# Turtle Requirements..



## Benan (Nov 11, 2006)

Hi, its getting closer to christmas.. and I need to know what turtles need for their tank..

I'm thinking of getting a 3 - 4 foot tank for a Macleay River turtle, I need filters and lights in there dont I? how much do they cost? and how much do they run your electricity bill up? and do I have to clean the tank our rugulary? or does the filter help me there? What do i use for a basking area? *stresses* what type of plants I need in there?
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## cyclamen (Nov 11, 2006)

u will need a heater. get a turtle dock, so they can get out of water. and any plant at the pet shop is fine, but be warned they will eat them. turtles make so much mess with tank furniture, mine is a bulldozer. lol. as long as u clean the filter out regurlary u wont have to change the water that much. u dont need lights for them to bask on either. as long as u hav a uv fluro. thats all they need. i setup wont run ur electricty bill up. hope it helps. good luck with ur turtle.


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## Benan (Nov 11, 2006)

Making a list to give to mum O: ) and what about when my turtle gets bigger? I cant put a pond out the back.. cause I got dogs and mum refuses too do I just sell it then *cries* or do I leave it in the tank?​


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## cyclamen (Nov 11, 2006)

depends on how big ur turtle gets. mine is a murray river turtle and they get very large, he has gone from the size of a 20 cent peice to the size of a small dinner plate in a year. with still heaps more growing to do. adult size a 4 foot tank is fine. but if u want to make a pond thats great. make sure u do some research about it. cause turtles can burrow and u would need protection, like a cage, roof. what i hav done is googled it and looked at peoples pictures to get ideas.


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## cyclamen (Nov 11, 2006)

lol. sorry, i re-read what u wrote, u cant hav a pond. lol
a 4 foot tank is fine for 1 or 2 turtles


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## Benan (Nov 11, 2006)

Hehe, im not sure if its gona be 4 ft copuld be 3ft but no smaller than that! I duno how bg a 4 ft is :X

but I know one thing! I am gona name my turtle gobbles! but you cant really name them unless you see them.. what about food, how many times a day and what do i feed em?​


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## cyclamen (Nov 11, 2006)

turtles are expensive to set up, but really really cheap to keep
at the pet store u buy theses frozen packs of turtle food, and they are little cubes in blister packs, once the turtle is little u only need to give them 1/2 cube per day. my turtle is 1 yr old i give him 2 cubes a day, cause he is a guts. i also put feeder fish in tehre and watch him go crazy till he has eaten them all. 
but they really dont cost much at all to keep once u have everything. just buying the food which is cheap and lasts for quite awhile. 
u would probably only need a 4 foot tank when its fully grown which wouldnt be for a few years


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## Benan (Nov 11, 2006)

my friend suggestion getting one of those kiddies pool you know the shells? and dig a hole put it in and use it as a pond but, I have 2 dogs and knwoing my luck my turtle will be stolen


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## cyclamen (Nov 11, 2006)

turtles escape from ponds really really easy. they are sneaky little buggers. and can climb quite well. as i sore with mine. if u arnt allowed to build an outdoor enclosure with pond. definetely keep it in a tank inside


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## Benan (Nov 11, 2006)

but your allowed to take them on the grass and stuff? and like along beachs  

Its amazing how ppl treat animals/reptiles so caring hehe and do turtles like fresh or salt water​


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## cyclamen (Nov 11, 2006)

turtles arnt toys, so i wouldnt recomend getting them out unless u hav too, it puts lots of stress on the animal. 
salt water will kill them
fresh water, but u need to buy the stuff from the pet shop to go in the water, cant think of what its called


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## Benan (Nov 11, 2006)

like you do with fish? its like a purifier it, I thought turtles like coming outta their tank for a stroll hehe, and how much do filters and UV lights cost​


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## cyclamen (Nov 11, 2006)

yeah, same stuff u use with fish. 
also u will need calcium, u get it from the pet store they are shaped like little turtles, u put it in there tank and it slowly dissolves.
um, turtles dont really like coming out. i take mine out a few times a week, and he is great, but its only to put him in the pond for a swim . 
filters about $25- $45 approx
uv lights $45- $80 approx
heaters $40 approx
these are just approx prices, cause its a little different in all states


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## Benan (Nov 11, 2006)

Yeh theres an aquarium/Fish shop near me i wouldnt mind snakes, at first i hated them but they grew on me!  but noooooo mum hates them.. and what age do turtles gotta be for them to breed?​


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## cyclamen (Nov 11, 2006)

this is the size of my turtle, and he is 1 year old


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## Benan (Nov 11, 2006)

Hes cute!  what type is he?​


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## cyclamen (Nov 11, 2006)

not 100% sure with breeding them. that might be advice someone u has bred em before could give ya. 
snakes are fine, but, if u look at getting 1, be prepared to be bitten at least a few times. 
i hav a carpet, she is a angel 18 months old, never even striked at me. i hava childreni and when i got her she bit me every chance she could, now she is good to handle though.


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## cyclamen (Nov 11, 2006)

he is a murray river turtle, his name is squirt


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## Benan (Nov 11, 2006)

Heh, yeah geckoes are cute too, I like most reptiles dont like frogs though. Duno why they are just weird hehe

Im thinking of getting a Murray short neck now hmm, i duno what i want need pictures  yours looks good

but not suree i definatly dont want a long neck​


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## cyclamen (Nov 11, 2006)

the murray river ones are gorgeous. mine is just a nutter , its like he is on speed, they hav a really good personality. i will dig up some pics and post em for ya.


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## cyclamen (Nov 11, 2006)

this is some of the setups in our house, far left is my turtle tank.


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## cyclamen (Nov 11, 2006)

i gotta go to work now, but will come back on bout lunchtime. so if u need to ask anymore questions, feel free to pm me. seeya.


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## Benan (Nov 11, 2006)

How big is your turtle tank?​


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## Zeus_the_beardie (Nov 11, 2006)

*My turtle setup*

I have 2 murray-river turtles in there.

Love em to bits !


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## Benan (Nov 11, 2006)

How big is your tank ?​


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## ldheav (Nov 11, 2006)

Giday Mate 
I have kept turtles for years

i currently use a 6 Foot tank but my new even larger tank arrives next week so as soon as i get it up and running i will post pics for u
My experience tells me that internal filters are essentally rubbish and do not keep up with the turtles high level or waste, get an external canister filter, that pumps at least 1000 liters of water an hour

they can very massivily in price according to brand 
i run a RENA and an Aqua one cf1200 on my tank 
the Rena is european made and set me back 200 dollors however the Aqua one is made in china and only cost around 150 dollors.
for a turtle tank that is 4 foot the aqua one would do the job easily.

make sure to get uv lighting

but as for a dock 
if you get a 4 foot tank u could perhaps consider putting a divider down one end of the tank so your turtles can get out and bask 
im doing that on my new tank arriving on wednesday. i ll show you what i mean 

rough cost was only 20 dollors extra

but any way to put together a nice 4 foot setup you looking at abot 450 to 500 dollors including everything you need plus a stand for the tank.

keep well mate good luck, let us know how you go, believe me turtles are worth the work 
:lol:


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## ldheav (Nov 11, 2006)

Also feel free to pin me for questions


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## timthevet (Nov 11, 2006)

I would do 25% water changes every 2wks and do spot cleans of turds/leftovers regularly. Good idea to also get ammonia and nitrate tester kits cos these can build up quickly and can be toxic. A coloured basking lamp (in addition to UV light with no glass in front of it) aswell as a heater for the water will allow the turtle to dry its' shell and regulate it's body temp better reducing the risk of disease.
'turtle food' in australia is unregulated in terms of ingredients and nutrients. It is therefore better to feed a 'natural diet': Australian tortoises only feed in water and should be fed whole fish(not frozen), adult mice, yabbies, shrimps, worms, insects (inject or feed on calcium diet) and occasional dog food. Tortoises should be fed daily for jouveniles to three times weekly 
for adults and less in the colder months.


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## ldheav (Nov 11, 2006)

mm very true
i once heard a saying for a reptile vet 90% of turtles diet should be fish the rest insects etc


if you get your turtles at hatchlings, put some live small fish inside for them to eat


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## ldheav (Nov 11, 2006)

Also Breden, if you want to Pin me with your address i can send you a fact shet explaining all of this stuff, myself and a vet put it together


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## Benan (Nov 11, 2006)

Okay thanks guys  my friend wants to buy a turtle (hes my next door neightbour) but he wants to keep it in my tank, but i dont think 2 would fit in a 3 - 4 ft xD​


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## ldheav (Nov 11, 2006)

Would b ok in a 4X18inch X18 inch with a good filter 
maclays dont grow that big


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## Benan (Nov 11, 2006)

Can we convert that to centimetres?


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## cyclamen (Nov 11, 2006)

i have been feeding my turtle frozen turtle dinner for over 1 year, and there aint anything wrong with it. 
buying yabbies, shrimps worms and all that crap gets expensive for a younger kid to buy all the time.


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## cyclamen (Nov 11, 2006)

and u dont need a external filter. they are very expensive. my turtles water is always clean, and all i have is two filters inside the tank.


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## ldheav (Nov 11, 2006)

remember if you go internal filters u need some piping as hatchings hate the water movement, thats why i would suggest a canister
u can pick up cheap canisters for only 100 dollors


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## ldheav (Nov 12, 2006)

TBrenan 
here are some pics of Turtle tanks i found on the net, i will post my own when i get my new tank om wednesday 
the last pic is of the canister filter i am talking about


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## Benan (Nov 12, 2006)

Thanks for them, how big is this tank: http://www.geocities.com/dkhodz/Images/tank_full.JPG

and how big is a 4 ft tank in centimetres? front and sides​


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## timthevet (Nov 12, 2006)

melgalea said:


> i have been feeding my turtle frozen turtle dinner for over 1 year, and there aint anything wrong with it.
> buying yabbies, shrimps worms and all that crap gets expensive for a younger kid to buy all the time.



This diet is very deficient and I would suggest changing it. The affects to your turtle are subclinical (not noticable instantly) but will lead to reduced life expectancy and susceptibility to other diseases. It can take years of an inappropriate diet before you see problems due to deficiencies.


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## Benan (Nov 12, 2006)

Ill feed them blood worms, can you feel them cooked meat? and i was told dog food is good too xD
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## timthevet (Nov 12, 2006)

Check the previous page for a good diet - should have a variety of foods. Keep dog food to a minimum as it has very high levels of vitamin D which can cause toxicity if given too often.


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## ldheav (Nov 12, 2006)

Turts diet needs to be veried
try things to see what they like but remember mostly meats but in saying that mostly fish 

bloodworms are ok but really offer nothing for the turtles needs 
go for small cut up peices of fish and earth worms 


and 4 ft equalis 122cm 

as for sides it depends if you want a 14 inch side or 18 inch side

i would recomend 18 inch sides gives them more room to swin around, 18 inch is 45 cm 

and also buy an external canister filter, i realise they are expensive but it is soo worth it in the long run


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## ldheav (Nov 12, 2006)

melgalea said:


> i have been feeding my turtle frozen turtle dinner for over 1 year, and there aint anything wrong with it.
> buying yabbies, shrimps worms and all that crap gets expensive for a younger kid to buy all the time.


 

Frozen turtle food is ok, but not all the time be sure to vary your turtles diet 
Turtle blocks are quite simply not part of their natural diet. This goes for pallets too


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## cyclamen (Nov 12, 2006)

i give my turtle feeder fish and gold fish and occasionally every fortnight blood worms, but the basis of his diet is the frozen cubes. and then all the other stuff is treats for him


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## cam (Nov 12, 2006)

yabbies are only $1.50 ish


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## ldheav (Nov 12, 2006)

Thats a better diet
go for yabbies tho they love em, just yank of their nippers first lol


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## Benan (Nov 12, 2006)

yabbies? mean  i like yabbies


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## Strange1 (Nov 12, 2006)

I like yabbies, so do my turts 

Anyways you can feed them everything I have listed HERE but add some fruit and veggies for shortnecks aswell. Mine love cucumber, pumpkin, watermelon and water plants!


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## Benan (Nov 12, 2006)

Omg turtle pudding is a defo! but I am gona stick to blood worms, vegetables, crickets etc.

Yabbies is mean ​


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## ldheav (Nov 12, 2006)

its part of owning a reptile mate


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## wicked reptiles (Nov 12, 2006)

You can just go out to a local river/lake and catch yabbies, their for free!


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## Benan (Nov 12, 2006)

Yeah me and my cousin went yabbie fishing in a dam and we got 2  but he keeps em xD​


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## wicked reptiles (Nov 12, 2006)

Only 2? unlucky , I usualy get a good haul then keep them in tanks while slowly feeding them off to the turtles (I also freeze some if I get lots)slowly.


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## Benan (Nov 12, 2006)

I have no dams near me xD can you buy yabbies from pet store​


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## wicked reptiles (Nov 12, 2006)

Yeah, you can buy them but are pretty expensive, well they are in all the pet stores ive seen!


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## Benan (Nov 12, 2006)

1 male + 1 female = breed? and yabbies only need a tiny tank​


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## wicked reptiles (Nov 12, 2006)

I have always put them in large tanks coz i read in a couple of places they kill each other and get stressed without like 40cm (dont know by wat)


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## Benan (Nov 12, 2006)

well im not gona buy a 2 ft tank for then xD​


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## wicked reptiles (Nov 12, 2006)

I just had a spare and used that, and I dont think u would have to many fatalitys if only keeping them for a short time.

Good night everyone!


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## Benan (Nov 12, 2006)

Okay thanks! ​


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## Tatelina (Nov 15, 2006)

cam said:


> yabbies are only $1.50 ish



This thread has been very educational.. thankyou to everyone!

Where do you buy yabbies from in Sydney??


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## Strange1 (Nov 15, 2006)

I get mine from St Mary's pets. 5 for $9 I think. Thye are a different species to the normal blue claw (Destructor). Does anyone know what species they actually are?


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## wicked reptiles (Nov 15, 2006)

Woud they be red claw?


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## Strange1 (Nov 15, 2006)

These dont grow as large and have really small nippers. I'll try and get a pic at some stage


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## Benan (Nov 15, 2006)

Yabbies hard to breed​


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## ldheav (Nov 15, 2006)

[
]

I would nto bother breeding yabs

easier just to buy them 
they dont have to be fed all the time every meal remember 

New tank arrives tomorow 

stay tuned for pics :lol: 
quote=Benan;673012]Yabbies hard to breed​
[/quote]


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## wicked reptiles (Nov 15, 2006)

I am ready for da pics!


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