All Turtles Message Board

turtlefan · Level 1 Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 6

Question 1: I have 2 RES turtles that are about 3 years old, however, they are pretty small (about the size of a hockey puck & one is smaller than that). Regarding the fat in the leg holes, should we be looking at the leg holes at the head-in or tail-in for fatty flesh? The bigger one has grown much more and is starting to pyramid. We feed them about 5 pellets each every day and we give them a green plant about once every 2 weeks.

Question 2: We also have 2 goldfish that are about 2 inches long. Today, we have just added some small feeder fish and an algae eater. Two feeder fish seem to have disappeared when we were eating dinner. And now the bigger turtle is staking out the algae eater, who is about 3 1/2 inches long. Is "Al", the algae eater, in danger?

Question 3: What do you use to clean the tank and rocks? We have about 50 large rocks piled up in a corner for land. Then we have a big cement block where the turtles hide and climb up on for some sunbathing. Algae tends to hang out on the big cement block and that is why we got the algae eater tonight.

Question 4: At what rate should the water be turning over? How many gallons per minute?

Last Question: Is there anything that we can do or make to help these turtles exercise more?

Any help with these questions would be very appreciated! We are new turtle enthusiast and love our turtles very much!!

Thanks so much!

~ Jaime

fishandcandy · Level 3 Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 200 Location: Indio, CA

1. Start cutting back on the pellets. Give them more veggies and feed pellets only every other day. I give my turtle red leaf lettuce and sometimes carrot shreds. I'm not sure about the fat in the leg holes... maybe someone has a picture of that?

2. Yes, Al is in danger.

3. I use only water to clean my tank. I just rinse thouroughly and rub off any slime or algae with my hands or a rag. Is the cement block abrasive? Rough surfaces and sharp edges are dangerous to the turtle's shell. I think that cement can also affect the water quality.

4. For you filter you want a GPH of around 10x your tank size. You have a 20 gallon, right? I would suggest the Aqua Clear 50. It has a GPH of 200. It does a great job in my tank and if you order it online you can get it for about $20. Check Petco.com, I believe they have free shipping. And Petsmart.com has free shipping on the media inserts. Many people like the Filster XP filters. They are canister filters and a bit more expensive, but no waterfall filter problems like noise and spots on the glass.

5. A bigger tank would give them more room to swim and play. Make sure your temps are in the right range and they have the lights they need. They'll be more active that way.

My turtle lived in a small container and was about 2 1/4 inches when I got him. He's 2-3 years old. He grew 1/4 inch in 4 months. About an inch a year is normal. I'm not sure if that will change since they were stunted. They may grow a little faster to catch up. Start looking for a bigger tank. Take some time and find a good deal. Get the biggest one you can find.

Nevfalath · Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 12:53 am Post subject:

Turtles eat fish, so unless you are placing them in with your turtles as food, I really wouldn't keep them together.

I clean my tank with warm water, and a green brillo pad to scrape any algae off. I also bought a toothbrush to scrub those hard-to-reach places.

My turtle also gets a little roll of fat by his legs when he draws them into his shell. I've never worried about it. It's just the skin on his legs pressing into his body as he retracts them, kind of like it does around the neck.
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-= Shannon =-

turtlefan · Level 1 Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 6

Thanks so much for answering all of my questions! This message board has always been very insightful and much appreciated!

We've made it through the night and our algae eater is still alive!!

We only have one feeder fish surviving, however, we did actually see the big turtle take down one feeder fish last night. So now we know which turtle "fatty" who is eating all the fish!!

Thanks again!! Wink