radu

Hi I thought they were illegal too, if not where can you get them from?

Hi Thought it would be nice to put a piece of driftwood in my turtle tank, so purchased a piece from animates yesterday. Can anyone let me know if this is really okay to put into their tank? asked the staff and they said yes, but then it was animates (I had to remind myself asking and being told yes, was wasted time). Also have no stones or pebbles at the bottom of my tank as read that it helps keep the tank cleaner, wondering if others also do the same?

yes, I wonder why the red too, to be honest?? does it have properties that the other colours don't? and I suppose they are easily sourced from light bulb places??

Hi Can anyone tell me please where I can buy the bulb that you use for turtles to bask under. Was able to purchase from TM a while ago and the price wasn't too bad but that ran out. No sign of them being sold on TM now. I also don't really want to pay the earth as I have seen them in petshops in the past and they are over the top in price. If that's the only option I will pay but just wondering if anyone can "shed some light" on where to obtain a screw in bulb that is a reasonable price (my lamp holder takes up to 100W), in Wellington. thanks

Hi the reason I posted the above is that it is a 7 foot turtle tank, and as it is so heavy and large I cannot move it and I need to hire people to do it. thaks

Hi Can you please tell me what can be used to protect the carpet that my fish tank will be sitting on in the future. It now sits on floorboards but since it will be sitting on carpet there has been panic about water changes and getting the carpet wet. Can someone that has found a really good solution to this problem suggest something that can also look appealing eg. somehting that could be put under the tank that doesn't look tackie like plastic and is not going to cost the earth and pretty sureproof to protect the carpet be suggested? thanks

Hi I have to move from the Eastern suburbs to Lower Hutt and would like some advice on which movers could be realiable to transport my 7 foot tank plus stand. Also could you tell me if when moving I would need to also tansport the water in the tank separately in buckets to the new destination? as I am aware that my filter is biologically running and seasoned well. So bascially does it affect my filter if I use completly new water at my new address when the tank arrives as although it would be easier to not have to transport the old tank water if it means not upsetting the biological filter I'll just have to do it. Also have a fish tank, not as large but does the same also apply to that water? Thanks

Thank you for your reply most helpful, could you also tell me what kind of plant can be feed? I also have been giving a variety of food to my turtles, some is dried is that ok? I have approx 4 different type of dried foods.

Hi Am wondering if it is okay to feed daphnia, brine shrimp and bloodworms to turtles? I feed them to my gold fish so wondered if my turtles could also indulge. A woman at Animates told me that Chris from Hothouse turtles had told her that bloodworms occassionally are okay, but to watch it as apparently they can really get the taste for them and not want to eat anything else. Thanks

Thanks for all your help, I now intend to upgrade when they are both larger to a 5 - 6 foot tank. Maybe, in a year's time. Noticed that my first reeves has definitely had a growth spurt lately. I find it interesting that they really seem to enjoy swimming around alot. Which makes me rather sad and concerned that some turtle keepers don't seem to have enough water in their tanks for their turtles to actually swim around in.

Hi thanks for your replies but could someone please let me know the answer to my first question? What size tank should I have for two fully grown reeves turtles? at the moment they are far from fully grown but just need to know what size I should get in the future for them. Thanks

HI One from Animates in Wellington in October but they apparently waited some 5 years for it to arrive as they were on the "waiting list." The other from Animalz in Wellington as an elderly lady had to give it up as she was going into an old folks home. Both were not cheap a lot more than the RES or snake nexks.

Thanks, okay but if I wanted to keep them housed inside for their lifetime, what size tank is recommended? I am aware that the Reeves is smaller than the RES or snake neck turtle when fully grown.

Hi Can someone please let me know if my four foot tank will be adequate for housing two reeves turtles for their lifetime? I just need to know if I will need to upgrade to a bigger tank in the future. Thanks

Hi I have a baby turtle and am thinking of changing the filter on his tank to a fluval 304 external filter. Question I have are: The tank is two feet long and I have filled it with 50 litres of water and am wondering if the 304 external cannister filter will be too over the top for that size tank and water. the other thing also is I was told that as I have this filter now working on a fish tank for at least two years and it is of course a cycled tank with a mature filer containing good bacteria that I should just move it over to the turtle tank as is. What I need to know is, is the information that I got correct does a turtle need a biological filter going or not? as I thought when cleaning a filter for a turtle tank the aim was to have it clean as pos meaning I thought I would have to wash each basket in the filter as opposed to fish where I would not wash some parts in the filter to keep the good bacteria in. Can someone please tell me what's right for turtle setup please?? The 304 filter also is meant to filter up to 300 litres and of course I only have 50 litres of water in my tank so is it okay to use this filter for the small amount of water in this tank? Also, the filter I have has got ceramic noodles in each compartment and the sponges. If I can use this filter do I need to get rid of some of the noodles and put in carbon or what is the best insides for a turtle filter?? Thanks

Hi Well, I did decide to wait for the meth blue, tried another petshop the next day and they had it. I was told by Animates young staff member that it was illegal to get meth blue by itself so that is all I could buy over the counter. I questioned that as soon as she told me as I have always tried to avoide going to animates as they all seem to know nothing and are just there to fill in time. Went in yesterday took the tonic back and told the girl that what she had told me was wrong. The water I have my fish in has a uv sterilser so the water is always super clean and I do water changes regularly. Water is crystal clear, Oranda seems okay can't belive it. Truth, be told I was probably more shaken up by the whole thing than he was!! I dabbed a small amount of meth blue on his head yesterday as he does have a small hole there in the wen but his wen is so big I guess it protected anything major being hurt. He is still slightly red in parts and the pipe got very close to his eye (the only eye he can see out of as the other is pretty much covered with his wen). He is looking healthy eating and happy, thanks for all your help. Have decided to let him heal from this point naturally and only do that single dose of meth blue on his head and keep an eye on him. Was told that if he was going to die he would have done it in the first hour of having the accident. As for my other oranda he is sitting at the top of my tank unwell and now very round. I have given him peas and tried to insert a small grain of empsom salts in case its constipation as I don't think this is dropsy. Can anyone shed any light on what I am dealing with here?? I had a fish breeder check him out the other day only symptoms then were fish staying at the top of the water level for long periods otherwise he would swim around fine. This must be something internal as he has now become swollen.

Well I had an accident today because I had left the inlet pipe top off my tank filter while cleaning the tank and my oranda's wen got caught in the inlet pipe. I managed to get him out but he now has a small hole/dent in his head. It did bled slightly and in fact he looks slightly bruised very close to his eye, but he seems fine, his dorsal fin is still erect and he seems okay. Have been told to dab a small amount of Methylene blue on his wound but when I got to the pet shop they could only offer me something by Wunder called tonic. The question I have is: Can I use what they sold me as it does not seem to be just Methylene blue it's ingredients are: 1.5% methylene blue, 0.1% malachite green, 0.05% acriflavine, 0.04% quinine in aqueous solution. The instructions say 1 ml per 20 liitres. thanks

Hi Well I am trying yet again, to ask for someone that is really knowledgable about fish (specifically orandas) to help me. In the past no one has responded. Could someone please help me as I really need to have someone knowledgable to have a look at one of my orandas and assess him, this is urgent, have had several deaths in the past and could not stand loosing him as well. Please contact me via here, would so appreciate someone offering to come over and see my setup. Thanks

Hi Sorry I don't know exactly what are reflectors? is it something to do with the foil like covering that is on the top part of a lighthood?

Hi I went to the local petshop and brought a moonlight tube so I now have a daylightstar and a moonlight tube. The mooon light tube has a pretty blue hue to it that really does show up the blue in one of my fish. Total now is 30w x 2. Thought I might swop the daylightstar and just have two moonlight tubes but from what I see two of them wouldn't be bright enough. The moonlight tube in itself was somewhat costly I must say.

Hi thanks for the replies so far. I do not have any algae eaters, my tank is simple it has a bubble wall and it holds 3 large fancy goldfish and a ryukin. (not sure of the spelling sorry).

Hi I have a four foot tank and at present one 30 watt daylightstar Sylvania tube as lighting. I have had a build up of brown algae in a short time and wondered if I should increase the lighting I have for the size tank I have. Could someone please let me know what is the suggested wattage of light that should be used for a 122 cm (four foot tank). The above tube was pretty expensive and it is meant to block out UV thus reducing algae problems and basically show up the colours of the fish.

Thank you all for your help and support so far. Have now put in the furan and he is still swimming around. But mostly stays at the top of the water, still bloated. Have just got some epsom salt and will add that to the water. He is an oranda, in fact the first oranda I ever got. Named him "Little whale" he is a bronzie silver colour and he has been with me for 14 mths. Have had a few orandas die since he has been with me and he has had probs with swim bladder at times, but I fed him peas and isolated him used furan and he came right. If it comes to having to put him down I think I will take him to my vet to do it as she was very kind and put another one of my orandas down and did not even charge me.

Hi The thing I don't understand is how the fish got unwell. I have always looked after the water conditions in my tanks and always kept up the maintenance of my tanks. All water parameters are really good, so why did the fish get it in the first place. Have now lsolated the fish in a 40 litre tank and will go out and get some furan and try that. I am also considering using a bit of epsom salts from reading a previous post on Dropsy on this forum. I feel I have to try to help esp as I have had this fish for over a year and have kinda formed a bond with it. Might sound silly but that's how it is.

Hi I am pretty sure that my fish has dropsy. He is bloated and stays up at the top of the water most of the time by the outlet pipe of my filter. His scales are slightly raised but not to the extent of a pinecone affect. Could someone please let me know what to use to treat this. I have books (American books) that say a broad spectrum antibiotic would work, but when trying to get something that meets this description from a petshop not only do the staff not know (as per usual) have also been told that any meds that can help are not allowed into the country because of NZ laws, is this right??? I need help asap as I would hate for my fish to die. Thanks