# Turtle help



## jambohargreaves (Oct 4, 2005)

Hi guys,

Thinking of buying some turtles but i have never owned them before so i have a few questions.

I have a 6x2x2 tank and i know about the lighting and dry basking areas needed.

Can i mix species of turtles? i.e can i have a slider and a snake neck turtle?

I am gonna have at least 5x2x2 of swimming area so i was wondering if i could get a stingray in with them. I was gonna get very young, small turtles. I could have the swim area very uncluttered so the ray has room to swim about but do you think the turtles would eventually kill off the ray? or would it be the other way round?

How many turtles for life would be suitable in my size tank?

I would love to have the ray/turtle mix but not if either are gonna be in great distress.

Any help would be great

James


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

Habari gani?

What is that tank a 240? Good sized for a display tank.and one that would house a couple of turtles as adults nicely...I would not mix species, that is a personal issue....but if you are looking at doing a freshwater ray/fish/turtle tank then I would look to south american species of sideneck and get 3 or 4 young animals and raise them in the tank. Make sure you have suba dult or adult rays to start with...and juvie turtles to start with and you should be fine.....my only advice is FILTRATION FILTRATION FILTRATION.....and when you think you are over filtered, add some more! turtles are horribly dirty animnals, and keeping sensitive aquatic organisms in with them requires AWESOME movement of water and both superior biological and mechanical filtration!

Keep us posted!


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## jambohargreaves (Oct 4, 2005)

CrocKeeper said:


> Habari gani?
> 
> What is that tank a 240? Good sized for a display tank.and one that would house a couple of turtles as adults nicely...I would not mix species, that is a personal issue....but if you are looking at doing a freshwater ray/fish/turtle tank then I would look to south american species of sideneck and get 3 or 4 young animals and raise them in the tank. Make sure you have suba dult or adult rays to start with...and juvie turtles to start with and you should be fine.....my only advice is FILTRATION FILTRATION FILTRATION.....and when you think you are over filtered, add some more! turtles are horribly dirty animnals, and keeping sensitive aquatic organisms in with them requires AWESOME movement of water and both superior biological and mechanical filtration!
> 
> Keep us posted!


Thanks for your reply. The tank is 650 litres (150 uk gallons). Was expecting a big NO when i asked about turtle/ray mixing but u have given me hope! sidenecks are a bit more peaceful than sliders are they?
I have two Ehiem 2028's runnig for my Rhom at the moment. The situation is i have just got a 15" peru Rhom and getting a little impatient and bored of the lack of activity and interaction. So this is why im asking about turtles because im debating selling the rhom and getting something that fits the above.
Would 5ftx2ftx2ft be ok for a ray? and a 1ftx2ftx2t beach are be ok for the amount of side necks you sugested? are side necks my only option if i wanted an adult ray?

Thanks again mate, really chuffed that this could be possible


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## DiscusMel (Jul 21, 2004)

IMO i wouldn't risk keeping rays and turtles in the 
same tank.This pic is a ray a friend picked up
from a lfs and had been kept in a tank with young
turtles.










Turtles are great fun and you don't really have to
keep anything else with them.They are always on
the go and when they get used to you are just like
puppies in a tank


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

great pains would have to be taken with the species kept with the rays....I personally would do young mata-mata's with rays...matas are vacuum feeders and will not bite the rays at all...but even young side-necks would work if kept well fed, and the rays are given good substrate. This is a housing together that would require great space which it sounds like you have to offer..a well designed tank..it has potential to be one hell of a set-up. But it also has potential to be one heck of a disaster...


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## jambohargreaves (Oct 4, 2005)

Thanks loads for all input but there has been a change of plan!!

just this minute sold my 15"er back to the guy who imported him for me, in return he is giving me a 10" rhom which is the most active,aggressive, finger chaser he has ever come across (and some cash). So the new plan is to divide the tank using drilled perspex and having the rhom in 2.5 ft and the turtles in 3.5 ft. This way i can keep a piranha which has all the qualities i was after and have some turtles the other side, just gotta do a good job of dividing!

any comments on the new plan welcome......what do you think about the 2.5 / 3.5 split?

Any suggestions on which type of Turtle to go for and how many (2 i was thinking)? dont want to spend a bomb and would like some active fun little fella like discus mel described

Thanks again.


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

Only thing I can add is my filtration comments for you earlier....turtles will add significant amounts of ammonia....









get us pics of the finger chaser!


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## jambohargreaves (Oct 4, 2005)

CrocKeeper said:


> Only thing I can add is my filtration comments for you earlier....turtles will add significant amounts of ammonia....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


http://www.piranha-fury.com/pfury/index.php?showtopic=142996 - as promised, albiet a little late!

Everything is about to change tho! just sold the Rhom back to the guy who sold it to me as he made me an offer i couldnt refuse! so im gonna take down the divider and get myself a ray. I have had the turtles a while now and they seem to be quite placid. They dont really go for the other fish in the tank possibly as i feed them everyday.

Anyway hope you like the pictures, it will look totally different next week!


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## dark FrOsT (Sep 23, 2006)

those turtles are still tiny tho wait till they get bigger. love the tank. and i really cant wait to see a mixed tank with a ray and turtles. if i had a bigger tank i would get one


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