turtle) home for me so I'll run that idea by her and see if she could do it!!! Thanks again sooo much! I know it's a lot of questions, but I don't know anyone personally who can answer them
I'm an advocate of keeping most reptiles singly; reptiles in general are not social creatures by nature, and your turtle will not get lonely if you keep only one. If you do want to keep a pair, I would make sure both are female. Housing two males presents too much of a risk of aggression IMO. Even a male/female pair can pose a problem for a couple reasons; males mature sooner than females, and will want to breed with a female whose reproductive system is not ready for it yet. Males can also be very persistent about wanting to breed, and may cause injury and undue stress to the female if kept in with her all the time. Conversely, an unreceptive female may retaliate and injure/stress the male if he badgers her too much. The only problem with housing two females is that female turtles tend to get larger than the males, which means you'll be needing a larger aquarium for most species. You could try a smaller species of mud turtle like the 3-lined mud--even the females only get about 4" on average. Hatchlings can be very sensitive, so you may want to buy an older pair of females if you can find someone selling them. (They aren't as common as others...) There's a good intro care guide here: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-3_striped_mud.htm. You'll also note that the author mentions housing them with other species--again, you'll just need a larger setup and to make sure their care requirements are compatible. Of course, even keeping two females together doesn't guarantee you won't see aggression. If you notice one becoming dominant over the other, you'll need to be prepared to separate them immediately--and that means you'll either end up having to rehome one turtle (easier said than done), or have two turtle tanks running. Honestly, the simplest thing to do would be to just get one turtle and house them alone. They won't suffer for it and it will be less work/stress for you. If you choose to go with a single turtle, both of the species you mentioned initially would be great choices. For the sand, you can use playsand, but I've read that it's a lot messier than using aquarium sand, or even pool filter sand. You'll just need to make sure you rinse it extremely well. (You should rinse all sands thorougly, but playsand especially so.) I'm not an expert on sand in aquariums, but there are tons of forum threads and youtube videos on how to set up a sand bottom tank. Your water will still be cloudy when you first set it up, but should clear up after it runs through the filter for a day or two. I would probably put a filter sock or sponge over your intake tube for your canister filter to prevent kicked up sand from clogging the filter up. As for cleaning, I've actually been told cleaning sand is easier than cleaning gravel because all of the waste tends to accumulate on top of the surface of the substrate. Definitely keep us posted on the progress of your turtle tank. It sounds like you are going to be a great turtle mommy!
I think I'm just going to end up going with one turtle for now, it seems like it will be a lot easier and prove to be a lot less stressful. I think in the future once I'm in a house I can get another little guy and have two (or maybe even three!) tanks going. I just looked up a bunch of youtube videos for cleaning sand and it looks like it will be fairly easy and also very time consuming, but it's totally going to be worth it because it looks like it will look lovely. I just have a few more quick questions for you and I'll stop pestering you with all the nonsense. First of all, what is a filter sock/sponge and where can I get one? Wouldn't something like that prevent poop and uneaten food from going into the filter? Second question is about the filter. I have a 55 gallon right now that I plan on using for the hatchling and only filling it a bit with water so he doesn't drown or anything with all the room, but will a canister filter reach all the way down to the bottom, or do you think a simple little waterfall reptile filter (I don't know what they're called) will suffice until he/she is grown a little and the tank is full? Thank you soooo much for all your help in answering my questions and giving me advice. You've really been a big help and I know there's some things I need to go over before I bring the little guy into my home and you've really been a great help in helping me to prepare for him!!
Stink pots- Common musk turtles stay small, I have two. My outside tank, [stock tank for live stock] I have a red eared slider.
I think sticking with one turtle for now is honestly the best decision you could make. That's what I would do as well. A filter sock is basically a bag that can be filled with carbon or other filtration media. In this case you'd be leaving it empty and tying it around the intake tube. You would use the sponge the same way--just cut/drill a hole in the middle that goes about halfway through the the sponge, then slip it over the intake tube like a sock. You can get these things anywhere that sells aquarium supplies. Something like that would prevent larger pieces of waste and debris from going into the filter, but you can rinse it off each week. Or you could do without it--it's not really a necessity, I was just trying to think of ways to preserve the life of the canister filter for as long as possible. As long as you are okay at disassembling things and putting them back together though, you could probably take your canister apart and clean the pieces if it ever got a bad buildup of sand. Whether the canister can reach will depend exactly how full the tank is and the length of the individual filter's tubes, so I can't really answer that for sure. However, if you got a waterfall or submersible filter rated for about 3 times the amount of water you have in there, you should be good. The Fluval U4 or Tetra Fauna Repto Filter 125gph are both good--I've used both brands in heavy-waste tanks with success. No need to apologize for asking questions! We love questions! Seriously, it is always great to see someone asking a lot of questions and becoming fully prepared before they get a new pet. I wish more people would ask more questions to be honest. And if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask! =)
