Habitat - Indoor :: Feeding tank

[Stalfos]

I have a spare 20 gallon tank. What I was thinking I should do was to use that tank to create a sort of water garden/feeding tank for Sparticus. I was thinking of using duckweed, anacharis, and water lilies as well as some feeder fish in there to keep everything balanced so when feeding time comes, all I would have to do is drop Sparticus and a few ReptoMin pellets in for about 20 minutes and let him have at. Does this seem like a good idea?

[SpotsMama]

It sounds like it might work. It just depends on how accurately balanced you can get it but it will try to balance itself automatically. The biggest problem would probably be in getting too many fish in there or your turtles' producing too much waste - those plants can only process so much nitrate. You'll need to oxyginate the water - a bubbler or two should do the trick. I kept a small tank for awhile with some anacharis and some sort of sword and a few minnows in it. From time to time I threw in some fish flakes and that's all it ever needed.

[octpusgirl8]

Do some internet searches on planted tanks, you'll find a lot of good info. I have my turtle's old 40 gal tank set up to grow anacharis and duckweed (water lettuce coming soon!) for him to eat. You can do something really simple, or you can make it as fancy if you want. Lighting is a big factor in plant growth, as is CO2. I have a big flourescent shoplight on top of my tank, and a DIY CO2 system, and the anacharis grows faster than you would believe. I trim it every week and Turtley gets a feast!

[Stalfos]

I have already, and I found (from what little I know of aquatic gardens) that is a pretty good set up.

Here it is http://www.aquariumgarden.com/info.php? ... proof.html

After checking on the Seachem site, all the products are safe for fish when used properly and should be safe for turtles as well.

I have a question as to what parts of the water lily should Sparticus eat. Is it just the stem and the grean leaves, or is it ok for him to eat the petals as well?

[SpotsMama]

I bought a large water lily for Spot's outdoor pond last summer. It was gorgeous - big pink flowers - and EXPENSIVE! Spot loved it - he snipped off the lily pads and the flowers just below the water line and let them float free. The lily lived for maybe a week after we put it in. Spot didn't really eat any of it - he just liked to snip off the pads.

I don't know what parts of a lily a turtle should eat. I don't think the typical ones are toxic. It's fairly common to see them in fish and turtle ponds.

[marisa]

It might be good to cover the sides of the tank so your turtle doesn't get distracted from his eating, unless you plan to keep him in there for an extended period of time.