Habitat - Indoor :: plants?

[ice]

i know theres been some discussion over different types of plants, but i never really paid attention cus i didnt wanna get any. but now that i have my new big tank, i need some.
so what should i get? i dont want her eating any plastic ones, but dont real ones require some maintenance? i just wanna drop it in there and let it hang out.

[SpotsMama]

Lot's of people use a mixture of both - some plastic and some real ones.

For the plastic, just don't get the kind with the featherly leaves. Your girl may bite at it when it's new but once she figures out it's not good to eat she'll leave it alone. It will make the tank look nice and turtles like to hide in them and rest on them when they are tired of swimming.

The water plants won't require much maintenance because the turtle will eat them right up! That's ok because water plants are really good for them nuitritionally. Look down the page on this link and there's a list of some good plants:

http://www.redearslider.com/plants.html

You don't want to put many live plants in the tank because your turtle will probably just tear them up. Just put a small one in, and when she eats it up you can replace it!

Spot likes anacharis. I put a few strands in and he munches on them. Other people on the forum will tell you about their favorites.

[octpusgirl8]

It's best to get the plants that come in bunches with a little wieght around them, rather than rooted plants that need to be planted, since you (hopefully) don't have any gravel to plant them in. Anacharis is great for eating/shredding, and it's pretty cheap. I got some hornwort, it's really delicate and feathery, and he's only taken a few bites out of it, so it's been in there over a month now. It looks really pretty and natural. That might be a good one to try if you want them to last. Of course, every turtle is different, you might just want to try buying a few different kinds and see what works best for you.

[Tenodera]

I dunno if this is true for all turtles, but my turtle has her favourite aquatic plants and eh, not so favourite plants. So I buy the ones she doesn't like eating and they're thriving in her tank!

plastic ones are good, too. Turtles usually just test them out to see if it's food, but generally leaves it alone after that.

[marisa]

You can drop real plants in the tank, but they probably won't be hanging out there all that long. My RES never really cared for any of the "---wart" plants (hornwart, moneywart, etc.), but likes his anachris, duckweed and water hyacinth. I grow the anarchris in a separate tank and only give him some as part of his overall diet. Water hyancinth lasts longer, but since he eats the bulbs and leaves from underneath, at some point they wind up looking pretty beat up. The duckweed just floats and he eats it when it feels like it.

[Tenodera]

Serra doesn't really like to eat her Water Hyacinth...She sometimes just nibbles at the roots and that's all. The spongy bulbs are too round for her to get a hold of...lol

[ice]

i was considering getting some of that. does it float? or have roots?

i might get a few of those potted plants with the foam and just hide the pots with rocks or something.
i just moved my turtle (still un named..) into my new tank. she looks confused.

[marisa]

On the water hyacinths---my RES ate his pretty quickly, starting by biting off the leaves. However, the hyacinths in two of my painteds' tanks stayed around much longer, but they just got weaker and more sickly-looking, even though the roots and leaves were still there. I picked them up to clean the tank only to see that the lower half of the bulbs had been completely chewed away. They were killing the plants slowly by nibbling away at them from underneath.

ice, your turtle is just getting used to a new home, it's normal for him to be a little confused.

[ice]

yea i figured thats what it was. hopefully she wont be freaked out too long lol

so the hyacinth floats? im not quite sure what plants i wanna put in, but i HAVE to put something. it looks so bare.
also i want to get more river rocks. but i wanna make sure i dont crack the glass. will the added weight add risk?

[marisa]

You don't need a lot of river rocks, so the added weight shouldn't be that great.

Water hyacinths do float, and they have big, feathery roots. They also multiply fairly quickly. If you keep your turtle outside in the summer (in a pond, stock tank, etc.) they're nice to have because they cover the surface and help keep the water temp somewhat cooler, and their root systems help filter the water.

[WyredHardware]

Hello, New to the forum...

I was wondering what plans if any to avoid putting in with your RES. I saw many at the pet store that would look nice in my tank... I know my RES will think she has a nice new salad bar at her disposal but I am worried about making her sick.
Any thoughts?

[Tenodera]

WELCOME to TURTLE TALK!!


Well are you talking about aquatic plants or terrestrial plants?

Any aquatic plant sold at a pet shop should be ok for your turtles.

[WyredHardware]

sorry, Aquatic.
Truth is I am currently living in Japan and well.... most of the plant names I can't read. Or if they use katakana (alphabet for foreign words, English,French whatever) I can't tell from what language they took it from. I have some Anacharis in there now (I could read that word).
My RES is about 3.5cm long so about 1.3inches. Want to get some veggies in the tank. She hasn't taken to lettuce yet.

[SpotsMama]

I think the conventional wisdom is, like Tenodera said, that if it's safe to put in the tank with fish then it's safe for turtles. I'd stick with something that seems to be common rather than try something exotic.

Maybe you can tell what the plants are by looking a pictures. Here's a link with pretty good photos of a lot of plants. You can't go wrong with anacharis, though. If you can keep some of that in the tank and supplement it with leaf lettuce and occasional piece of bell pepper, tomato, green bean, etc. your turtle should be fine.

https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/cat ... pCatId=768

[WyredHardware]

Ya I mailed a list of pictures to my phone so I could match them to the plants in the store. There are lots of other plant species that look really close to the some of the recommended plants on this sight so I think it will be ok. Thanks for the link btw.
The only thing I am worried about is getting her UVB rays. Right now we chill on my balcony for 1h every day when I get off work. I can't find ANY UVB lights in my pet stores... I get blank looks.. I might have to order one online and get it shipped here.. hope is passes customs...