Rare Hybrid Snapping Turtle Planted Paludarium (Only 50 in the World)

A very special package just arrived and I know the side kind of gives it away but wait till you see what I have in here. So I didn't have any intentions on getting this animal but an opportunity arose and it needed a new home so. Alright the moment of truth. Oh man she looks alright. Oh man I'm like I don't even know what to say right now because I saw this animal already but it looks so incredible seeing it again. She shipped really well. I'm so excited to add this to the animal room and there's a really cool story about this. This is not an animal that I was seeking out. It actually was in need of a new home. Luckily I can provide that for her so I'm gonna get her into the tub and let her just kind of acclimate to the new space a little bit and we'll talk about her here shortly. It's been about two weeks since all of that. The turtle is doing fantastic here in the animal room and getting a lot of love. I know most of you are probably thinking that's just a snapping turtle. Well that's partially true but it's a little more than that. A few weeks ago in Florida I visited the Moorcroft Conservation Foundation. As Charlie showed us around he highlighted some amazing snapping turtles. He explained that they originally came from the late Fred Grundwall who recently passed away. I never got to meet him myself but I wish I could have because he's a legend in the hobby. He kept a male alligator snapping turtle with a few common females if I understand correctly. To his amazement they ended up breeding together and produced hybrid common and alligator snapping turtles. I was told that there's likely less than 50 of these in the entire world and this is one of them. Features from both species are present but since it's so young there's no telling to what extent that is. It'll be interesting to see what traits come to the forefront as it matures. I was originally going to keep this turtle in the stock tub as it grows up but socialization is essential to me. I want to build trust so that it's comfortable with my presence. That's possible in a stock pond like this but it would be easier if the turtle could see me through the side. As I went through my options I felt that the best solution was with this 75 gallon tank which is on the same rack as Samson. Setting it up is going to be easier said than done though. A few weeks ago I had to pull this entire rack out as well as cut the brace out of the tank in order to fit that piece of driftwood in here. Now it takes up a little more space than I would prefer so I'm gonna have to do all of that over again so I'll do that real quick and then we'll circle back. Things are all buttoned up the next day and I'm ready to proceed. As you saw I moved the rack like before to remove the wood. While I was doing that I painted the back of the tank to make things look a little cleaner. I had to repair the brace as well. I secured metal plates across the slits with stainless steel bolts. The result is a restored brace that will function as before. I also created screen lids for the top. I've shown this before but I'll do a quick recap for those of you who haven't seen it before. In short these are just standard window screens. I have four lengths of aluminum frame, four corner pieces, spline, and aluminum screen. I assembled the frame like so. Then I laid out the screen and secured it with spline. I cut off the excess and here's the result. They sit perfectly on the top and are a cost-effective alternative to pre-made tank screens. Anyway now we can finally get into this setup. This is only going to be for raw purposes and I'll likely take it down in a few months so I don't want to go too over the top with it. The best place to start though is going to be with the substrate. I could probably go with sand or fine gravel but that's probably not an ideal solution especially when the turtle is this small. If she were to ingest larger particles that she couldn't pass, impaction is a real possibility and I'd rather not take the risk. Plus I don't know about you but when I think of snapping turtles, especially alligator snappers, I imagine them digging in mud and that sort of thing. Using something like an aqua soil will probably be a better solution. This is a mineral-rich volcanic soil that's compressed into little balls. As you see here they easily break apart into minuscule particles so ingesting them won't cause any problems. I poured a substantial layer down into the bottom of the tank. My hope is that this will facilitate some of the behaviors I mentioned earlier. It will also create additional surface area for beneficial bacteria that will help filter the tank. To hardscape this tank I'm going to keep it pretty simple and I'll primarily use some of this eucalyptus root. This is an excellent option because of all the gnarly details. These will make it really easy to create hiding places and other areas of interest that the turtle can utilize. I put three large pieces in the tank and we'll build up the design from there. I could probably use these alone but I want more stability. To do exactly that I selected a group of large river stones. I put a few of them near the back of the tank under the driftwood. They'll hold everything up at the appropriate height and make things a little more rigid. I placed some smaller stones around these areas to add some variation. I kept it all pretty simple and practical. I like how it turned out though. The next component that we're going to add are the plants. As always they'll bring the setup to life. When I made my selections here I had to keep two things in mind. The first was to consider how the plants would be grown. These will be nestled in a riparian environment which means their roots will be in the water while the foliage is above. Of course it will all look really neat but I think it's a wise move from a functional perspective. Keeping turtles indoors can be a struggle when it comes to filtration. Utilizing plants in this way will significantly help because they suck nutrients and impurities from the water. As a result I should have to do water changes less frequently. Secondly I had to consider what would be safe to keep with the turtle. Although unlikely she may occasionally nibble on the plants. That's completely fine as long as they're non-toxic. So although I probably couldn't get away with whatever I felt it best to choose items that I knew for certain would be all right. Luckily many plants that grow well in a riparian style environment are entirely safe if ingested. What exactly did I choose anyway? I've selected Asplenium nidus, Calathea veciana, Chlorophytum comosum variegatum, Cryptanthus bivitatus alane, Cryptanthus nubicola, Gopurtia insignis, Hemigrophus alternata, Hypostes phyllostacia, Maranta leuconeura, and Nephrolepis cordifolia duffy. Some of these plants such as the bird's nest fern and Calathea here get quite large and really wouldn't be ideal for this setup long term. Luckily they'll be moved out of this setup and into something else long before that becomes an issue. Before adding these to the system I have to clean them off thoroughly. To begin I gently remove whatever I can by hand. Then I spray them down with water to remove whatever remains. It's better to take the extra steps here and make sure everything is clean. Here's what they look like after all of that. They're all cleaned off and ready to go into the design. Because I'm growing these in a riparian style the roots can simply dangle in the water. A dedicated substrate around them is not at all required. My goal here is to nestle the base of the plants within the hardscape so that all of the foliage remains above the waterline. Thanks to the details of the wood this is a really easy task. As usual I start with the large elements. I place them all around to establish how I want the design to look. Then I go back with the smaller plants to get proper variation among the elements. I personally think it all looks fantastic together. What do you think? With all of that underway it's just about ready for water. For now I'll spray down the plants to keep everything from drying out. I'm sure you could tell that as I was setting everything up here that it's already all plumbed in the back for the filter. I went with the Sicce Space Echo Plus 300 canister filter. It's rated for up to 80 gallons and should be adequate for this setup especially once combined with the plants. I'm going to edit the media situation though. Since this is a turtle tank having the most surface area for beneficial bacteria is essential. I'll swap out the current media with some Fritz Zyne Biodome which was provided by Fritz Aquatics with a paid promotion. These ceramic pieces have a ton of surface area and allow for a high flow rate. I placed them in the media baskets and gave them a quick rinse. I put everything back together and hooked up the filter. That means it's ready for water. After filling it I also added some Salvinia minima and duckweed for additional coverage. I wanted to create something simple that will function well as a grow out tank. I know she'll appreciate hiding places and areas to explore so I heavily incorporated that in this build. There are several spots under the scape that she can utilize for that purpose. I made use of the top as well with the plants. They make everything look way nicer and will help filter the water as I explained earlier. The likelihood of her emerging from the water and basking is very slim but I still wanted to give her the option. This area features a flat piece of wood that she can easily climb on. Above it I have a mercury vapor bulb to provide UVA and UVB if she decides to bask. I'm not sure what you think but I really like the finished setup. I wanted to utilize simple techniques to create something beautiful and functional as she grows. Eventually we'll move her into something much larger but until then let's set her free into eight years until she unexpectedly passed away. I can't overstate how special she was. I know she's reason why it took so long to get another turtle. I needed time to grieve and grow as a keeper before I felt comfortable trying it again. When I was told this one needed a home I knew it was time again. And I think that's gonna do it for this one. I'm seriously so excited to have another snapping turtle down here in the animal room and I cannot wait to share more about her in the future. A huge thanks to Charlie of the Moorcroft Conservation Foundation for sending her up to me. I'll leave all his links down in the video description. According to my wife the turtle's name is Cookie. I don't know if I'm sold on that so if you think you have a better idea let me know. Anyway I'm curious to know what you think about everything so let me know down in the comments. Until next time SerpaSquad, take care and peace!