Any fish tank experts here

[shaunnadan]

So I'm getting mixed responses from pet shops and online forums.

I just got a pair of red ear slider turtles with a decent size tank, filters, heaters , lights and rock for them to chill out on.

But what no one can give me a straight answer is the gravel. Some say I need the small fish tank gravel to make a slope for them to climb up and others say I should stay away from gravel completely cause the turtles eat the gravel by mistake
.

Any one here know what I should do ? Will be introducing the turtles to the tank this evening

 

[Sharrivz]

We had one, we used fine fish tank gravel and he was fine, I am not sure about them eating it, I have never heard of that.

Did a little google though and it would seem that gravel is bad as they eat it. i would trust the online forums more than the pet shops here in SA...the gravel was in the bottom of our tank now that I think about it and he never really went there much, his ramp had paving stones on it to help him grip.

 

[shaunnadan]

So I leave my meeting and start to drive home. Both turtles were in the baggies with water from the petshop relaxing on the passenger seat with the safety belt on.

As I'm driving I pick up the one bag to check on them and I see he's not moving

So I start to rush home, some advanced driving maneuvers along the highway thinking of what to do. Hopefully the other one doesn't die before I get it home, maybe this one can be saved, can you do CPR on a turtle ?

I get home and look at the turtles. They both alive !!!

So I setup the tank, will be doing some rearrangement tomorrow with some plants and maybe a few ornaments.

Currently they both just chilling in the corner or trying to escape ! Then get tired and go back to the corner to chill.

 

[Silver]

Good luck for the turtles @shaunnadan
Take a pic for us when you ready

 

[Yiannaki]

@Paulie also knows a thing or two about fish tanks

 

[PeterHarris]

ok, well since you have 2 turtles you will need the following:

1 mini katana (ninja sword) - it should be 2/3 the length of one of the turtles
1 mini ninja stick, make sure the ends are weaved with fine leather - the turtle will need this for grip.
2 strips of cloth with 2 holes cut in each (for their eyes), but make sure one cloth is blue and the other purple.

after you drop these "care items" into the tank then add 7-9ml of radio active fluid, make sure you are wearing a hazmat suit, unless you want an extra nose or something.

while you wait for the fluid to take effect, drive to Romans Pizza and order 2 large Hawaiian pizzas. trust me, when your turtles are fully grown they are gonna be hungry as hell.

they should be able to speak and know karate and ninja stuff, but if you are unsure you should rent a rat outfit at your nearest costume store just in case.

good luck!!!

 

[BillW]

Any pics?


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[Paulie]

@Paulie also knows a thing or two about fish tanks

Fish is the word lol

 

[shaunnadan]

So I landed up having to seperate the pair and split them amongst my house and Prenessa's.

So went out and got a new tank and accessories with some fish tank mates.

Here's the pics of Prenessa's tank. I'll be assembling mine tonight

 

[daniel craig]

I used the sand, you can find them at pet shops it has some calcium and stuff and it's like beach sand in colour...

 

[shabbar]

So I landed up having to seperate the pair and split them amongst my house and Prenessa's.

So went out and got a new tank and accessories with some fish tank mates.

Here's the pics of Prenessa's tank. I'll be assembling mine tonight

View attachment 34676 View attachment 34677 View attachment 34679

that looks awesome , whats the price on the turtles ? and the whole set up

 

[shaunnadan]

that looks awesome , whats the price on the turtles ? and the whole set up

I got the turtles from Durban at 300 each.

You can get a fish tank kit but need to upgrade the heater and filter needs to be at least double the rating for the tank you choose.

You need to get some heating bulbs and UV a and UV b lighting.

You will need a basking area for them to rest on that's easy for them to climb up and is completely dry.

My costs so far are

2x turtles 600
2x tanks with kits 2400
Lighting for both around 500
Food 200
Ornaments 700 (I'm using that as my basking area )

 

[s kajee]

@shaunnadan, about the gravel thing. My friend has a petshop in Musgrave centre and I frequently visited the shop because he would let me feed them, silly I know, but I was so amazed by the turtles lol. However, I don't remember (not 100 percent sure) seeing any gravel in the tank. So I don't think it's advisable.. Just my 2cents lol

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[shaunnadan]

Time to check in here ...

But 1st let me take a selfie

Introducing Lancelot and Merlin !


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[shaunnadan]

So my journey into turtle care has been extremely interesting and eventful

We start off with me assembling a tank. Got myself a hexagonal tank from the petstore and an ornament for the turtles to rest on. Then setup the filter and heater and threw in a few fishes for tank mates or possibly dinner and discovered some interesting things.

Turtles love deep tanks so that they can dive. Then also need big tanks to swim around . My tall hexagonal tank was not that big, and the turtles and fish all swam around in a clockwise direction. This was not healthy and when taken out of the tank they were highly disoriented.

Day 2 of my hex tank I discovered a leak !

So I had to transplant everything into a plastic bucket with some bricks for the turtles to dock onto and then got myself a new tank.

The new tank is big !

This lead to a new problem. Where to keep it and what to keep it on.

So I got myself some wooden boards cut to size and assembled a cupboard

I then custom built a dock and a ramp for them to dry off and heat themselves. Designed it based in a pier so it wouldn't take up too much space in the tank and the turtles love it so much I built one for Prenessa's tank.

The new tank was assembled and treated and when I moved the fish and turtles over they didn't want to eat or do anything. I assumed this was just stress from a new environment but after 2 more days I discovered that the one had puffy eyes !!!

So much scrolling on forums and calling numerous vets (many in jhb only treat cats, dogs and birds) I got some treatment options. A general anti-fungal infection water treatment and also was told to give the turtle pure cod liver oil as that's high in vitamin a.

After 2 days they were perfect and having lots of fun in their new home.

Currently the tank has 2 red ear slider turtles , 2 parrot fish, 4 angel fish, 2 mollies, 1 neon , 1 puffer fish, 5 glass fish , 2 loaches

They are all living together swimmingly


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[Silver]

Absolutely amazing Shaun! Loved reading that

 

[shabbar]

@shaunnadan what size is the new tank litre wise ??

also what did you use to make that ramp ?

 

[shaunnadan]

@shaunnadan what size is the new tank litre wise ??

also what did you use to make that ramp ?

200 litre - 4 foot tank

I found a plastic basket and cut it up. Used dowel sticks for the legs.

I cut up the base of the basket and attached suction cups on the side that fixes on the glass. Then to support the weight and make it stable I added the legs. The dock needs to be completely out of the water.

To help the turtles climb onto it easily I attached a small ramp which is held on with cable ties

 

[Jaco De Bruyn]

@shaunnadan Looks very cool bud, here is a pic of my tank. Still busy getting all the Hornwort down pesky silver dollars keeps up rooting them.

 

[shaunnadan]

Looks cool!

I also had some silver Bala Sharks but they were too aggressive for the others .

I'm now busy designing an outdoor pond

 

[Jaco De Bruyn]

I am very lucky my Bala's are super chill

 

[Redeemer]

Aaah, memories of a once loved Hobby of mine....
I used to be the one Called HellRaiser, on APSA, MASA, and SARK.....

4 Footer (Oversize, about 250L) a few months before I gave it away, as I was getting too deep into Marines...


JBJ Nano that got me into Marines....


And my 5 Foot Reef, Pride and Joy.... That also broke my heart, when the Eco-System Crashed one night... Kalk dripper stuck open, raising PH to over 14.... Lost all stock, and ALL hope, gave up the hobby a week later...

 

[BumbleBee]

Aaah, memories of a once loved Hobby of mine....
I used to be the one Called HellRaiser, on APSA, MASA, and SARK.....

4 Footer (Oversize, about 250L) a few months before I gave it away, as I was getting too deep into Marines...


JBJ Nano that got me into Marines....


And my 5 Foot Reef, Pride and Joy.... That also broke my heart, when the Eco-System Crashed one night... Kalk dripper stuck open, raising PH to over 14.... Lost all stock, and ALL hope, gave up the hobby a week later...

Beautiful tanks @Redeemer, so much prettier than my little tropical tanks

 

[BumbleBee]

@shaunnadan Looks very cool bud, here is a pic of my tank. Still busy getting all the Hornwort down pesky silver dollars keeps up rooting them.

View attachment 35894

Stunning, I'd love to get a tank with a few Bala's, such beautiful creatures. I just don't have a lot of time to properly get into it, my main tank is about 2,5 years old started with a few neons, guppies and a Chinese algae eater, the guppies didn't last long but I still have a few of the original neons left, added a few golden white clouds and they actually bred all on their own, now I have one extra

 

[Silver]

Aaah, memories of a once loved Hobby of mine....
I used to be the one Called HellRaiser, on APSA, MASA, and SARK.....

4 Footer (Oversize, about 250L) a few months before I gave it away, as I was getting too deep into Marines...


JBJ Nano that got me into Marines....


And my 5 Foot Reef, Pride and Joy.... That also broke my heart, when the Eco-System Crashed one night... Kalk dripper stuck open, raising PH to over 14.... Lost all stock, and ALL hope, gave up the hobby a week later...

My goodness @Redeemer that is awesome!
Must make vaping seem a much simpler a hobby to you!