Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Hello from the Philippines

[mikeneezy]

Hello everyone!!!

I'm new here @ the forums. I am a big animal lover. We have 8 golden retrievers, 2 parakeets and a LOT of Koi in the pond. I have recently encountered a problem. My friend practically just handed me 4 red eared sliders (maybe 2"-3"). Now I've always wanted turtles but I dont know anything about them. I have been reading up on this site and found out a lot of valuable information.

I live in the Philippines and its practically hot/humid all year round. Its a poor country but we're pretty well off so I dont want to just give them to anyone knowing they'll just die from poor conditions. So I have decided to keep them.

Is it ok to mix these turtles with the koi in the pond? The koi are pretty big already but I know whats in the water can possibly be dinner. I dont have a temperature count yet but I will soon. I do know the water pretty much stays the same year round because of the weather here. The pond has a lot of space has shades and some rocks that are above water for possible basking spots.

I live in the province so a good vet is miles and miles away from me. The local vets here only seem to know things about cats and dogs so i feel alone on this one.


So to summarize:

Can RES coexist with Koi in the pond?

Is the sun more than efficient enough to bask under in? (sounds like a stupid question but I need reassurance -=/)

How will I feed them with Koi around? Do I need to take them out for feeding?


I know some of these question have probably been answered and I do know how to use the search function. I just need the reassurance because I dont want them to get ill or die or whatever possible.

Thank you.



I will post pics as soon as possible.

[megcornell]

Hello!
The sun is perfectly fine for basking, it's probably better and preferred by the turtles than artificial lighting.
Depending on how small the turtles are the koi may be safe for a while, but eventually you will have a messy situation on your hands when the turtles decide to take on the koi. It would be best to separate them to protect the koi, I have heard stories of RES's just eating chunks out of the koi because although the fish are too large to eat the RES will still try and feed.
That's very nice of you to take in these turtles- I hope you can find a way to make it work-- if your pond is large enough you could always put a partition in.

Good Luck.

[SpotsMama]

Greetings! Sounds like you've got a terrific environment for a RES.

I think the RES will go after the koi. As someone said, nothing is safe from a RES. If the koi are bigger than the RES it means the RES will just take bites out of the koi until.....

Perhaps you could section off a part of your koi pond for the RES.

Sunshine is perfect for RES basking! All RES should be so lucky! Just be sure part of their area is shaded so the water won't get too hot and they can cool down if they need to.

I think you'll find your RES are fascinating and fun creatures. They are quite active and social. Can't wait to see your pictures.

By all means try out the search feature on the site. You are correct, most questions have been asked before. There is also a lot of good info on the main part of the site. You'll probably find many of your answers there too.

Look forward to hearing more about your RES!

[mikeneezy]

These are pics of the pond. It goes all around the front yard. I will be adding more water to it. These are old pics so the turtles aren't there yet. I will be remodeling the rocks and such too.

[mikeneezy]

Sorry you guys might want to move this to another thread .... forgot i was in the introductions only.

[SpotsMama]

What a beautiful pond! Really wonderful! Looks like it's already divided. Maybe the turtles could have the top tier.

[mikeneezy]

That's what I was thinking but I am worried about the cats that lurk around. They always play around that top tier but they dont even bother with the lower level since the water level is lower.

My dad already ordered more of those huge rocks. My dad is pretty excited about it. This is his favorite spot in the house as he finds it very therapeutic.

[industrial_girl_2000]

That is a GORGEOUS pond!!!

[zero_tails]

hey ur filipino! mee tooo. u must live in the rich districts cuz u dont see those type of houses in philippines much XD. nice pond pare!

[mikeneezy]

hey ur filipino! mee tooo. u must live in the rich districts cuz u dont see those type of houses in philippines much XD. nice pond pare!

Thanks pare!!! I live in Laoag City ....

and thank you to everyone for the nice and helpful comments.

[ploskinj]

wow!!!! that's really beautiful!!!! how old is your RES? im currently constructing my pond too, but my pond is indoors.

btw, im a pinay feels good to hear from people back home...

[mikeneezy]

I have no idea how old they are .... but they're pretty small ... 1-2"

Yea I originally lived in california but moved back home to take care of some things.

[theguys]

Hi - you need to make sure there is a basking area in the top pond ( middle) and try some netting or other method for keeping the turtles in and the cats out. Turtles can crawl out and take off - one of mine did, so you really ahve to think. On thing you need are pond plants - ie water hyacinthe, as the turtles can hide very effectively in and unde it. THey match perfectly.

[mikeneezy]

Those are old pics of the pond .... but thanks for the comments. There are more basking spots around now and the top pond is not being used for anything ....