General Care Discussion :: is Co2 bad for turtles?

[Rafa2k]

I'm considering adding a jungle of plants to my aquarium, hoping that if there are a ton of them the turtles won't rip them all to shreds. So I want to cover the back of the tank with plants. I'd like to put in a Co2 system for the plants. Thinking maybe a defuser behind the plants so they have a chance to absorb the Co2.

Is this bad for the turtles though?

[MEandYouPhoto]

I'm considering adding a jungle of plants to my aquarium, hoping that if there are a ton of them the turtles won't rip them all to shreds. So I want to cover the back of the tank with plants. I'd like to put in a Co2 system for the plants. Thinking maybe a defuser behind the plants so they have a chance to absorb the Co2.

Is this bad for the turtles though?

I dont think such plants exist. Its my understanding that if its a plant then its game to become food.

[Rafa2k]

Not really what I was looking for but thanks. Does anyone know if the C02 would be an issue?

[happycamper]

I would be worried about the diffuser too, if the turtle was to knock it off or something you might get a blast of Co2. I would suggest starting by researching what plants can grow without added Co2, Anacharis and Duckweeds are favorite turtle snacks and should grow without Co2. I know that didn't directly answer your question, I googled "is co2 bad for turtles" the one thing I found seemed to warn against it.

[MEandYouPhoto]

Not really what I was looking for but thanks. Does anyone know if the C02 would be an issue?

ok just thought it was funny seeing as how turtles eat everything, currently my turtle is trying to eat his floating dock lol

Here is some helpful info though.

VeipaCray has both turtles and planted tanks I would suggest either sending him a PM or seeing if he can add some insight.

[rainingsugar]

If you think about it, Turtles don't breath under water. so having water high in co2 shouldn't matter. High co2 can lower pH though, you can look into pH effects on turtles.

[VeipaCray]

I'm by no means an expert here. I do have both a pressurized CO2 planted tank and a turtle tank, but they are physically separate aquariums. Any equipment in the tank the turtle can chew on or mess with. I would go for an inline diffuser or inline reactor on the return side of your canister. If we can keep fish in a planted aquarium that breath dissolved oxygen by passing water over their gills, then having a turtle that breathes air shouldn't be affected by the increased CO2 level in the the water. As for the PH, here is the classic chart showing CO2, KH, and PH relationships. It is possible to have a proper CO2 level for optimal plant growth at a PH level that is normal to a turtle.

What WOULD worry me is the fertilizers. The turtle would be just fine with increased lighting. Adding dissolved CO2 should be OK as well. However when you add lighting and CO2, you also need to add fertilizer. These can be toxic to the turtle in high enough concentrations. I unfortunately don't have any research or data to back up my thoughts but if I were you and you're trying to combine a planted with a turtle tank.... then I would focus on how safe are the fertilizers to have in the water column with the turtle who drinks that water.