Hello and thanks in advance! I am a college student and was recently offered a job caring for animals in the school's science department. My prof. told me there was a terrapin who's tank "was a mess" and that I could "adopt" if I wanted to. The terrapin is gorgeous, but the tank does not look good. It's filthy. It's a 4' tank (55g or 75g - not sure - but I will check the width next time I am there) with a basking spot with lighting (not sure if the lighting is UVA or UVB, both, or either for that matter...) and the rest water. I did not see any filtration, which concerns me.
I have been doing some reading, but as a fish keeper, I know how much misleading information is on the web. I prefer to get advice from experienced keepers first hand. 
So... what to feed this guy? He had some sort of pellets by the tank, but there is a Petco around here, and I will get him what ever diet/variety I can afford. I read that the diamondback terrapins eat mostly invetebrates/shellfish in the wild. How do I best recreate that? And, is this turtle brackish? One resource said it depended on whether or not the turtle was wild caught or captive bred. And what sort of decor would he appreciate? I thought he might like some hardy live plants - anacharis (aka elodea) comes to mind.
So, basically, any info, first hand or in the form of reliable links, you can give me would be GREATLY appreciated. I know turtles have very specific care requirements and often suffer from malnutrition in captivity. So please, help me help my little friend.
Thank you,
Emily
