turtle in reef tank

[enoc]

I was wondering if, since freshwater turtles breath air, obviously!
What would be the effects of a tiny baby slider turtle if I were to
put in my reef. with some of the live rock sticking up towards the top of the tank, for him to sit under the lights and sun bathe.
And slip into the water every now and then to swim.
What would be the outcome, if any that would be negative on the reef tank itself..................

FFL :bum:

[Sloth]

Your tank would likely be fine if it can handle the nitrates from a rotting turtle.

Freshwater turtles are freshwater turtles because they have evolved to live in fresh water. No different than how whales evolved to live in the ocean. They breathe air, but you can't just take a whale and stick it in lake Michigan.

First of all, the turtle will die of dehydration rather quickly. I would image it would take a few days. If not that, then it would die from trying to eat some coral or something. They're not supposed to go there and that's all there is to it.

Now, there are some turtles that can live in fresh water or brackish water. I don't know about all-out saltwater. But I think those turtles might be protected, so it's a moot point.

[enoc]

mr sloth i have an 80 gallon bow front tank,so on one side i have rocks pirched high enough that i put a little cup with fresh water,i also feed it turtle food.i was just wondering if theres any way i could keep it alive.with out having to keep it away its the size of ahalf dollar.

[Sloth]

If by cup, you mean you have a container large enough for the turtle to swim around in, then there might be a chance. That's assuming the turtle has enough brains to not go in the saltwater or drink it. But sliders are skittish and if he's sunning and gets scared, he's going to jump in the saltwater for sure.

At any rate, even if he does live, he probably will choose not to go in the saltwater if he can help it. So you won't really see him swimming around that much. IMO.

I'm still not saying its a good idea. I would really really really encourage you not to keep him in there. He would probably be happier in a container with fresh water.

I think I read that turtles also absorb a lot of water through their sking, as well as drinking. So if he's swimming around in the salt water, he might have major health problems. Ocean-going turtles have a mechanism by which they secret salt from their tears. I don't think freshwater turtles can do that at all.

Here, check this out:
http://www.turtleforum.com/forum/upload/index.php?act=ST&f=4&t=5168

[enoc]

thank you mr. sloth i much rather give it away than harm it i just wanted to know if it might have even had a chance.if what your saying is true about it obsorbing the water threw its skin than i should defitnetly take him out only cause he does like to swim,the only other thing is that he is eating and swimming,but im not a 100% sure its a slider.

[Sloth]

I read a little on that link I posted. I guess they absorb the water more through their mouth, eyes, and cloaka rather than their skin. The result is the same though.

[DgenR8]

I don't expect a salt water environment to be conducive to a long life for a fresh water turtle, but that aside......
Sliders are well known carriers of bacteria (Salmonela, at least, probably others too) I know I would not want my corals and fish to get a taste of that!

[DLeAnnM]

Wow! The ideas reefers come up with. Please dont torture your turtle like that. I have 2 red earred sliders and I take great care of them. Why would you want to do that to a turtle?

[DLeAnnM]

Forgot to add~ If you want to get rid of the turtle, go to Turtle Forum or Happy Turtle Forum and someone on there will take your turtle in your nearby area or they may even pay for the shipping. It sounds to me like you are not a very responsible turtle owner-especially if you dont even know what it is. The turtle forum can identify it for you. I wouldnt recommend telling them your ideas about the reef thing though. They wouldnt like that. Also, do not let the turtle go in the wild. Remember that even though it is tiny, it is a life and he being a tiny baby needs everything to be perfect for him.

[Trumpet12]

Originally posted by DLeAnnM
It sounds to me like you are not a very responsible turtle owner

[QUOTE]Originally posted by enoc
i much rather give it away than harm it

It sounds to me like he cares about it.

[enoc]

You guy's have defitnetly made me feel guilty,and in feeling my guilt I realized that in the long run it would'nt work out for the turtle.So on my lunch break I ran home took him out of the tank and put him in my 10g tank,with some food and fresh water.I apologyzed to the turtle and it winked back.I just hope that i can be forgiven for this act of selfishness.

Thanks guys for the insight on the turtle I never thought i could cause that much harm.

[Sloth]

Don't worry about it. Everybody makes mistakes. You should see some of the mistakes people make with their reef inhabitants on this board. hehee.

Some people on here like to get all up in arms over stuff like this, as you can see. Do a search for "tang police" and you will see what I mean.

Its not very nice to the turtle to keep him in the wrong environment, but you get big props from me for being concerned enough to ask and even posting it in the correct forum. ;) Now lets see some pics of that 80 gallon bow!

[Algae Blenny]

Besides all the the problems with saltwater intake and eating corals, the amount of waste they put out (I have two that aer 12yrs old) would quickly cause an algae boom in the tank. Maybe if you had a very large tank seperated by rock, on one side of the rock would be SW, the other FW. Some soft-shell turtles can go into SW, but only for a short amount of time.

[DgenR8]

You did the right thing :thumbsup:

[Shoestring Reefer]

Originally posted by enoc
You guy's have defitnetly made me feel guilty...
It wasn't a bad idea, really. Just one that won't work. A year ago I wanted to do something similar, but with a water dragon.

[enoc]

I just wanted to add something different to my reef tank.I had bought my daughter this must have turle,that after a week she never looked at it again.So I thought why not put in the tank,I never thought that i would actually be killing the poor thing.at least now i'ved learned my lesson.Now its time for the next cool critter in the tank.this Time i will stick to what belongs in saltwater!lol.

[speccialj922]

i have 2 sliders and i might want to add that water turtles might be the absolute dirtiest pets you can buy. i imagine they would [profanity] up a SW tank pretty bad.

[enoc]

Yes I see this now,the water in my 10g tank is getting filmy and grey rather quickly.It's pretty amazing that a creature the size of a half dollar can produce so mych waste.Thank god he wasn't in the tank tha long!

[AnnArborBuck]

You shouldn't feed your turtles in their tank. Move them into a new container when you feed them. The turtles will deficate when they are feeding, so if you feed them outside of their tank their tank will stay much cleaner much longer.

[enoc]

There goes another mistake.I usually just throw the food pellet's wright into the tank.I really want to thank you guys I keep learning more and more each day.If they only had a forum on how to shop for the perfect ring I would be set.lol

[AnnArborBuck]

If they only had a forum on how to shop for the perfect ring I would be set

My only tip would be if you are setting the stone in platinum then you really need to get a clear (color wise) stone. Don't get anything below a color f or g as it will look really yellow against the bright platinum. If you go with a gold setting you can skimp on the color and go for size. But becarefull when using gold as the setting as gold is soft and something as simple as snagging they ring on a sweater can loosen the setting.

Also, rings are a whole lot cheaper if you buy them online. Get them from a certified dealer that sells certified stones.

[enoc]

Good thanks for that tip,im trying to get 1 carat in the middle.with 2 baguettes on the side,white gold.I thought pikcing the live rock in my tank was going to be tuff.

[Doppler]

Head into manhattan.I got my wife the perfect ring.I told them what i wanted and they delivered,and i saved about a grand

[Scuba Dog]

i know its impossible but I would absolutly love to have a sea turtle in my reef tank...........that would be the coolest, lol I would get fired from work for calling in sick to much just so i could stay home and watch it in the tank.....Just being silly dreaming...