Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have mosquitos breeding in the turtles tank. i tried fishing them all out with a net and theni tried to lift up the glass that was on top---hoping that it would bring the temperature down so that they wouldnt breed...but it didnt work. and then i let the water evaporate a little so that the water is splashing a little...but thats not working. what should i do??

thanks
cathy
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Add fish. Mosquitofish would be best, but any guppy type fish would probably work.

Below is a pic of a mosquitofish. I catch them wild, we find them in drying pools next to creeks or rivers all the time. They breed like crazy, they bear live young. Females are much larger than males. If your turle snacks on them, its ok. Just dont get any big fish or goldfish. Once your mosquito problem clears up, they will eat flakes or pieces of turtle food.

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iturnrocks.com

I would also like to add to that, if you don't mine?

Earlier last year, I put two live orange feeder goldfish in the turtle's tank, hopping he would eat, but he'd never been able to catch them. I guess they were to fast for my little pigglet! So you can use them, too. They're very cheap... In my area, they are only 25 cents each for large ones, and 10 cents for smaller ones. You can get the smaller ones since it is harder for it to catch. Don't use the bigger and more expensive fish...the turtle will have no problem chowing down on them! I found that out the hard way with my cobalt blue gouramies, which cost over 3 dollars each.

Generally its best if turtles dont eat goldfish. Goldfish for some reason arent very healthy food for turtles compared with other fish. If you decide you would like your turtle to get a taste for fish, the image below will give you an idea.

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iturnrocks.com

Yes, I heard the same thing...since you brought it up. People say it has too much thaimin, or vitamin A with the combination of chemicals to keep the fish from dying in crowded living condition. I'm not sure if thaimin would do anything...because we and animals need it. Animals and people that don't get enough thaimin will develop goiter, and become overweight, lathargic, and then develop diabete as a result, and vitamin is very important for development of good eye sight which is very important. A severe deficiency in vitamin A can cause blindness. The key is moderation with anything. Although, I'm not sure about the chemicals, used to help the fish stay alive, can cause any harmful side-affects.

Actually it's thiaminase that can cause one of the problems with goldfish. Thiaminase is an enzyme that eats up and depletes the turtles of thiamine which is one of the B vitamins. The thiaminase is higher in fish that are frozen.
Goiters are caused by the lack of iodine in the diet, that's why table salt has iodine added to it.
Another reason why goldfish aren't the best choice is because they are a fatty fish. Guppies and minnows are a better choice for turtles to eat because they're not so full of fat.
You have to be careful with mosquito fish too because they tend to harbor a lot of parasites.
I feed my turtles live feeder fish so I do have them parasite tested at least once a year.

>>Yes, I heard the same thing...since you brought it up. People say it has too much thaimin, or vitamin A with the combination of chemicals to keep the fish from dying in crowded living condition. I'm not sure if thaimin would do anything...because we and animals need it. Animals and people that don't get enough thaimin will develop goiter, and become overweight, lathargic, and then develop diabete as a result, and vitamin is very important for development of good eye sight which is very important. A severe deficiency in vitamin A can cause blindness. The key is moderation with anything. Although, I'm not sure about the chemicals, used to help the fish stay alive, can cause any harmful side-affects.
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PHRatz

thanks you guys. im just scared that the turtle would just eat part of the fish...and i'd have to get the remains out. yuck! lol. AND...my sister thinks its cruel---yet she eats meat and fish. lol.

i really like the idea though. im paranoid and scared that the mosquitoes might have west nile or malaria or something. lol.

are there any other ideas, besides the fish?

thank you!
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>>are there any other ideas, besides the fish?
>>
>>thank you!

What is this an outdoor tank or something? How are mosquitos getting access to your aquarium?

Do a complete water change, refill with tap water- dont use chlorine remover. That will kill any mosquito larvae that might be left. Then get a hood.
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iturnrocks.com

my tank is actually indoors. a few mosquitos came into the house...and it looks like they just started breeding in there. im actually going to fix the problem today. im changing the water and the filter stuff. and then im going to put a tank cover on it. and im thinking of getting those algea eater fish and putting them in the turtle tank a few hours a week while i have the turtle play in the backyard or something. and my water has chloramines...i heard that stuff was bad for them. so i've been using that stuff. do you think i could stop?
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