Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi, this isnt a dire question, but id really like to add gravel to my ten gallon turtle tank. my two turtles look..a bit bored most of the time, and i saw on someone's response on this forum that her turtles enjoyed digging. so i figured, i might as well try it. however, i dunt know what filter i should get. i went online, i found this place http://artsofnature.com, and i found some extternal filters (which id like to get) and i saw some undergravel filters (which i have no idea how to work) and a number of great things. but the filter is my main question. can anyone offer any advice?

o yea, i was wondering what other food the RES's will eat. i feed them these turtle food sticks, but i wanna diversify their diet. i feed them some shrimp treats occasionally as well, but thats about it. ive been contemplating crickets, but i dunt know how to feed those to the turtles...ive started thinking abt some fish, but do i feed the fish to them live or dead? just in general, i guess my question is what do turtles eat, how do i feed that stuff to them, whatever it may be (are guppies a good idea?), and o yea, is there a point to buying a water bottle/dispenser for turtles?

Whatever you do, DON'T do business with Arts of Nature.

I currently am using the Fluval 4. Haven't decided if I like it or not. And I was told in another forum, not to use small pebbles or gravel, cuz the turtles can swallow it, and not be able to pass it

Robyn

Sand's always an option. My turtles are all substrateless but I'm stuck having to put sand in my fishquarium for a stupid fish. (ok, he's actually a smart fish, as fish go) I THINK I have 2 Fluval 4's and they're pretty good. At least they haven't burnt out yet.
-----
"The serpent crams itself with animal life that is often warm and vibrant, to prolong an existence in which we detect no joy and no emotion. It reveals the depth to which evolution can sink when it takes the downward path and strips animals to the irreducible minimum able to perpetuate a predatory life in its naked horror."
Alexander Skutch

I actually just went out and bought those river stones (I think they are called) they are almost the size of the turtles and some are bigger then the turtles lol

Robyn

Crickets...just toss them in the water...trust me, they won't last long.
Guppies...buy rosie reds instead, better for the turtles.
Chicken liver, hearts, beef heart... good in small quanities, so only feed them this once a week or so.
Veggies... experiment on what they would like...

Substrate..go to home depot/lowes and buy a 50 pound bag of 1-1 1/2 inch riverstones and wash em down and use those in the bottom, but keep and eye on the turtles trying to eat any of it.

Filters... Depending on the size of the tank, go for a Fluval 404 for a 55 gallon or bigger, or a Fluval 4 for smaller.

RES's larger than 6 inches can take pinkie mice and small crawfish easily.
-----
Coastal Carpet Python 0.1 (Lillith)
Albino Burm 0.1 (Kimba)
Columbian RedTail 0.1 (Squishy)
Kenyan Sand Boa 1.0 (Shai'hulud)
Common Snapping Turtle 1.1 (Sherman and Abrahms)
RES 1.0 (speedy)

adding gravel the best thing to do is give them more swimming
space. The more the better and I think a 10 gallon is very
small. You can buy really large cattle troughs at Farm and
Fleet that would be half the price of an aquarium the same
size. I use one and my turtles swim to their hearts content.

Gravel can reck havoc on their digestive systems if they
swallow it. If you really want to add stone, use riverrock.
It is large enough that they won't swallow it and it is also
smooth so they will not damage their shells. Keep in mind
that turtles are very dirty and the stones will make it even
more difficult to keep clean.

I really would seriously consider getting them a bigger tank.
The biggest you have room for.

Hope this helps
Linda
2 RES
2 Painted Turtles
1 Redfoot Tortoise
2 Iguanas