General Care Discussion :: nutrient analysis webpage

[ragasssd]

hi,

http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/nutrientanalysis.htm

i made my own table with approximate values of the recommended species. i decided to list them in order of calcium/phosphorus ratio highest to lowest with other important nutrients also. its probably stuff most of you already know, but i thought i'd share it anyways...


type cal cal/phos protein vitaminA fiber

duckweed 643 35.7 9.51 2,536 NA
pricklypr 738 9.58 5.79 1,879 10.4
turnip gr 861 4.53 6.8 34,472 NA
grape 1,644 3.99 25.37 122,278 49.8
amaranth 973 3.52 11.14 13,214 NA
collards 131 2.91 7.26 15,104 16.8
dandelion 848 2.83 12.25 63,502 15.9
let looseleaf 308 2.73 5.9 8,618 8.6
fig 158 2.50 3.39 643 14.9
kale 612 2.40 14.97 40,369 9.1
mustard 467 2.39 12.25 24,040 9.1
chicory 453 2.12 7.71 18,143 18.1
endive 235 1.85 5.9 9,298 14.1
romaine 163 0.80 7.26 11,793 10.9

well, its not posting clearly like i had written in the post page but hopefully you can figure it out. the units are not there but i don't think its important when we're just comparing. what i found most surprising was that romaine lettuce, one of the most recommended foods from so many sites and so many keepers, is dead last on the list and actually has a cal/phos ratio less than one! am i missing something? and also...holy duckweed!...what a ratio! now if i could only get my hands on that stuff here in india...

sagar

[octpusgirl8]

Thanks for posting that! It's a great reference for anybody with a turtle! Romaine lettcue is frequently recommended because it's readily available, and much better nutritionally than iceberg. That being said, as you can see, it's certainly not the best option as far as lettuce goes, and shouldn't make up the majority of the diet. I feed it if it's all i have available, but red leaf lettuce or baby lettuce mix is my go-to green for the turtles. It's good to know duckweed is so good for them, i have a ton of it in my turtle tanks and they love it!

[SpotsMama]

very interesting. Nothing can touch duckweed - who would have guessed? It grows so thickly on Spot's pond in the summer we have to scoop out a bunch every day and throw it away or no light at all would get through. Have you tried searching on-line pond shops or aquatic plant suppliers in India? Or visit a pond shop if there are some in your area.

By the way, romaine isn't on the most recommended list on this site for just the reason you mention. It's suggested for moderate but not frequent feeding.

http://www.redearslider.com/plants.html

[TurtleLover_S&B]

Thanks for posting that!It should help people!!

[untsmurf]

Spotsmama, you should come toss some in our tank!! Where did you get it from originally?

I love the post by the way!

[SpotsMama]

I got a handfull from the big pond shop in Garland - I think it's called Creeative Gardens. They charged me a couple of dollars i think. They sell lots of water lilies and koi too. It's a neat place to visit.

[marisa]

That link is really good---it's been a reference for turtlekeepers for quite a while now (and one reason why I've always advocated duckweed, alson with dandelions, as being a very good aquatic plant in terms of calcium content).

There are many kinds of duckweed, perhaps there is one in India. In some states, duckweed is considered to be an invasive plant (it was possible to buy it here in CT until a few years ago). It is extremely easy to grow once you have a little bit of it.

[ragasssd]

yeah i wish the analysis was done on other recommended aquatic plants too like water hyacinth and anachris etc. but i think we can safely conclude that overall aquatic plants like duckweed are the best food for turtles, even more than vegetable greens. this makes good sense since they are probably what wild turtles eat the most. i mean, i doubt wild turtles get their hands on lettuce much!

on a side note, i think reading too much into calcium/phosphorus ratio may not be correct as i'm sure other nutrients are important as well, including phosphorus!

now i am going to double my efforts to aquire these plants here. thanks.

sagar

[marisa]

Yes, other nutrients are important. Phosphorus, however, is abundant in captive RES's diets, so it's good to offer food that isn't really high in it.

[Lantic]

Excellent discovery! Its good to know that duckweed is the way to go and not romaine lettuce.

[nickyds23]

How much duckweed do you need to start off with so that it'll grow?
They're only selling duckweed by either the tablespoon or 2 cups of it on Ebay.

[SpotsMama]

My duckweed grows on our outdoor pond. It disappears when the weather gets cool but in the summer it explodes. I think a tablespoon might do it - it would just take awhile to cover the surface. Two cups would be a lot - much more than I had to start with.

[marisa]

I've got it sitting in the buckets, one bucket that I've had for a few years now. It can spread fast under the right conditions.

[ragasssd]

just an update on this. after much searching in shops, i found everything for free from the lakes in mumbai and kolkata. i got not only duckweed, but hyacinth, water lettuce, beautiful lilys (just flowered yesterday!), silvania, anacharis, n hornwart. and a bonus i'm growing my own turnip greens. next step, prickly pear is somewhere in the countryside near mumbai...will have to go on a trek.

my wife thinks i'm insane.

sagar