Musk turtle tank advice + pics

[GBain25]

Hi everyone,

Fairly new to the forum so just wanted to post some pics of my Musk Turtle tank and see if anyone has any suggestions or notice if I'm doing anything wrong.

I've been told it's a Musk turtle but didn't know if it got more specific than that? No idea if it's male or female but we've called it Jim anyway! Also, we had aquatic plants in there but just done a water change so removed them as they had been in there a while.

Also - without wanting to post too many questions, can you put coral in with turtles? Always like the look of it but didn't know if it was appropriate to put in with a turtle?

Thanks anyway would love to hear some feedback!
Garry.

 

[bshenanagins]

Hi everyone,

Fairly new to the forum so just wanted to post some pics of my Musk Turtle tank and see if anyone has any suggestions or notice if I'm doing anything wrong.

I've been told it's a Musk turtle but didn't know if it got more specific than that? No idea if it's male or female but we've called it Jim anyway! Also, we had aquatic plants in there but just done a water change so removed them as they had been in there a while.

Also - without wanting to post too many questions, can you put coral in with turtles? Always like the look of it but didn't know if it was appropriate to put in with a turtle?

Thanks anyway would love to hear some feedback!
Garry.

Yeah you got yourself a musk turtle. My advice would be to join a turtle forum as most people on here are fish guys/girls and not too much knowledge on turtles but me and others are the exception. I keep red eared sliders and their requirements are sightly different but musk turtles are much more docile and spend most of their time at the bottom. Idk if I'd keep coral in a turtle tank because it could scrape or damage their shell. Plus it really has no place in a freshwater setup as it does not mimic their natural habitat but if that's not what your going for then it doesn't matter. But I'd take out the coral and replace it with driftwood pieces and rocks

 

[bshenanagins]

Also get rid of that gravel! Turtles are known for ingesting it and dieing from impaction because the tiny gravel gets stuck in their digestive tract. My advice is sand, river rocks, or just a bare bottom. Sand is great cuz it's appealing and easy to clean but any rocky substrate will require some intense cleaning sessions as turtles are quite messy

 

[GBain25]

Thanks very much I'll have a look on a different forum as well. What sort of sand can you get - does it have a specific name? I'm sure my local pet shop only had the gravel which is why I got it

 

[bshenanagins]

Thanks very much I'll have a look on a different forum as well. What sort of sand can you get - does it have a specific name? I'm sure my local pet shop only had the gravel which is why I got it

Typically people go with pool filter sand or Quik Crete play sand which can be purchased at lowes or Home Depot. Most people get pool filter sand because its much cleaner out of the bag and is free of impurities. Usually cheaper than any LFS sand (which is usually treAted sand). I belong to redearslider.com, there's a ton of good information and people on that forum. Any more questions fire away I've been keeping my RES for over 6 years and she's about 8 inches!

 

[bshenanagins]

Btw is that an internal filter you have in the tank? If so your going to be replacing that media every couple of days or up to a week. Most turtle owners go with a canister because it addresses the MASSIVE bioload of a single turtle.

 

[marsh]

Cute pics! He's sweet lookin, and Jim is kinda a fun name for either. Maybe jimmy for a girl

I like turtles!

 

[Horsegirlmaddy]

What a cutie! I agree, a cannister filter would be much better. Also- I personally would raise the water level a few inches for more swimming room and water volume to dilute turtle waste.

 

[bshenanagins]

What a cutie! I agree, a cannister filter would be much better. Also- I personally would raise the water level a few inches for more swimming room and water volume to dilute turtle waste.

Agreed, when I get chance ill post my above tank turtle basking area. I'm pretty sure musk turtles need to get out of the water once in a while, but not nearly as often as sliders and painteds. Musks aren't really the basking type.

 

[Freakgecko91]

Typically people go with pool filter sand or Quik Crete play sand which can be purchased at lowes or Home Depot. Most people get pool filter sand because its much cleaner out of the bag and is free of impurities. Usually cheaper than any LFS sand (which is usually treAted sand). I belong to redearslider.com, there's a ton of good information and people on that forum. Any more questions fire away I've been keeping my RES for over 6 years and she's about 8 inches!

Quik Crete brand is garbage for aquariums, filled with debris and looks muddy in the tanks. I use play sand but don't know the brand, but it's sold at my local Home Depot in a clear bag with green lettering. Best one I've found