265 gallon turtle tank

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Stingray12

Gambusia
MFK Member
Aug 27, 2007
579
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Saranac Lake, NY
I was going to be a sw tank, then i decided that it would be too much of pain, then i am thinking about doing a fw stingray tank. Then I thought about doing a turtle tank because i love turtles.

Ok so the tank is 7'by 2' by 30" , kinda high. I was thinking about putting the water level at 18" to 20". Is this Ok?

The filtration would be a penplax canister and a fluval fx5.

I want to get spotted turtles. Mud or musk. A single spotted softshell maybe. Are softshells compatible with spotted, musks, etc?

Thanks
 
Sometimes its even hazzardous to do that one V;) In fact its impossible with chinese softys, they will just ther each other apart. As for the topic you, with that tank and thouse turtles you can do a REALLY owesame marsh land habitat:D:headbang2None of thouse is specialy big or destroctive thoards the vegetacion so you can use lots of aquatic and land plants that are not poisonous. Small fish like mosquito fish will also fit in there nicely. As for softshells PERHAPS you can fit in there a female Apalone mutica clavata the smallest of the us softys (males are even smaller then females but much more agressive and can seriously injure other turtles) Mosquito fish would be at jeopardy but they breed so quick that in such big of a tank it wont be big deal
 
You could make this a biotope. Common musk, eastern mud, and spotted turtles are found together from Long Island to the Florida Panhandle. In the southernmost end of their mutual range you can also find Florida muds and loggerhead musks. If you provide plenty of cover in the tank, in the form of vegetation and driftwood, you could also keep some beautiful Atlantic slope fishes such as Enneacanthus sunfishes, golden topminnows, bluefinned killifish, eastern mudminnows, pirate perch, and so on.

There are also plenty of Atlantic slope plants available. Cardinal flower, golden club, pickerelweed, marsh marigold, and other moderate-sized aquatics and marginals should be available from pond suppliers and nurseries. Many common aquarium plants are from the region, including Ludwigia repens, banana plant, duckweed, azolla, American frogbit, giant vallisneria, etc.
 
Ok this is what i think im going to do. What should the water level be at, i was going to put it at 20 " or so.?
 
Sounds good. That leaves plenty of room for a basking platform and UV light. The spotteds will definitely use this; muds and musks may or may not bask depending on the individual. It also gives you room for some emergent plants.
 
Should I use pool filter sand or river rocks as the substrate?
 
Either is fine for the turtles; bare bottom is fine as well and easy to keep clean. Rooted plants usually do better in sand. You will want some large stones or other heavy decor around the plants to keep them anchored; otherwise the turtles will probably knock them loose.
 
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