Feeding and Nutrition :: OMG watching her swim after fish is hilarious

[NavyPAO]

I just put a bunch of small fish in the tank with my 5 mo. old slider and it was the funniest thing I ever saw. I guess they are guppies. The tank at the pet store just said feeder fish. She swims after them for hours before she actually catches one. I've not seen her make a catch, but there are fewer and fewer every day. How many should you put in the tank at a time? the pet store will only sell them in batches of 10.

[sonyj]

Considering that live prey should be an occasional addition to the diet and you buy that many at once, I'd personally wait a couple weeks or so between batches. As long as she's eating a healthy balanced diet (pellets and veggies) she will be fine with getting live prey occasionally.

That's the way it was when I bought Koopa some guppies. We never saw him catch them, but they sure ended up gone. BTW, just be sure that the feeders aren't goldfish feeders. They aren't very nutritious or healthy for your turtle at all. Try to get rosie red minnows or feeder guppies.

[daredevilgirl013]

I think watching the guppies is just plain funny. One of mine right now is constantly swimming up and down up and down. It swims till it hits the bottom of the tank and then it goes till it reaches the top of the the water. And it has been doing this for about five minutes so far, that I've noticed. And he's still doing it. Sometimes I wonder if I get stuck with the a.d.d. animals.......

[jeggy]

Sometimes I wonder if I get stuck with the a.d.d. animals.......

ahahhaha. thats awsome. i'd love to have one like that. but thats me. i like weird stuff like that. when i first got my turtle i wanted to paint it bright colors but the good people on this forum advised me otherwise. just feed him the right food and he'll brighten up. which he's starting to do.

[daredevilgirl013]

Well I figured out the one fish's method of madness to swimming up and down constantly as fast as he can. He's swimming up and down next to my thermometer that clings to the tank wall. So he just keeps following that...crazy...but now I have four baby guppies!!! All you see is this little beady eye looking at you when you look in the tank...

[BROOKLYN]

I just put a bunch of small fish in the tank with my 5 mo. old slider and it was the funniest thing I ever saw. I guess they are guppies. The tank at the pet store just said feeder fish. She swims after them for hours before she actually catches one. I've not seen her make a catch, but there are fewer and fewer every day. How many should you put in the tank at a time? the pet store will only sell them in batches of 10.

It's better next time to actually ask what kind of fish they are. There are many different kinds of feeder fish and the most popular ones are the feeder goldfishes, rosy red minnows, and guppies. Most turtle owners feed them either rosy red minnows or guppies since it's more nutritious for them. Which one is better? It seems to be a very debatable question but I believe most members in this forum (after voting in a poll) tend to favor guppies more. I personally prefer rosy reds. Why? Because it gives a really good workout for your turtle since they are so fast (like Road-Runner vs. Coyote) and they tend to last longer even after months. They don't breed as fast as guppies neither (although some think that's a negative). Whenever I put 10 guppies into the tank, it's gone in a few hours. All 3 of my turtles can catch it with ease but when it comes to minnows, that's a different story. Most petstores in NY sell by 10, 25, 40, and 50 when it comes to feeder fish.

[RESCHIU]

just curious, how long can the feeder fish usually last in the tank(if the turtle didn't touch them), I only have two filters but I don't have water or oxygen pump, the feeder fish won't survive long without the pump will they?

[daredevilgirl013]

I've only got filters and my fish have been in there for at least a month. My Pleco is doing fine, my guppies are doing fine, and my minnow and sword fin I bought today are fine. Really the filter if it has the waterfall feature aka the water drops into the tank instead of it being an in the tank filter, that will provide enough water circulation that it will provide oxygen in the water.

[RESCHIU]

I do have a waterfall filter:), thanks, that answered my questions

[kneecole]

I usually get my guys guppies b/c all the rossie red that are sold around here are huge. And there are always guppies in the tank. It takes a long time for the turts to eat them and they usually multiply faster then the get eaten. But if they all disapear I go out and buy more. They provide tons of excersize.

[bradhart]

I've started to breed my own white cloud minnows... basicly because they're so expensive here (10 bucks for 20).They're still frys, so it'll be a few months till they breed. Beats paying an arm and a leg.

[turtle2373]

Not to sound "blonde" but when you put feeder fish in the tank and they've lasted a while, do you have to feed them too? OR do they just survive on what's leftover in the tank?

[ellman605]

no, they'll survive off of leftovers. I've had 3 fish in there for like, 3 months now, and i've never fed them. If you feel horrible about it, throw in some anachris or something that will sink to the bottom and they'll munch on that

[turtle2373]

Thanks! I just bought a few and so far they're just flittin' around the tank ... Striper looked curious about them at first but now doesn't seem to care. When he's hungry then they'll look very different to him!