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Just got them today. Turtles seem okay about them as do my fish





And a random picture...



Next on the list is sand.....

Why did you buy an LED light?

They're used as moon lights in fish tanks so you can see your nocturnal fish and inverts moving about at night without disturbing, but it really is pointless for a turtle and it kinda annoys them.

Just the look. I turned it off during the day. And I have been using a ph and chlorine reducer because I used tap water. It also adds calcium to the water and a few others.

How does LED light add Calcium?

Sorry I did not specify. The water additive I have does. The turtles really do not seem bothered by the light. They all three slept in their normal places last night and ate like normal today. Plus the light actually has a dual purpose as a nightlight my living room as well.

Oh okay, sweet then. I have a moonlight for my aquarium which is in the same room as my turtles. I don't use it, but I'm thinking about doing it. I'm getting tired of using a flashlight in my own room!

Thinkskater wrote:Just the look. I turned it off during the day. And I have been using a ph and chlorine reducer because I used tap water. It also adds calcium to the water and a few others.

You shouldn't need a PH reducer or chlorine water conditioner. Chlorine will evaporate out of the water by itself in a few hours without any chemical. Chloramine is absorbed by the carbon in your filter. PH will stabilize by itself... it might not be exactly at 7, but it should balance itself. The chemical used in most water conditioners is sodium theosulfate which is very hazardous to your turtle & fish.

Adding calcium to the water isn't necessary in freshwater. It will actually harden and crust and slowly ruin your filter. Saltwater - specifically reef setups buffer calcium into the water as coral absorbs the water born calcium to grow.

Your turtle should be getting calcium through it's diet. Quality pellets have calcium and supplementing cuttlebone is recommended.

The LED lighting looks really nice.

Why are they able to sell products that explicitly say that the product is made to make tap water safe for turtles then. I have heard this before though.

Seems there is so many different suggestions and opinions on these turtle habitats. Naturally I want what is best for the turtles though. Thank you for the advice for sure I will will look into using it.

I have noticed that most things marketed directly for turtles are either dangerous for turtles (turtle rocks, little turtle shaped water conditioners, turtle tubs etc.), or overpriced (turtle specific filters, heaters, lighting etc.).

happycamper wrote:I have noticed that most things marketed directly for turtles are either dangerous for turtles (turtle rocks, little turtle shaped water conditioners, turtle tubs etc.), or overpriced (turtle specific filters, heaters, lighting etc.).

Overpriced and underspec'ed - Turtle filters that are rated for 85 gallon tanks are more suited for a 10 gallon tank. Turtle heaters with no control of temperature... Stay away. Stay Faaar Away....

Crazy how that is legal. Like selling medicine to people that kills them. None the less, all things in life are a learning process. I literally started building my setup with no advice. So all input from this forum I fully take advantage of.

It's okay, I learned all this because my wife followed the advice of the pet store when she brought our turtle home. I have learned a lot since then.

That is slightly what I did. I knew a few things just from common sense. But the pet store just wanted my money. naturally. lol.

Not to mention they don't really know how to properly provide for a turtle, or care. Depending on the pet store of course, but your average petco/pet shop/pets'r'us/etc. don't care.

Me personally, I'm always going to promote a chemical free way of dealing with water and habitat. In my opinion / experience, there's not a single chemical that the petstore sells that you NEED to put in your tank to maintain a healthy environment IF you have proper filtration and understand how it works.

OR you could go the chemical route. If you take the chemical approach, my advice to you is to read read read (lookup MSDS sheets) and understand exactly what you're putting in the water. Once it's in, you cannot get it back out. Yes, petstores exist to make a profit. Companies manufacture products to make a profit. Some of the products have merit, some are snake oil.

I believe it's easier and less expensive to go the non-chemical route and many people on this forum have converted to this school. Fortunately people like PridgNYC, happycamper, LoveofAnimals, and a few others are growing in numbers and are here offering really good advice. A few people I've converted, and a few people like PridgNYC just showed up.

I got on this forum a while ago and basically started yelling - don't use water conditioners, don't add xyz to your tank, don't use a bacteria starter, be careful which silicone you use, don't follow the manufacturers filter setup, etc. The general reaction was "W T F is this guy's problem"? Now I read through forum posts and usually someone beats me to the punch saying "don't use xyz because of 123". hehe