Mississippi map turtle setup help

[Rover15]

Hey I'm looking into buying a mississippi map turtle or two and I'm confused on what type of heater and filters and I want to make sure I have everything I need before I buy one.

I understand the rule of thumb is 10gallons for every inch of turtle, now does that change if you have 2? Example 5" adult male would need 50 gallons by that rule but if I had two at 5" would I then need 100gallon tank?

I have a 55 gallon tank and I'm going to build basking platforms on the top of the tank in stead of using a floating dock or an other type of platform that would take away from the amount of water

Any and all help would be great turtles and aquariums are new to me my kids and wife want the map turtle, my wifee had turtles when she was a kid.

I know I need:
Filter
Heater
Basking spot
Uvb light
Plants
Some sort of substrate

I just don't know what kind of filter or heaters I was looking at www.petsandponds.com for supplys but way too many options

 

[Levi the Leopard]

For the filter, bigger is better. I'm a fan of cansiter type filters. Fluval is the brand I use. I like that you only have an intake/output visible (because the canister is hidden underneath in a cabinet) and they work great. Get a filter rated for more than you need and you wont regret it. I have a Fluval FX5 on a 125gallon turtle tank.

A submersible heater can be adjusted to give you the temps needed for your specific turtles

I use fake plants because I'm too chicken to try the real thing

I love having sand as the substrate. Looks great, cheap and easy to siphon clean.

 

[Anthony P]

For the 10 gallons per inch rule, which is only a general rule of thumb, but should work fine for G. kohni, 5 gallons per inch of all additional turtles after the first should suffice.

Be careful with those Graptemys, as your getting a male or female will make a BIG difference for you. Their sexual dimorphism is amazing!