Marshall
Turtle Keeper + CPL(H)
I am very grateful for all the tips and tricks available on here about my koi especially from Dave 54 and wanted to share a couple tips of my own that I know about raising turtles.
In case anyone is thinking of getting turtles for your pond I thought I would share a lesson that I think is crucial to their well being. As with any pond environment whether with or without wildlife in it you will run into waste and algae which can turn the pond into a useless eyesore and turtles are only going to add waste but this is my advice of how to deal with it if you have turtles. A bio filter is an obvious add on no matter what the pond is used for and I have had alot of luck with my bio filter. To keep the water clear of algae though I recommend using a UV filter that is rated for a little more than your ponds water volume because turtles are pretty good at making a mess. The one thing you should never use is a water additive that tints the water to reduce the sunlight reaching the bottom because this will also cool the lower portions of the pond and force the turtles to spend more time on land further from the safety of the water. It also causes them to run into things on the bottom when they have to make a hasty retreat to the water. Also try and get frozen food for their diet that come in little ice cubes that thaw in the water because not only is it a much healthier diet but it does not break up into powder or swell up like pellets do which add to the waste and mess in the water.
In case anyone is thinking of getting turtles for your pond I thought I would share a lesson that I think is crucial to their well being. As with any pond environment whether with or without wildlife in it you will run into waste and algae which can turn the pond into a useless eyesore and turtles are only going to add waste but this is my advice of how to deal with it if you have turtles. A bio filter is an obvious add on no matter what the pond is used for and I have had alot of luck with my bio filter. To keep the water clear of algae though I recommend using a UV filter that is rated for a little more than your ponds water volume because turtles are pretty good at making a mess. The one thing you should never use is a water additive that tints the water to reduce the sunlight reaching the bottom because this will also cool the lower portions of the pond and force the turtles to spend more time on land further from the safety of the water. It also causes them to run into things on the bottom when they have to make a hasty retreat to the water. Also try and get frozen food for their diet that come in little ice cubes that thaw in the water because not only is it a much healthier diet but it does not break up into powder or swell up like pellets do which add to the waste and mess in the water.
if I do ever get any though I would most likely give them their own set up.