Turtle Tank (anyone keep them?)

[stevenjohn21]

Ive had my YBS & Musk turtle for around 3 years now. Here is a shot of the old 40 gallon breeder tank and the new 125 gallon tank. I keep fish with them that are basically Culls , but id rather keep them in this tank than cull them.

[Elppan]

I do not keep turtles but I love them! So cute! I've always wanted a musk turtle

[stevenjohn21]

Yeah he is my favourite. Stays small and full of character...what more could you ask for ?!

[HighDesert]

I LOVE turtles! I have a motley crew of seven RES, two YBS, two African sidenecks, one red-cheek scorpion mud, one weird mud turtle with a cracked and healed shell my parents found on the road (they're not native here, so someone probably dumped her in the wetlands near their house), and my sweet Malaysian box turtle. We also have three boxies -- one Eastern and two Western. I had a sulcata, but my parents took him in because of the covenants in the idiotic neighborhood my husband and I moved to, and they also took my Russian tortoises and elongated tortoise. I LOVE your musk turtle! He's adorable! I specialized in chelonians when I worked in vet med. I miss seeing all of the wonderful (and unfortunately ill or injured) tortoises and turtles that would come through.

[JunJunJenn]

They don't eat or uproot plants?

[stevenjohn21]

Originally Posted by HighDesert

I LOVE turtles! I have a motley crew of seven RES, two YBS, two African sidenecks, one red-cheek scorpion mud, one weird mud turtle with a cracked and healed shell my parents found on the road (they're not native here, so someone probably dumped her in the wetlands near their house), and my sweet Malaysian box turtle. We also have three boxies -- one Eastern and two Western. I had a sulcata, but my parents took him in because of the covenants in the idiotic neighborhood my husband and I moved to, and they also took my Russian tortoises and elongated tortoise. I LOVE your musk turtle! He's adorable! I specialized in chelonians when I worked in vet med. I miss seeing all of the wonderful (and unfortunately ill or injured) tortoises and turtles that would come through.

Wow thats a lot of Turts ! The neigbourhood wont allow
turtles ?

Originally Posted by JunJunJenn

They don't eat or uproot plants?

Yep i feed them my plant trimmings from time to time, but the ones in the tank are all plastic ...... Hobby Lobby specials ;-)

[fusiongt]

Would like to see pics of their basking area

[stevenjohn21]

Its nothing special, just a piece of plexi glass with a AC plastic filter grid bent 45 degrees entering the water. My old 40 gallon breeder had plants inside but guess where they ended up ?

[VivaDaWolf]

No uvb lighting?

[Acro]

I've got 2 turtles, one male Mississippi Map and one female Northern Red Belly Cooter. Their setup is simple now (I just moved) but I am upgrading their tank and I am going to set it up "pond style" with riparium planters, maybe some floaters (if I can find a floating plant they wont eat!) and maybe some plants in other baskets.

I have pictures of my turtles (and other stuff I've been wanting to post) but I don't know how to put up pictures here. I've asked in this link: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=192164 so if you know, please explain.

[Soothing Shrimp]

Several years ago I found a large red ear on the road and stopped my car to get him so he wouldn't get squashed. Kept him for about a year, and then released him into a stocked pond on the college property. He was around 16"

[stevenjohn21]

Originally Posted by VivaDaWolf

No uvb lighting?

Yep , they have a Herpetoculture lamp above the homemade basking area which produces UVA & UVB rays.

Originally Posted by Acro

I've got 2 turtles, one male Mississippi Map and one female Northern Red Belly Cooter. Their setup is simple now (I just moved) but I am upgrading their tank and I am going to set it up "pond style" with riparium planters, maybe some floaters (if I can find a floating plant they wont eat!) and maybe some plants in other baskets.

I have pictures of my turtles (and other stuff I've been wanting to post) but I don't know how to put up pictures here. I've asked in this link: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=192164 so if you know, please explain.

Good luck finding a plant they wont eat ! Mine even try to eat plastic plants :-)
To upload pictures, try using photobucket. Upload pictures to there and copy and paste the picture to the forum.

Originally Posted by Soothing Shrimp

Several years ago I found a large red ear on the road and stopped my car to get him so he wouldn't get squashed. Kept him for about a year, and then released him into a stocked pond on the college property. He was around 16"

That was a big girl by the sounds of it ! Good for you, i wonder if she is still living the dream in that pond ?

[rodcuda]

I have two red belly or painted turtles I keep in a 55gal barrel outside. I may make a setup inside for them at some point. They are only about 3 months old.

[mommabear1007]

I am so happy they made a reptile/amphibian section!!! so excited to see everyone's set ups!! I used to have two turtles. a RES and a mississippi map. I loved them dearly. Some day I will get another one. Your basking area idea is awesome!! And i agree w/ the person who asked to see pics of the basking area, I'd like to see them too

I tried to keep plants with mine but since you have to use such large rocks and the turtles aren't very gentle, I couldn't get them to root. They just floated. I wasn't very experienced then, I only knew about turtles. I think it could be done if you planted the plant in a tub and then surrounded it with the rocks. You would just have to make sure the plant isn't toxic to the turtle and you'd have to be ok with the fact that it was going to eat it. I'd love to see it done! It will be years and years before i'll be able to do anything like that.

[HighDesert]

Originally Posted by stevenjohn21

Wow thats a lot of Turts ! The neigbourhood wont allow
turtles ?

He's enormous and requires a very solidly fenced yard. The HOA prohibits any sort of fence (except stucco walls), and the area you can fence in with a wall is so minimal that Tomas would go insane. They're also working to prohibit any sort of animal that would require living outside more than 50% of the day. This neighborhood is completely unreasonable, though. Kids can't even have a rabbit in a hutch because it's considered "livestock". It has to live in the house and be box trained or whatever. Really ridiculous covenants!