Ok, well I've decided that the turtle I want is a musked

I want to get the tank set up asap, even though I won't be getting the turtle for a few months yet..

Google doesn't really tell me much about what I need though

So far this is what I can gather that I need...

- 24" aquarium without a hood

- Big chunk of bog wood/drift wood or similar..so that the turtle can rest on it etc.

- Platform for basking

- Platform just under the surface for basking

- 2x basking spot lights; 1 for above the water, 1 for below the surface

- I'm going to get 2x UV spot bulbs, I read that they didn't actually *need* UV, so rather than a strip I thought it'd be ok to use spots..?

- Thermostats for the lights

- Large smooth pebbles or similar as substrate

- Digital thermometer (water proof!)

- Plants & things for the turtle to hide in


Also, I've not a clue on what equipment I should be buying, as in which models/makes are best to use? I've read that I need an air pump, filter & water heater..So if someone could point me in the ight direction of suitable ones of them I'd be grateful

If I've missed anything out or if there's any advice you can give me regarding setup I'd appreciate it

Thanks alot,

Matt.

__________________
1.1.0 Leopard Geckos, 0.0.1 Crested Gecko, 0.0.1 Bosc Monitor
0.0.1 Grammostola Aureostriata, 0.0.1 Grammostola Rosea, 0.0.1 Brachypelma Smithi, 1.0.0 Brachypelma Emilia, 0.0.1 Heteroscodra Maculata, 0.0.1 Poecilotheria Regalis, 0.0.1 Psalmopoeus Cambridgei, 0.0.1 Lasiodora Parahybana, 0.0.1 Chromatopelma Cyaneopubescens, 0.0.1 Avicularia Laeta, 0.0.1 Avicularia Ulrichea, 0.0.1 Avicularia Versicolor, 0.0.1 Nhandu Chromatus, 0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion
Loads of mammals & birds

You don't need two sets of lights, just one spot and one UVB lamp will be plenty. If you have your basking shelf so that it's partly above and partly below the surface then they can choose whether to leave the water completely or stay partly in it, you'll need to do this anyway or the turt won't be able to climb onto it easily. A simple piece of corkbark wedged across the end of the tank makes a great basking platform.

Compact UVBs are much better than tubes, they concentrate the UV on the basking spot where the turt can make best use of it.

You don't need thermostats for the lamps either, just set the spotlamp so the temperature is in the 32-35°C range and leave it, if it varies a few degrees either way due to ambient temps rising and falling that doesn't matter, after all the temp in the wild is not constant! If it gets too hot the turt can always choose to move away from the lamp or return to the water.

An air pump isn't essential, bubbles look nice, can help to stop oily surface film from forming, and some turts seem to like playing in the stream of bubbles, but it's not something you have to have.

You might need a water heater, but before getting one I suggest you set up your tank and check the water temp when the lights have been running for a few days, you may find that heat from the lights and background heat from the room is enough to heat the water to an acceptable level. The water temp will drop a few degrees at night when the lights are off, but again that's perfectly natural and isn't a problem provided it doesn't drop too far.

Get a digital thermometer with a remote probe and a max/min function, then you can see how low the temps drop overnight without having to stay awake and watch it! Something like this one Thermometers4U Online Shop - product details

You need a good external filter and I always recommend the Eheim Classic range, by far the best quality filters available, lots of media capacity, simple, reliable, and excellent value for money.

I use the smallest 2213 model for my current tank, that would see you through at least one tank upgrade if you only have one or two turts, when you do come to upgrade again you can either get a bigger one or add a second one. The cheapest place to get them is ZooPlus Eheim Classic External Filter: amazing values at zooplus

__________________
2.4.0 Southern Painted Turtles
0.1.0 Florida Red Belly
1.0.1 Common Musks
1.0.0 Classic Cornsnake
1.0.0 Pewter Cornsnake
0.0.2 GALS + infinite babies
0.1.0 Tibetan Spaniel
1.2.0 Brahma Chickens

Thanks alot

Helped loads, there's hardly any info on google about equipment needed etc, thanks.

__________________
1.1.0 Leopard Geckos, 0.0.1 Crested Gecko, 0.0.1 Bosc Monitor
0.0.1 Grammostola Aureostriata, 0.0.1 Grammostola Rosea, 0.0.1 Brachypelma Smithi, 1.0.0 Brachypelma Emilia, 0.0.1 Heteroscodra Maculata, 0.0.1 Poecilotheria Regalis, 0.0.1 Psalmopoeus Cambridgei, 0.0.1 Lasiodora Parahybana, 0.0.1 Chromatopelma Cyaneopubescens, 0.0.1 Avicularia Laeta, 0.0.1 Avicularia Ulrichea, 0.0.1 Avicularia Versicolor, 0.0.1 Nhandu Chromatus, 0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion
Loads of mammals & birds

Quite a few people on the Terrapin Tank forum keep Musks, may be worth you joining.

__________________
2.4.0 Southern Painted Turtles
0.1.0 Florida Red Belly
1.0.1 Common Musks
1.0.0 Classic Cornsnake
1.0.0 Pewter Cornsnake
0.0.2 GALS + infinite babies
0.1.0 Tibetan Spaniel
1.2.0 Brahma Chickens

Cheers, I'll join up now

__________________
1.1.0 Leopard Geckos, 0.0.1 Crested Gecko, 0.0.1 Bosc Monitor
0.0.1 Grammostola Aureostriata, 0.0.1 Grammostola Rosea, 0.0.1 Brachypelma Smithi, 1.0.0 Brachypelma Emilia, 0.0.1 Heteroscodra Maculata, 0.0.1 Poecilotheria Regalis, 0.0.1 Psalmopoeus Cambridgei, 0.0.1 Lasiodora Parahybana, 0.0.1 Chromatopelma Cyaneopubescens, 0.0.1 Avicularia Laeta, 0.0.1 Avicularia Ulrichea, 0.0.1 Avicularia Versicolor, 0.0.1 Nhandu Chromatus, 0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion
Loads of mammals & birds