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Boggnials

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hey its me again. um i have a 29G tank with 1 rainbow shark, 2 gollden mollies, 2 pleckos,2 angle fish, and 4 tigerbarbs, and 1 bichir eel(this one is on its way). i was wondering if their was any freshwater turtles that live only in water? if so what kind of food would the need? anything special the tank they would require?
 
You could have a spinny soft shell, but they are very aggressive and might eat the fish. Also they will egt too big for a 29 gallon, but if you had a bigger tank with plent of hiding places, I'm sure it would work out.
Ron
 
hi, i use to have two mud turtles in a 65 gallon tank that also house a numerous amout of fish. i had 3pacus, a pleco, and a couple bala sharks. these turtles are semi aquatic. the tank was about two thirds full of water and i had a little area where they could go and bask. the turtles were to slow to catch any of those fish, im not sure if there are any fully aquatic fresh water turtles that are small. most of them get quite large, such as the soft shells and leaf turtle. these are extreamly preditory turtles and would eat any fish, as would all other fully aquatic turtles i would presume, but dont quote me on that. right now i have 2.5 slider turtle in a ten gallon tank, he gets lucky and recieves treats of little feeder or guppies once a week. it is a blast watching him try to catch the fish, but he always ends up getting them no matter how long it takes. good luck finding a turtle.
 
I wouldn't put turtles with the fishes. I have two red eared sliders. They are babies right now and slowly starting to trust me. I have them in a ten gal tank for now until I can afford a bigger tank. They have a basking area and light with heat which is important for basking. The babies eat ReptoMin pellets, Greens(lettuce and such), dried shrimp(for protein), live fish(such as guppies if they are fast enough to catch), pretty much alot of things. Some like strawberries, blueberries, carrots and bananas. I hear some feed them like lunchmeat such as ham but don't do that because they will not get any nourishment and gain unhealthy weight. They are messy when it comes to food which may not be good with the other fishes in the tank. Also there's a chance that the turtles might hurt the fish or vice versa. I personally wouldn't want to take that risk. I have thought about it though. I hear you can put snails in though because the snails help clean the tank(I was told by a friend who had one).

So seriously consider it. If you want more information, go to WWW.turtleforum.com. More detail about turtles there.

But I will say this, turtles are fun to watch and care for. I have fishes as well as turtles and both give me such joy!
 
Sounds like you have a tankfull, for 29 gal. The most thoroughly aquatic freshwater turtles are the softshells. Very entertaining creatures they are, if you can meet their needs. This is how I do it. I make a shallow area by making a tray of plate glass, using silicone adhesive. Make the walls of the tray about 1 1/2" deep, and position it so that the water level will be about 2" deep over the top of the tray when it is filled with sand or fine gravel. The area need not be large, just a small shallow space where the turtles can burrow and stick their noses above water. I know this sounds pretty involved, but baby softshell turtles are the most fun aquarium pets I have ever had! Of course, they will eventually grow up. Males stay much smaller than females, but you would need a much larger tank than 29 gal. Where I live, I just put them back in the river when they get to big. For more info check out the forums at www.kingsnake.com.
 
I have 3 soft shell turtles, and they are quite small.. Do they grow to a large size?

:)
 
It would depend on the type of turtle you had. The smoothie softshells get 14 inches for females and males about half that size. Florida softshell females get 20 inches, Males 12 inches. The Eastern Spiny get around 18 inches.
Here is a picture on a Fla. Softshell.
softshellbask2.jpg


You measure your turtle from the bottom of its shell. Front to back. That will tell you how many inches it is. For every inch of turtle, you need 10 gallons of tank.
If you had a 5 inch turtle and kept it in a 10 gallon tank, it would be like sticking a 5 inch fish in a 3 gallon container.
If you llove your fish, you are taking a big chance of the turtle eating the fish as it is one of their favorite foods. All it would take is just one moment and your fish is gone. Snails are also part of the turtles diet so if you are swamped with snails, feed to your turtle. If you need to have a bigger tank, one way for now until you save up for one is use a Tote. They have them in 50 gallons at K-Mart for under $15 dollars. Here is one set up.
turtlereq.jpg


One thing about turtles are they are messier than fish. You need a filter 3 times the size of your tank. Dirty water means health problems down the road, just like fish.

One thing about turning your turtle lose in the wild after they are all grown up. It could carry diseases that the turtles in the wild don't have. You could wipe out the turtles there where you turned it lose. Post on turtle forums that you are giving your turtle away, look for turtle rescues. But don't just turn it lose.
 
turtles said:
It would depend on the type of turtle you had. The smoothie softshells get 14 inches for females and males about half that size. Florida softshell females get 20 inches, Males 12 inches. The Eastern Spiny get around 18 inches.
Here is a picture on a Fla. Softshell.
softshellbask2.jpg


You measure your turtle from the bottom of its shell. Front to back. That will tell you how many inches it is. For every inch of turtle, you need 10 gallons of tank.
If you had a 5 inch turtle and kept it in a 10 gallon tank, it would be like sticking a 5 inch fish in a 3 gallon container.
If you llove your fish, you are taking a big chance of the turtle eating the fish as it is one of their favorite foods. All it would take is just one moment and your fish is gone. Snails are also part of the turtles diet so if you are swamped with snails, feed to your turtle. If you need to have a bigger tank, one way for now until you save up for one is use a Tote. They have them in 50 gallons at K-Mart for under $15 dollars. Here is one set up.
turtlereq.jpg


One thing about turtles are they are messier than fish. You need a filter 3 times the size of your tank. Dirty water means health problems down the road, just like fish.

One thing about turning your turtle lose in the wild after they are all grown up. It could carry diseases that the turtles in the wild don't have. You could wipe out the turtles there where you turned it lose. Post on turtle forums that you are giving your turtle away, look for turtle rescues. But don't just turn it lose.
THIS LOOKS LIKE A GOOD IDEA , I'VE SEEN CRACKED GLASS TANKS CAUSED BY TURTLES . NOT THE SOFT SHELL KIND . SLIDERS , THEY GET PRETTY BIG [ I'VE CLOSE TO 12 "]. THEY'LL SHIFT ROCKS AROUND THAT ARE NOT FASTENED , AND WOA YOU GOT A LEAKER. YOU ALSO BETTER HOPE YOUR HOME IF IT HAPPENS . THOSE PLASTIC OUT DOOR PONDS LOOK IDEAL FOR TURTLES . THE ONLY FISH I WOULD PUT WITH A TURTLE IS FISH THE TURTLES WILL EAT .
 
I Have my 3 in a 4ftx2x2, with 2 aquidens, 2 bristle noses a plec, clown fish.. the turtles sit on the plec and they try sit on the other fish.. I don`t see any eating.. :)
 
macpegg said:
I have 3 soft shell turtles, and they are quite small.. Do they grow to a large size?

:)
Yes! I have one softie, I'm not sure what species, and she is now over two feet long and eats anything, including my fingers.

Think long and hard if you're considering a turtle as a pet, they need huge homes and are demanding and very messy.

This is Bob. She's comin' to get you!

bob2.jpg
 

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