Anyone have turtles? - Aquarium Advice

Todd2 · 10-23-2005, 12:49 PM

Well, anyone have them? I've been starting to research them and one might be due in the near future. Don't know what species though. I especially like the idea of having an outdoor turtle pond. Maybe with koi or goldfish if they're compatible. What a project that would be

.

RES (Red eared slider) turtles seem pretty interesting. They're semi-aquatic (I guess they're kind of like fish

) and seem to be pretty neat to watch. Although the minimum tank size for a full grown RES is 120g (it's something like 10g for every 1 in. of shell). Another thing I stumbled across is that they can live very long. I think it was something like 20 years for a wild RES and 40 for a captive RES. Thats a long term commitment.

Anyway, just wanted to know if anyone had any and if they like them.

Steven A · 10-23-2005, 01:02 PM

I just bought two yellow bellied turtles last week. They are only babies and are so fun to watch. Turtles are quite common in the USA I am lead to believe but here in UK, they are so hard to come by.

Any way they are great fun to watch.

Todd2 · 10-23-2005, 01:10 PM

If you don't mind me asking how big is the tank? Also do you have aquatic plants and terrestrial plants? Whats your tank setup like?

kimberly · 10-23-2005, 01:13 PM

I had a mud turtle that I hatched from an egg. He lived 10 years. He should have lived longer, but he didn't make the transition from being on outside TX turtle to an inside MI turtle.

He was fun, very friendly b/c he had been handled so much. Not compatible with koi/goldfish, unless you don't mind an occassional snack.

I actually kept mine with fish and since he was well fed he rarely ate one, but he did eat one sometimes and took a bite out of my pleco.

Steven A · 10-23-2005, 01:15 PM

at the moment the tank is only a 3 foot (33 gal) and have been told it is fine for along time but eventually they will need a bigger tank. The turtles at the moment are about 2 inches in diameter (max), I added some aquatics plant (grass one) and they are eating the roots. Feeding time is great as I feed my dwarf puffers bloodworm (not alot coz there tiny lol) so I just chuck the rest into the turtle tank.
Tank set up is alot of water and some land. Mine seem to like to swim alot.

Devilishturtles · 10-23-2005, 01:57 PM

I have two RES that I rescued as hatchlings from a South Carolina roadside stand(parents got them for me, 3 at the time). Soon after I got them, one died of pnemonia. I've had the other two for going on 4 years now, and within the past few months am beginning to see some courting and breeding actions going on. Your land area should also consist of around 25% or more of the water's surface area. While it's important for them to swim, it's important also for them to dry out. Not providing adequate land space and proper lighting can cause bad thigns to happen, most commonly, shell rot. They will eat almost anything, but there are few things you should avoid. I'll try and find some piccies of them soon.

http://happyturtle.ms11.net//

Here is a link to what I think is a great site on RES care.

Todd2 · 10-23-2005, 04:00 PM

Pic's would be awesome. I was looking at some pictures of yellow-bellied turtles and they seem pretty cool. Also read that they are pretty social and can be kept in a "community" with other turtles.