Habitat - Indoor :: Habitat Requirements -(Female RES)

[TurtleCat]

Hello, everyone!

I'm majorly updating my turtle (Greenday)'s tank. I'm hoping to switch her to 100 gallons or up depending on what kind of deal I can find on Craigslist in October. I'm planning on going for a sand bottom and throwing in some aquatic plants like dwarf hairgrass. I know turtles are infamous for their ability to destroy but I'm planning on giving the set up 1-2 months time to mature before putting her in there. I'm wondering if any of you have any suggestions for this set up? Preferably fast growing plants that are good for RES turtles to eat.

On another note, I'd like to build her a turtle topper. Mostly I'm wondering if she needs a place for eggs? I've had her for nine years (I got her when she was a few inches from Petco) and I think I saw her lay eggs once when I was like, twelve? It was a weird black bumpy mass coming out from like, her tail and I told my mom but she didn't believe me. Anyway, nine years laaaater, and I've never seen this happen again however I've read online that some females will lay eggs even when no males are around and possibly become eggbound. I'm wondering if I should consider putting a nesting place for her just to be safe. She was tankmates with a male RES for a few years and I never noticed any eggs then but then again, I only had a styrofoam dock for them to bask on. I'm planning on getting her another RES friend in the future (possibly male) if that changes anything? o-O

Also, one last note, I'm planning on making my own DIY filter and I was wondering if anyone had any tidbits of information to offer.


EDIT: Okay, I actually found a filter that I'd be willing to cough up the cash for. I'm thinking I'd grab two of these bad boys and just have them both running for the same tank. http://www.amazon.com/AquaClear-110-Aqu ... B000260FV6

[steve]

If you're looking on craigslist, expand your search to 75 and 90 gallon tanks. If the tank is in good condition, you will make your money back if you sell the tank.

I really haven't used many live plants, but don't have high expectations of them thriving in the tank. You might want a secondary planted tank to cultivate some greens.

As for nesting, they really don't like to make nests indoors. An attached nest area isn't worth the trouble and space it'll take up. Mature males also don't usually cohabit with females or other males well, I would avoid it unless you plan on having 2 tanks in the future. Some females don't get along either, so it's generally a bad idea if you are limited in space/resources.

DIY filters are great, but if it's for indoors, I would just splurge on a FX6.

Welcome to the site!

[TurtleCat]

Thanks for the welcome!

I was definitely planning on cultivating some aquatic plants as well. Thanks for the craigslist tip, too! That's actually brilliant.

Maybe I'll try getting her a female friend down the line. Mostly it's just heartbreaking to see all the RES turtles on Craigslist. Gotta save 'em all "OTL

[steve]

If there are a lot of tanks in your area, shoot for one with a stand unless you have decent skills with wood. I can offer some tips on inspecting a used tank as well. If you want another female, just realize how big they can get. A few of us have stock tanks to house multiple turtles, but you will need to have space to put it somewhere.

[ljapa]

Are you sure your turtle is a female? Your description of a weird black lumpy mass reminds me of this pic:

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=30833

If so, you won't have to worry about eggs.

Dwarf hair grass may be difficult to grow, even without a turtle to dig it up. Most aquarists who grow it use high light and CO2 injection. I'm not saying you can't grow it, but don't be disappointed if it's difficult. Anacharis is pretty easy to grow in a turtle tank, but your turtle will tear it apart and make a mess.

EDIT: That filter, even two of them, aren't going to be sufficient on a 100 gallon tank. You are going to want a large canister filter.

I can't speak to building your own filter, but I did build my own refugium. While I also have a canister, I suspect it would provide sufficient filtration. I'm not handy. It was a pain to build, but I grow plants in there to feed our turtle, as well as shrimp.

Basically, I have a hang over the back overflow. That drops water into a 55 gallon that is divided into three sections. The first is filled with more biomedia than three or four large canister filters. The next has sand, plants and shrimp. Then, there's a sponge like filter material separating the final chamber, which contains a pump for return.

I get to grow plants and shrimp for Tobi, where she won't eat them. Water changes are easier because all the new water is added at the third pump chamber. My overall water volume is higher, which means pollutants are diluted. My biomedia is rated in gallons.

Of course the big downside is an extended power outage when I'm not home (or the failure of the small pump on the overflow) means I risk breaking the siphon on the overflow. That would mean the pump would force water up and overflow the main tank, then start pumping dry and burn out.

I've been luck for a few years.

I'd suggest looking for craigslist deals that include a large canister with the tank.

[TurtleCat]

@Steve Tips for inspecting a tank would be great, actually.

@ljapa I've always thought she was a girl. I know I definitely had a male a few years back and his claws were much, much longer than Greenday's. Also, the bottom of her shell looks more like a female's. I've always thought the black lump was an egg sack but after looking up images of turtle eggs, I have no idea. O-O Maybe I mixed up the memory of the weird black thing with that of my male turtle? Or maybe she's a boy? :O

I mostly just wanted to set up her tank with plants so she'd be more entertained by them as I think she gets bored easily. Though, I'm am planning on cultivating aquatic plants for her eating pleasure. I know anacharis is good for RES turtles to eat and easy to grow so I was definitely planning on that as well as duckweed. Are there any others you could recommend? I'd really like to grow water lilies as well. Though I don't know if I'd need multiple tanks/tubs to grow them in. Do any of you have any advice/topics already on that to recommend?

As for the filter, my dad was planning on helping me build one though I think I might just buy one. I might get really lucky and find a craigslist deal (I get a lot of them around where I live) with a filter but if not, well, I don't know. I still have a few weeks at least to figure out the filtering problem.

[steve]

Let's see, check for any chips or cracks especially around the edges. It is very important to check the silicone seals. If it's lifting or there is algae underneath, then it needs to be redone and that is a big project on large tanks. Check for deep scratches and any previous self repairs.

[ljapa]

My turtle loves a anacharis and it's easy to grow.

Duckweed is also easy to grow and filled with calcium. But, it's not easy to grow in a turtle tank. Duckweed wants an undisturbed water surface. We actually want to disturb the surface of our turtle tank with the filter return to prevent a protein scum. Frogbit may work better as a floater that can better handle the water surface, but I have no experience with it.

Amazon sword is a pretty hearty plant that's also safe for turtles. There are dwarf varieties that may work better than dwarf hair grass, but they won't give you a carpet.

I've basically cut back to just Amazon sword and duckweed, but when I was more actively trying plants, I found the forums at plantedtank.net to be incredibly helpful.

[TurtleCat]

How do you grow your duckweed if not with your turtle? Thanks so much for the info, by the way. You both have been super helpful. My turtle thanks you too!

[steve]

I had some thrive in a small tank. I just needed to top off the water and give it a little light. I also had some snails, which overran the tank.

[ljapa]

How do you grow your duckweed if not with your turtle? Thanks so much for the info, by the way. You both have been super helpful. My turtle thanks you too!

I grow mine on the middle section of my refugium. There's water flow, but basically none on the surface.

I had also tried transferring some to the 20 gallon aquarium for just fish with a canister filter. It did poorly. You might be able to make a corral with air tubing in the tank and grow duckweed inside. I'd seriously look at Frogbit too.

Floating plants are great. One of the benefits of plants is that they feed on the nitrogen in the water (ammonia, urea, nitrite, nitrates) and this help remove the one bit of waste that a filter can't deal with. Plants need a ton of micronutrients like minerals, but the two main chemicals they need for growth are CO2 and nitrogen compounds.

In an aquarium with fish, or turtles, nitrogen compounds are plentiful but CO2 is the limiting factor because it doesn't dissolve into the water at the levels it is in the air.

On land, there is abundant CO2 from the air, but the limiting factor is nitrogen compounds, which is why we fertilize our lawns and gardens.

Floating plants have ready access to nitrogen in the water and CO2 in the air.

Before adding duckweed, even with plants, my nitrogen levels rose. After duckweed, they were much more steady between water changes. They didn't remove the need for water changes, but duckweed let me go much longer without dealing with overly high nitrate levels.

[TurtleCat]

Hmm. I've been devising some plans for keeping plants in my turtle's tank without her eating/destroying them. I'll let you guys know how it works out. If it's simple enough maybe more people will be able to use it to combat the Plant-Ravaging-Turtle-Problem. :p

[steve]

Yes, keep us updated. We'll love to update some of our info

[TurtleyCustomDocks]

Greetings TurtleCat. Its great to see you so passionate about your turtles! If you haven't found a solution for a basking dock for your new setup I build custom acrylic basking docks and can fabricate one for a 50,75 even 100 gal tank. Feel free to message me if your interested and we can discuss the specifics your looking for (size, area for turtle to lay eggs,ect...) Good luck!