First Timer Terrapin Owner :unsure:

[ceeliecat]

Hi, sorry if this is a really silly question or if it's the wrong place to post!
But.
I have a 62-64 Ltr Tropical fishtank, Delta therm heater, it's got a tropical fish pump in it (I can't see the make of it atm without having to go through the trouble of taking it out of the tank, it has two lights a blue and a white one >.o I'm gonna saaay that one of them is UVB?
The tank was bought as part of a package deal, it was said to be able to handle fresh water and Salt water tropical fish. I got it wayy back in May09 and I've lost all the details of the tank, but I can post a picture if that'll help.

I'm just wondering, will most Tropical fish tanks be suitable for a single terrapin? And is mine big enough? atm I have a few tetras and Guppies as well as two cat fish and three mollys, I accept that it's likely I'll loose some fish to this terrapin, but will the cat fish recieve any trouble from the terrapin if I put him in there? I planned to have it mostly water with abought 8inchs? wiggle room for the terrapin, would that be enough?
Also is there any way I can get around adding in a giant basking lamp on top of my tank?

Any advice would help even on what Species I should get would be nice, atm it's just about seeing if I can create a safe habitat for the little buddy.

 

[three-fingers]

Musk turtles would be best for you, preferably just one.

You will need a small basking spot with a heat bulb, visit a reptile store to purchase one .

The white bulb is unlikely to be a UVB tbh, to check, can you type out the writing on it?

Btw, "terrapin" just means freshwater turtle . Just saying that because when you look at musk turtles, "terrapin" isn't the first thing to come to your mind.

The reason I advise musk turtles is that they are fairly hardy, and don't require a very large complicated set up, since they don't bask much, stay small and don't necessarily require UVB (though IMO is beneficial).

If possible, try to get a UVB flourescant strip light, a 5% one will be fine for musk turtles, and well worthwhile assuming the bulb is 8-18" away from the basking spot (which it should easily be in a 60 odd litre tank).

Avoid other turtles, especially yellow bellies and red ear sliders, which seem to be the most common - they grow far too large for your tank, and will require much more filtration and UVB.

A male Mississippi map turtle would be an option, if they are available around you (I only mention this species because the shop I work at regularly stocks them, and I'm getting one ). But make sure it's a male, and these guys generally need cleaner water and more UVB, so you'll need to provide more than with musk turtles.

Regardless of turtle species, you will probably eventually need to get an external filter for the tank - preferably a big one. Turtles produce a lot of solid waste, internal filters tend to clog up and stop working every day or two with larger turtles.

8 inches would be fine for a musk turtle. Pics would help .