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Re: New to the turtle world!

PostPosted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 5:58 pm
by Kansasslider
Thank you.Yes they are a type of small Koi. 3 of them.There are also 2 native Sunfish.

Re: New to the turtle world!

PostPosted: Wed Nov 25, 2015 4:01 pm
by T83
Cool that the fish & turtles can co exist with each other!

Re: New to the turtle world!

PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2015 7:41 am
by Kansasslider
My turtles do snap at them but they are too big to catch.;-)

Re: New to the turtle world!

PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2015 5:20 pm
by T83
Yeah, I would love to put fish or frogs into the tank with my turtle. But I know what would happen if I did...I learned the hard way a long time ago with tropical fish. :shock:

Today I'm trying to set up my biggest fish tank for the turtle. The tank is either 50 gallon or 80. It's made for fish so it's more rectangle shaped instead of square. How much water do you think I should put in it?

Also how much do you feed your turtles per day? I'm still not sure if I'm over or under feeding him...I gave him nine pieces of turtle food (reptomin) so far today. I plan to give him some romaine lettuce later and then maybe 5 or so more pieces of reptomin. Is that too much???

Re: New to the turtle world!

PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 8:50 am
by steve
Frogs are not the best thing your your turtles to eat. Try the fish though, it should provide some excitement for your RES.

What are the dimensions of the tank? Can you post a picture of it?

Re: New to the turtle world!

PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 7:17 pm
by Kansasslider
I like to keep tanks as full of water as I can after all turtles love to swim. Reptomin isn't the best food for turtles might I recommend Omega One! I feed every other day. Amount about the size of their head. If they are young everyday is recommended but don't feed as much. Keep in mind any fish they might eat also.

Re: New to the turtle world!

PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 7:35 pm
by T83
Here's a photo of the larger tank I set up yesterday. I know the basking rock still needs to be closer to the light. I'm not sure how go about that safely. Any ideas?

Yes, I will look for the Omega One food next time (He came with the Reptomin). Also I switched out the normal basking light for a UVB light today. How long should I have the UVB light on? Can turtles get sunburns??

Re: New to the turtle world!

PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 7:49 pm
by Kansasslider
You can build a pvc stand for the rock. Or use stone. A uvb bulb does not put out heat and it needs to be warm on the rock say about 90ยบ. So you will need a heat source depending on what king of uvb bulb you have. As far as how long I just mimic the sun. Sun up = On. Sunset = Off. A timer works great and don't forget to adjust it from time to time and daylight savings.

Re: New to the turtle world!

PostPosted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 4:16 am
by steve
The tank doesn't look very wide, so you should be able to find a nice cork bark curl for it then fill that baby up. I also think the acrylic platforms like these are nice http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002DIM9G but make sure you get the right size.

I also have a PVC stand like Kansas described, those things last forever.

Re: New to the turtle world!

PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 12:28 am
by T83
Thanks for the advice!

Yes, the tank is pretty narrow. It was made more for fish than turtles. But at least it's a lot better than the 10 gallon tank I had at first! :)

Where do I find the cork bark?

Also should I slowly raise the water level over time? I've tried to keep that water level at about 3 1/4 inches deep since I don't know how long it's been since he actually had deeper water to swim in. I keep worrying he might drown or get trapped under something.

Re: New to the turtle world!

PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 8:39 am
by Kansasslider
I would fill it up as soon as you can. Your turtle should love the room to swim. Getting trapped can be an issue but usually in something like a cave that the turtle might get stuck in. There is a bigger risk of drowning in 3" of water than a full tank. If the turtle flips over and can't right itself it can drown.

Re: New to the turtle world!

PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 3:55 pm
by steve
re: cork - smaller pieces can be found online and in most pet stores, and some florists. Bigger pieces is another thing. I'd also add an under water level, something like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004PB8U98

Re: New to the turtle world!

PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 9:23 pm
by T83
:shock: Oh, I hadn't thought about him tipping over and getting stuck! Guess I better add some more water!!

The basking rock you see on the left floats. I think the turtle ramp mentioned would go nicely next to that!

Thanks for the info!! :)

Re: New to the turtle world!

PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 9:44 pm
by Kansasslider
No problem :-)