Musk Turtle Set Up - Advise

[JamieMRatcliffe]

Hi everyone.

Visited a pet store where we saw some Musk Turtles, we liked them so asked about care details and everything, all seemed fine (Basically, bang them in a tank set up for tropical fish and they'll be fine).

Anyway, since getting them home, I've been reading up and well, they weren't quite telling the truth.

Have 60L tank, heated to 26/28 - (varies)
Running a strong filter, with the output facing the glass of the tank to take the sting out of the flow.
Sand/pebble substrate.
30 live plants
Small wooden log. (To hide under).
Mid-level water with a turtle dock (you know the floating type).

Currently running with feeding vents ect open to stop condensation and humidity. (have ordered some vents to fit into lid).
Ordered a light for basking as well, which should come soon.

Anything else I need to do/add?

The musk turtles are currently around the size of a thumb nail, perhaps a little bigger. (Two of them).

Any advise would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Davo86]

Have 60L tank, heated to 26/28 - (varies) I always say roughly 90L for one 125L for two, 60L IMO is not sufficient for life which is 55 years
Running a strong filter, with the output facing the glass of the tank to take the sting out of the flow. If its an internal get another, or better yet an external, Turtles are much messier compared to fish
Sand/pebble substrate. sand, large rock cobbles or bare bottom - gravel may be swallowed
30 live plants
Small wooden log. (To hide under).
Mid-level water with a turtle dock (you know the floating type). don't bother, Musks aren't basking turtles, they are a climbing turtle so lots of gnary branched bogwood pieces sticking out of the water and a few piled stones in the corner would suffice, Musks rarely fully come out of the water and that i usually only when they are ill.

Currently running with feeding vents ect open to stop condensation and humidity. (have ordered some vents to fit into lid).
Ordered a light for basking as well, which should come soon.

Any more questions, Fire away

I sell these btw

 

[JamieMRatcliffe]

Thanks.
The 60L will be okay whilst they are still so small though? Will be getting a much larger tank when we re-decorate the living room.
Is there an external filter you would recommend for two musk turtles?

Also is there anything you would say is okay to keep with them, I know some people risk fish and I have some Platies in their with them (Offspring over-load from Tropical Tank) which they haven't bothered with.

Thanks for your time.

 

[JamieMRatcliffe]

Added in lots more stones/pebbles and hiding places.
Made the plants form a sort of floating rest area, they seem to prefer this to basking dock.
The four Platys I have in with them are still fine.


Any idea how long I will be able to go on with the 60L?
Just so I can figure out what type of tank is going to fit the room best next, then move the musk over to the bigger one
and turn the 60L into a small community tank.

Cheers

 

[Davo86]

Musks tend to walk rather than swim so aren't the most agile in the water meaning that a small number of reasonably quick swimming fish can work, however due to the toxicity levels of a turtles waste, it isn't ideal as keeping the water parameters near to perfect is much harder, which is why the bigger tank is preferred, (in that it will dilute the waste much more)

As for an external something like a TetraTec EX700 would filter a 125L tank comfortably IMO