Habitat - Indoor :: Just a few questions from a noobie

[ResUser0511]

I just have a few questions.


1. How do I clean up all the poop at the bottom. Ever since I've moved him here, I've noticed that his feces were solid chunks, not the powdery broken up poop that was in my old tank (Although my old rubbermaid was MUCH smaller, so he probably broke it apart by swimming in it). I have 2 filters, which I do admit are under powered, but I really don't want to throw in another one, it adds cost, and electricity, and takes up precious tank space. Any tips? My two filters are a Tetra Whisper 2 10i, rated for 10 gallons, and one of these
: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B013OS ... UTF8&psc=1
A submersible filter, rated for 20 gallons. Considering I have a 26 gallon tank, shouldn't this be enough? A lot of the poop has been sucked up by the filters, but the solid chunks won't move. Even some of the powder won't move an inch, a bit of poop just rests at the bottom. I do not think that my filters are too weak, as in my old rubbermaid, I used the Tetra 2 10i filter alone, and it was more than capable of keeping the water crystal clear(although there was probably less than 10 gallons of water) Considering that the total gallons that my filters can handle is 30 gallons, shouldn't I be safe? Do I constantly need to siphon out the chunks of poop at the bottom? A separate feeding tank is not an option. My turtle is squirmy and I don't want to bother him.

2. Basking Area - I took out the basking area of my turtle tank for now. I can't close the lid if I use it, and he can climb out of the tank by climbing up the basking area, so I bought one on ebay, but it's gonna take 2-4 weeks to come. Is it fine if he doesn't have a basking area for this time (less than a month)?

3. ROCKS- I was planning to go bare bottom, but my turtle looked so bored doing nothing in his tank. I covered the bottom with nice rocks, polished river stones that I had lying around from a home decoration store. I washed them in hot water, and rinsed them 3 times with vinegar then water. There was no white bubbling. This should be safe for my aquarium right? I already tossed them in, as I spent a good 30 minutes cleaning them, and I think I did a good job. I'm worried that they might make the water too basic though, which might be an issue. Am I in the clear? My turtle really seems to enjoy them, and likes to toss them around

4. Loneliness - Admittedly, my turtle tank is quite empty, and I really want to add something to it, so he doesn't just float all day. I'm thinking of putting some feeder fish in there. Hopefully he doesn't eat them all at once, although he's never had quite the swimming space, nor the opportunity to chase, so he might be a slow swimmer (although I'm sure he's not because I've seen him dash around a lot before). Are Tetra's okay? I'm thinking of putting a few bleeding heart Tetra's, Bloodfin tetra's, and cardinal Tetra's. Can anyone tell me how many of each I should get? Do they make good playmates? I am fine with them getting eaten, and I want my turtle to experience hunting them, but I don't want them dead in 1 day. Are these fish fine. My water temperature is a bit low, so I don't know if they will survive (22 degrees Celsius/70 degrees Fahrenheit room temp, 21 degrees Celsius/72 degrees Fahrenheit tank temp)?

5. Ghost Shrimp - To solve the problem of the solid chunks of poop at the bottom, I was thinking of throwing in 2 ghost shrimp. I hear they clean poop well and feed off of it, but I have also heard that that is a lie, and that they do not only eat poop, and it is apparently unethical to not feed them and expect them to live off of poop. Can anyone confirm? Also, would they be fine for my turtle (if they do eat poop and are fine and all)? Would they get eaten in a day due to their small size. They don't seem very mobile and aside from the river stones at the bottom, my tank is empty.

6. Basking Light - I am planning to buy a uvb bulb soon (probably tomorrow). I'm looking at the Reptisun 10.0 or the 5.0. Which one would be the best for me? I really don't want uvb radiation, so I want something that can be put into a dome shaped lamp, that is weak enough to be put right against the screen cover (touching it), so all the uvb is directed into the tank, and any escaping light is filtered through the glass, thus not hurting me. I'm assuming that because I want the light practically touching the screen lid, it has to be weaker so it isn't harmful to the turtle right? There is roughly 15 centimeters of space from the lid to the surface of the water. My new basking area will be probably 2-3 cm above the water, so the uvb light would be roughly 12-13cm above the basking area (not taking in the height of the turtle). Would the reptisun 5.0 fit the bill, due to how close I would put it? Also, does the bulb offer any sort of heat? I'm currently using my lamp with an incandescent bulb for heat (at least I was, until he went all prison break on me), and I don't have any extra lamps to use as a heat lamp. If I'm putting it (reptisun 5.0 or 10.0)so close, will it produce any type of warmth?

7. Tank Location - I'm only allowed to have my tank in my room. Will my activities disturb the turtle. I pretty much only use my computer in my room, or lift weights. However, my main concern is that I work on my homework until late at night on the days that I go to work, (until 1-2am), and I'm wondering if the fact that I keep my lights on are bothering him. Also, when my computer is turned off it flashes a blue led for style, and I'm wondering if it would bother the turtle, I hope not. It could be 12:30 am, and I can hear my turtle splashing around really loudly, is it bothered by the light, or are turtles just naturally supposed to play and stuff at any time of the day.

8. This brings me to my last question. When I get my uvb bulb, I plan to turn it on for 12 hours. However, I can't leave it on all the time, so I want to do it during non peak hours. I'm thinking from 7pm to 7am. It's cheaper electricity costs, and my turtle can bask in peace when no one is moving (cause they're sleeping). I plan to do this because apparently turtles sleep at any time of the day, and can be active at night doing their own thing, so I am willing to turn their uvb bulb on during those hours. Can anyone tell me if this is true, or that turtles NEED darkness and to sleep during the night.

Thanks for the response

[steve]

1 - Depends on the substrate... in order of easy cleanin' goes as bare, sand, river rock/gravel. So you might have to do some siphoning, it just depends on how much. Some add bottom feeders or fish to help with the waste, but of course you're introducing other kinds of waste in there.

2 - I'd rather have the basking area... maybe find another solution to the lid issue. What's the tank look like?

3 - River rock is safe, make sure you take out any pieces smaller than his head.

4 - I don't keep fish... search the forum for what some of the established keepers use. Basically anything will be food, so keep it cheap.

5 - I don't keep them either, but some do. I think they will feed off some of it. I'm not sure about the unethical issue... you're talking about a food chain here.

6 - 5.0 should be fine, just remember not to keep it so close when you use a new one, and to replace it every 4-6 mos. CFLs are pretty weak, so being a foot or two away is fine for you. It does not offer heat... you will still need that other bulb.

7 - Maybe figure out a new arrangement in your room. Or the very least, cover the sides of the tank and keep light at a minimum.

8 - I know some have done it in the past, but it's not something I've tried. I'm not sure how much you will save on energy costs or if it's worth the effort. One thing people should figure out is how to make turtle keeping easier for themselves. It's not hard but requires a lot of effort and keeping things simple and efficient helps (especially since your turtle could live for several decades).

[ResUser0511]

Alright. Thanks for the reply. The reason I took out my basking area, is on the day I got my new tank, my turtle escaped from the tank and fell . I'm hoping that it can go a few weeks without one.

[Samuel T Jackson]

1. If you're noticing solid poo on the bottom, that could be good in some ways: you can better keep track of his digestive health, and you can fish it out with a little fish-catching net and save your filter some trouble. You could use the old Rubbermaid as a feeder tank, just giving the turtle his food in some shallow water, waiting for him to do his thing, and putting him in the tank when he's finished. I would really save up for a canister filter though; I think my turtle's health problems might have come from water that usually looked clear but wasn't so well filtered. My Eheim is rated for 66 gallons and it's completely silent; the only problem is I have to suck the output tube to get the thing started because it won't self-prime

2. In the meantime, I think the turtle should be allowed to periodically bask and dry off. You could look around the forum for tips on dry docking, and leave him out for maybe an hour while you're around and he's in a box that's covered with mesh and partially exposed to a heating lamp--that's what my vet had me do when mine had to absorb some topical medication. I'd also put a towel on the bottom or something, in case he's like my turtle and tries to climb the walls only to slam down on his belly. Be careful that he can't escape, that the light can't fall on him, and that he's not in there too long though!

3. I'm not sure about the chemistry of adding rocks, but I know a lot of folks boil their natural tank decor before introducing it to the tank. Not saying you have to do that, but it's another option.

4. I got a few super-cheap tetra-like fish as feeder fish for my turtle, and about 4 of the 12 I introduced to the tank survived. Sometimes STJ chases after them, but after the feeding frenzy on the day I introduced them, he doesn't seem that interested. I'd say go for it, as long as it seems like a shop where they take good care of their animals (so they don't pass any diseases into your tank).

5. I don't know anything about ghost shrimp, sorry!

6. Once I figured out the need for UV B rays, I only used mercury vapor bulbs, so I can't help much with the strip lights.

7. I've wondered about this too, after recently moving STJ to my room from the living room. I've been covering his tank most of the way with a folded-up sheet, but he still knows there are people in here somehow, or maybe he just feels like being active at random times. I've seen him sleeping on his basking area during the day, and i"m not in my room 24/7, so I'm assuming he catches enough z's during the day and night.

8. That sounds like a good idea, as long as the light doesn't bother you at night and the turtle can get used to the time difference! If there's a lot of light that comes into your room during the day, though, it might not help that much; mine seems to get up when the light starts coming in through the curtains (which I guess means I should be up too )

[ResUser0511]

Hmm okay, thanks for the help. I really don't want to move my turtle often. He's really squirmy, and will scratch to try to break free, and I don't have the confidence to hold onto him, he's jumped out of my hands so many times and I don't to risk him injuring himself.

[Samuel T Jackson]

Ah good point. Mine is pretty squirmy as well, but I guess I've just gotten more confident with practice. I guess I spend too much time on YouTube, because I have a video for that too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH11WErvbfo

[ljapa]

The fastest I ever saw my turtle move was when I added some ghost shrimp. They didn't last long and I was worried she'd shove the rock into the side of the tank and break the glass.

Ghost shrimp are food. They also eat algae, not poop.

A great idea if you want to give your turtle some novel stimulation. Not a great idea for a cleaning crew.

[NYstyle]

I also will add about a dozen ghost shrimp every couple of weeks. there will usually be several "snacks" had immediately, and the rest will clean the tank while they slowly get picked off. I also have a small crayfish in the tank that, surprisingly has doubled in size. they do an okay job at scavenging. I've also added some bottom feeders. So far between the crayfish and turtle, other than two feeder guppies, all fish have survived.

I have sand on the bottom, do you guys have any suggestions on how to "scoop up" the little poop particles that the filter doesn't get? I've tried using a small fish net, but they usually fall through the net with the sand.

[steve]

I don't have sand, but my nets usually get all the poop particles. Maybe you need a gravel cleaner or a battery powered Mr. Cleaner vacuum.

[Tampa Bay Turtle Fan]

Gravel cleaner works great for me. I placed about 20 ghost shrimp in my large tank several months ago. I am down to about 5 that the turtles have not caught yet and seem to do their part in bottom cleaning.

[NYstyle]

I've been using a python, it just doesn't seem to pull enough. I guess it's back to the cheap-o syphon and bucket it is..

[Tampa Bay Turtle Fan]

Some of the older ways is better than the newer ways and sometimes it is the opposite. The " cheap-o-syphon " as you specified is a prime example of what I am saying here.