I got 2 red slider and my tank gets really dirty when i feed them in thier tank,?

Question

i will try to feed them in a separate tank but only one of them would eat. the other would just swim like it is being chased by a shark or something. what should i do. does it get use to it and just eat in a different tank???

and when i put that one back it will eat in the tank its so tiring

Answer 1

We have 4 res, 2 yb, and 2 mm. We keep the YB in a 75. The other are just hatchlings so they stay in a 10gal. There is NO turtle food that will not cause your water to smell or cloud. We have tried EVERY one out there. We use 2 filters in the 75- the 501 turtle filter that is designed FOR turtles. We ordered it from www.reptiledirect.com. Its the cheapest place on the net. Any other place charges 5-15$ more. We also use a biotize product that helps breakdown the waste. Turltes are very dirty pets. Our 10 gal uses a filter called the SHARK which is small and sits at the bottom. It cleared up our water within 2 days. They will eat crickets, flies, shrimp, frozen fruits, anacharis-which is really good for them, a plant you can get at petsmart, and tuberflex worms along with their pellets. We usually will find a ton of dead flies behind our couch when we clean and put them in the tanks and they LOVE them. We also buy guppies for the hatclings and comets for the adults. This makes them have to chase their food like they would out of captivity. The filthy tank is unavoidable. Just do a partial water change once a week and a full change every 2-3 weeks. Make sure at the full change you either change the carbon/sponge int he filter or clean it super well. Its also helpful to boil the rocks you may keep in the tank. We use river rocks b/c they are larger and easier to remove than gravel. DO NOT USE SAND. It irritates the eyes of the turtles. Make sure they have an area to bask in that you have a UVB light over. We have used every ramp out there. Our 75 has a acrylic ramp with green traction that we got from the same site as stated earlier. We got the large b/c we plan ahead. If you have the space do it, b/c they will outgrow the small thing. We have used the corner platforms wich are fine. I do not recommend the docks that float with the water level. they are unsturdy and arent as durable. our 10 gal has a divider in it that we got from petsmart. it looks like a bridge on its side and you use aquarium sealant to seal it up. wait 48 hrs before filling and then 24 more after filling to ensure there arent any leaks. we then filled that with river rocks and they are able to easily climb out. You can also use just large rocks from your yard. we have even used cinder blocks b/c they LOVE going through the holes. Just remember to always wash your hands as turtles can carry diseases. I really hope this helps. Oh, I also recommend a heater. You can find one designed JUST for turtles on the internet for about 25 bucks and it keeps the tank at 72 degrees at all times.

Answer 2

I had the same problem, and I have four red-earred sliders. I had no clue that the cute little turtles I got that were a little larger than a quarter would grow to about 12 inches long, or close to it.

First of all, how large are your turtles, and what size tank do you have them in? I would suggest nothing smaller than a 55 gallon tank (even that is kind of small). If they are full grown, consider a 100 gallon, or even putting a pond in your yard, or an above ground one in a porch, etc.

As far as keeping the water clean goes, get two powerful underwater reptile filters. . .not fish filters. I thing there is about 15-20 gallons of water in my tank, but I put 30 gallon filters in it. If your tank is REALLY dirty, you may want to change as much of the water you can, add more, and clean the filters more often until the water seems to clear up well.

Another thing about feeding them, when they get large, you can feed them some feeder fish (not the large ones) once a week. If you use pellet food, I have a book that said they only have to be fed every other day or so...but I still feed them everyday, lol! I hope this has helped! Good luck...I know how disgusting and smelly that water can get!!

Answer 3

I had a red slider and a soft shell in a tank together and it always got dirty at dinner time. Sadly I think it's the food that makes the mess, not the turtles. The food (we used the kind in a green tube that looked like little green pieces of dried spaghetti) has a tendancy to be ashey and disintegrate upon contact with water. We found by minimizing the dry food to a sprinkle every other day and adding about 6 feeder goldfish (only if the turtles are grown) twice a week, the tank stayed cleaner and the turtles stayed happier. I guess turtles, like kids, like to play with thier food. Good luck.

Answer 4

I have a turtle, i usually give him feeder shrimp so when he's hungry he'll eat what he wants and in the mean time they just go around the tank and eat the junk so maybe you should invest in some? or you could also do what i do when i dont have the money to get shrimp, take them out of the tank and put them in seperate containers and feed them, then leave them around 10 minutes because thats usually when the waste comes out, then put them back in minus the dirty water, hope I helped

Answer 5

If you are lucky enough to get a male (it's impossible to sex a juvenile without risk to it or your wallet), you can get by with a 100-gallon tank. The rule of thumb is at least 10 gallons per inch of shell. This is cumulative, except that, if you have more than one turtle, bump the minimum up to at least 15 gallons per inch. Sliders do not "work and play well with others", as it used to say on my report card.

Answer 6

maybe you are feeding them to much food?? try just a little at a time and if they don't eat the food take it out right away.....that may help if they really don't like being apart

Answer 7

get a better filter