Map Turtle Tank - Start up questions - Need advice!

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Jharris1385

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 6, 2011
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United States
I have a male Map turtle that is roughly 4 inches.

I recently moved and how his tank was set up, well mainly supported will not work in the new house.

My questions are:

1. Is for his size is a 75 gallons enough? That is what he was previously in.
I have always read the rule of 10 gallons per inch minimum, what do you all think of this?

2. With a tank that size, cabinet, rock and so forth, you are pushing a LOT of weight.
What type of support under the floor would you need? This would be on a first level floor, of a home that is on a crawl space half basement layout underneath.
With nearing a good 1,000 pounds (right?) would I need to brace the floor underneath?

3. I would like to start from scratch with the whole set up and am open to suggestions about going a bit larger if needed. Space is limited so I may be able to go a little bit larger. But beyond that, filtration wise what did you, or would you recommend? Canister? If so what brand?

Thank you.
 
Your tank size is fine for awhile, perhaps forever if it's a male. The particular species of map decides what size it will be, as some are drastically different than others. Most of the common ones stay a bit smaller than sliders. If you post a picture of the head extended I can probably identify it for you.

It is a lot of weight. If the house is in fairly good shape or new, it shouldn't be an issue. Think about five 200lb men standing shoulder to shoulder in the same spot. You probably wouldn't worry about them crashing through the floor, but the weight is the same. If you're worried about it, just set it up against a perimeter wall across the beams rather than parallel to them. This should remove any worry you might have.

I'd recommend a wet/dry filter if you think you could handle it, otherwise a good sized canister. I like Rena and Eheim personally, though alot of people like Fluval. I usually recommend a 5x turnover rate for any turtle tank, at least. So in a 75, you're looking at 375 gph. The more filtration, the better. Maps are a bit more sensitive to water quality, so this goes doubly for them.

Maps are a riverine genus, so they can handle current more than alot of other turtles. This doesn't mean you have to provide more current, but it's an option. Their riverine nature also means they will enjoy a substrate of sand or gravel, and they may eat more crustaceans and live fish than other slow-water species, in addition to a good staple pellet. Omega One is a great pellet for maps if you can find it. Lots of good ingredients and plenty of D3 to help them process calcium.

Also be thinking about how you want to set up lighting. They need heat and UVB provided.

Again, narrowing down the species will help give more specific care tips.

Josh H
 
Nope, False map, G. p. pseudogeographica. Based on the hockey stick post-orbital markings and the eye and beak color. A kohni would have a crescent post-orbital that swings down under the eye. It does also appear to be male.

Josh H
 
At roughly 4yrs old, in your opinion, do you think he will grow much more and is a 75 big enough?

I would love to try to build a larger tank for him after seeing all of the posts on here of diy plywood jobs.
 
A male False map will stay under 6 inches, probably more around 5 inches, so a 75 is more than adequate when mostly full with proper filtration. Tank size falls into the same category as filtration: bigger is always better.

Josh H
 
Jharris1385 said:
I have a male Map turtle that is roughly 4 inches.

I recently moved and how his tank was set up, well mainly supported will not work in the new house.

My questions are:

1. Is for his size is a 75 gallons enough? That is what he was previously in.
I have always read the rule of 10 gallons per inch minimum, what do you all think of this?

2. With a tank that size, cabinet, rock and so forth, you are pushing a LOT of weight.
What type of support under the floor would you need? This would be on a first level floor, of a home that is on a crawl space half basement layout underneath.
With nearing a good 1,000 pounds (right?) would I need to brace the floor underneath?

3. I would like to start from scratch with the whole set up and am open to suggestions about going a bit larger if needed. Space is limited so I may be able to go a little bit larger. But beyond that, filtration wise what did you, or would you recommend? Canister? If so what brand?

Thank you.
Click to expand...

Assuming he's a male nothing short of a 6 ft tank will allow him to properly develop. Typically turtles never fair well in aquariums for life. If its a female... better just build an indoor pond.

Go to HD and get some temporary floor jacks/support columns they are 20 dollars each. 1 for a 75 gallon and another for each 75 after that. Use some lumber and put that between your column and the floor joists. have the column support (by means of the lumber) the joists your tank rests on.


As for filters, focus on particulate removal... meeting that requirement has lots of options available to you I'd start a thread in the filter/hardware section to focus on that.
 
Yes I know, he is in a temporary housing till I get this set up. I believe he it is a result of there not being much currnet or flow in his temp. set up.

So it looks like just to be safe I will get a good 2x10 in the length of the tank and joist it under the beams in the basement. That solves it I am sure. Thanks.
 
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