Feeding and Nutrition :: tuna addicts

[scriabin]

The situation had improved with my movie-set rescues RES. I tried tuna and they were very enthusiastic. Since they've had such a trying month, I've been giving them mostly that this week, but I am a little concerned that they don't seem interested in anything else. I did just read the post about the shrimp-only hatchling so maybe I should try some touch love as well. I have two questions:

1. I've been told to give them a headfull of pellets (each) every other day, and all the vegetables they can eat - so how does meat (tuna, bloodworms etc...) fit into that equation? Should I factor that into the head-size of pellets?

2. By the way, when feeding pellets, do you just drop them in the water or leave them on land? I know turtles need to be in water to swallow, but dropping them in water seems to be begging for a lot of uneaten decomposed pellets?

3/ On thet same note, now there are little scraps of uneated tuna all over the floor of my tank - too small/soft to really get at with my fingers - last week it was pellets. How is this supposed to work, am I just supposed to leave that stuff to rot on the aquarium floor!? Rotting meat can't be good for their health?

Thanks!

Jonathan

[BullDog]

1. Protein treats should really only be given once a month. On a day you give a bit of meat, don't give them any pellets (since pellets are usually grouped with protein as well).

2. You should drop them in the water. They're going to end up in the water anyway. Most turtles have no problem searching out all the pellets, though that leads to:

3. Turtles are messy eaters (which you've noticed). Uneaten bits may end up at the bottom, too small for your turts to notice. This is why a good quality filter is essential. A filter will suck up those small uneaten bits as well as poop, then bacteria will break them down and turn it into nitrite then nitrate. (Less harmful than ammonia which comes from the turtle waste).

You'll want a filter that is rated for at least 3x your aquarium size. So if you have a 50 gallon tank, you want a filter that is rated at least 150 gph (250 gph ie 5x your aquarium size would be better).

[spaceapple]

And if you don't have a very good filter right now, you can always feed your turtles in a separate container. Some people around here use that method all the time; and it does make for a cleaner tank. As an added bonus, many turtles go to the bathroom shortly after eating, so that doesn't end up in your main tank either.

[megcornell]

1) Yes, those high protein foods should factor into the pellet amount. If you're giving krill or another high protein treat, don't feed as many pellets as you normally would. Keep in mind that those high protein foods should be rare treats... but, if I give my turtles feeder fish, I don't feed them pellets for a few days. They'd eat constantly if they were allowed to

2)Feed the turtles right in the water. With two turtles in one tank, I'd feed them at opposite ends of the tank so they're not going after the same pellets. When they get more used to a regular schedule and to their new home you can feed them out of the tank in a separate container to reduce the mess.

3) Maybe my turtles are extreme pigs, but they do their own housekeeping. I rarely see scraps of food left over. I'd start feeding your turtles less. There really shouldn't be a lot of leftovers in the tank. That being said, some people use an old baster to suck scraps out of their tanks.