Turtles?

Exlax · 10-28-2004, 04:16 PM

Hello again,
I am sorry if this is in the wrong spot but i thought maybe even 1 of you wonderful people could reply. DO you have any turtles in tanks? Are they with any fish? I am going to set up a tank with turtles and want fish in there too. The LFS owner told me to just get fast fish

I was wondering if you have any pictures or setup advice or anything.

inwall75 · 10-28-2004, 05:52 PM

I think that moth Matt Rogers and Birdlady have turtles. Here's a thread that I found.
http://www.3reef.com/cgi-bin/yabb/Ya...99;start=13#13

Birdlady · 10-28-2004, 06:19 PM

Nope! No turtles here! I was just on a mission that week!

Matt Rogers · 10-28-2004, 06:37 PM

Thanks inwall. That is my tank.

exlax - not sure about all turtles, but mine definitely likes to eat fish. He will keep them around for even a month or more, but then one day you come home and they are all gone. It's pretty wild. The way he hunts I don't know that a fast fish will help much. He is kinda like a lion fish. He'll just be real casual and slowly get near it or let it get near him. Then wham. He misses a lot, but eventually he gets it down.

I'd recommend feeder (gold) fish or something you don't get too attached too. I usually buy a dozen at a time.

Regardless, I'd recommend a really good filter. Turtles are messy. Some day soon I'll probably drill my tank out for a wet dry.

seawillow · 10-29-2004, 12:50 AM

I have two red eared sliders, but never thought of putting fish in with them..I'm sure they would have them for lunch..they are real good eaters!

Exlax · 10-29-2004, 10:52 AM

Thank you very much for the replies. The turtle that i have in a 55 gallon tank doesnt even go after the fish that much at all, ive seen him go after a fish once MAYBE twice. The smaller turtle is the one that loves to eat the fish...thats why his name is Chomper.

OoNickoC · 11-15-2004, 12:59 PM

FIsh are the mainstay of most aquatic turtles.....but even with my mini beast I've kept fish, had him in a 55 with 2 juvenile Arowanas and a 4" Pacu, they did great together but massive filtration was necessary so i seperrated them and gave him his own 30gal. If you put fish with him make sure its in a big tank with overkill filtration., but it should be fine as long as they are big. Ild get a smaller turtle and let it grow up with fish if you want to keep an unusual swamp type biotope (or lakes edge). Here's a LIL beastie that has been kep with fish 1/2 his size.....

reiple · 11-16-2004, 04:17 AM

In 1978-1980 baby sea turtles were sold in the trade (back then around 3 dollars each.). Survival rate was low but some manage to keep them and release them to the sea as they got older.
Fastforward 2004. Its illegal to capture sea turtles nowadays. Besides you can barely find any.

I remember in 1974-1976 as a little boy (very little, LOL!) my friends and I use to play and capture fancy colored fishes (they were damsels and clowns), red crabs (sebastian hermits) and an occasional sea turtle and sea horse in the mangroove area between the sea and the river in my hometown. That same mangroove is now gone and filled with garbage. Too bad.

Matt Rogers · 11-16-2004, 05:27 AM

Sad story reiple! :'(

@SeA_SpLeNdEr
very cool turtle!! what kind is that?

OoNickoC · 11-16-2004, 06:58 AM

I belive it to be an alligator snapping turtle, has a nasty disposition towards worms and guppies...

Hes about 3 lbs now but will allegedley grow to need his own pond (over 200 lbs).
Rieple i know excatcly the feelings you projected with that. I was born in condos along La hoya shores(spelling?) in Sandiego and went there last summer to visit relatives. the tides pool adjacent to my old house that used to swarm with life are nasty now and smeel like sewer run off (probably is). Very sad.