Upgraded turtle tank.

[Conner]

Hey all, I just moved my female false map turtle into a 55g tank (from a 29g). I've got it filled pretty full, so let me know what you think. Its got a hob on it right now, but I've got a canister filter I can use if I need to lower the water level.

So far she seems to love the extra space. Right now there's a piece of driftwood with she can rest her feet on to have her head above water, as well as a floating turtle dock so she can get completely out of the water.

On a different not, I hadn't realized I had the light too low in her old tank, and she has what looks like a couple small burn marks (just very dark spots) on her carapace. These just appeared in the last day or two. Will these likely heal on their own with clean water and good food, or do I need to add any meds to help her out?

Pics!

 

[HPIZZLE]

very nice bro.
ever find your softy?

 

[snakeguy101]

nice simple set up. just becareful he does not climb out, they can be escape artists sometimes.

 

[Glasman]

NIce. I miss my map turtle, he escaped the year before last when i tried to put himin my pond for the summer.

 

[Conner]

very nice bro.
ever find your softy?

Thanks. I never did find that softy. I'm hoping she escaped the yard and found a pond or stream somewhere. Otherwise she's either buried alive or dead somewhere in my yard...

nice simple set up. just becareful he does not climb out, they can be escape artists sometimes.

Yah, there's glass completely covering the tank, with the 4 foot light fixture holding down the glass. I'll keep an eye on her, and put some rocks on for weight.

NIce. I miss my map turtle, he escaped the year before last when i tried to put himin my pond for the summer.

Thanks. I had a softshell that escaped, while I was in the process of building a 3,500g pond just for her. Ingrate...

 

[Mad About Cichlids]

Nice setup. Make me miss my terrapins.

 

[snakeguy101]

Yah, there's glass completely covering the tank, with the 4 foot light fixture holding down the glass. I'll keep an eye on her, and put some rocks on for weight.

well glass is no good either, it stops most of the UV rays your turtle needs. I would switch to a screen top.

 

[Conner]

well glass is no good either, it stops most of the UV rays your turtle needs. I would switch to a screen top.

I was advised false map turtles don't really need uv light very much? More like just occasionally? Is that wrong? I was planning on on putting in a screen top eventually, and trying to bump up the height on top with screen so I can have the tank fully filled for maximum water depth. So that shouldn't be a problem at all.

She loves the new tank. She hasn't stopped swimming for more than about 30 seconds at a time it seems like. She's also trying to trim the hair/beard algae off of the driftwood in the tank.

 

[Conner]

Thats alot of goldfish in that tank below her feeding to many goldfish is very bad their fatty and have thiaminase which causes vitamin deficiency. It would be like you trying to live off mcdonalds hamburgers very unhealthy.

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Articles/Thiaminase.htm

My turtle doesn't eat feeder goldfish. She only eats freeze dried krill, turtle pellets, market shrimp, and tilapia fillet.

I keep the feeders as an occasional snack for other fish that I keep (gars, pike cichlids). The other fish also eat mostly freeze dried krill, pellets, market shrimp, and tilapia fillet.


I changed up the turtle tank again. I swapped the filter to the other side of the tank, and moved the turtle dock to where the filter used to be (had some power cord issues that this resolved).

I then replaced the glass lid above the turtle dock with a metal mesh screen (1/2" mesh). I then built a box 5" tall and the same size as a metal lamp that I had, and zip tied it to the mesh screen above the turtle dock. This places the lamp directly above the turtle dock, about 9-10" above it. There isn't anything to block the uv rays, and it does provide a warm basking spot, but it isn't close enough to hurt the turtle.

I've got a group of feeder comets that has been living with her since I got her, plus a little tiny baby bluegill as well. They got moved into the tank today as well.

Oh, and the waters cloudy because the previous shoplight was too much light, and was causing some algae issues that I have yet to get cleared up. But its getting there.

Kinda getto, but whatever works, right?

 

[snakeguy101]

looks like it is exactly what you need.