blueit7

I got two turtles :bounce: They're pretty cute. Very tiny though. Seem to be happy enough. Still adjusting to their new tank so dive into the water anytime they see movement. Eating well. I've wasted many an hour sitting watching them :oops:

I seem to collect male betta fish. I can't stand seeing them stuck in little containers or bags so I have to buy them and bring them home :lol: My question is, I have no females and am not set up to breed these fish. Will my boys be happy never having girls to play with? They take turns at building bubble nests every now and then. They don't appear to be to concerned. They all have tank mates or various kinds. All community fish that are smaller than they are and that don't nip fins.

Nice one Ira You just never know, that line may work ............ :lol:

Please please please take the time to get your skin checked if you have moles. If you have one that has changed make an appointment NOW. I have just saved my own life by getting one of mine checked. Thank god it was in an area I could see and I noticed the change. It has turned out to be a malignant melanoma. If I had ignored this it would have killed me Prognosis is good. I have to have a further op on my arm to take more from the mole site to ensure they get it all. Doc tells me it will leave a decent scar but who cares I have to have checks every 6 months to make sure my lymph nodes and stuff are all good and he is going to check all my other moles very throughly. I have never had a skin check done by a doctor but because I was aware I saved myself. Needless to say I will be having them regularly now. Hopefully the areas I can't see will be all good. So please, please, please get yourselves checked.

Get some frogs. I catch all the files that come into my house and feed them to my frog. No need to use fly spray ever.

Thanks. Do I need a basking lamp as well as a reptile light? The light I have is the same as you would put on the top of a fish tank but it has a reptile bulb in it. The cuttlefish shell would provide calcium right?

Thanks Ian, that's what is worrying me. He has gone into a brand new tank so there is nothing at all on the glass. My tank broke so my fish were living in a turtle tank for ages until we got around to fixing it. I stripped it completely and put it back together. Everything that was in the turtle tank as gone into the new one so there was no worries about cycling etc. Water tests are all still fine but I wonder what on earth he is eating as I have never seen him spend time on the bottom. He is really big. Maybe he looks around on the bottom when I'm alseep but he still never eats what I put in.

He looks really healthy. I just read that once they get big, they need more than what is in the tank so I was worried but I guess if he was that hungry he would find what I have been offering. He's really good at doing big 360's while he's attached to the glass. Looks really cool. By the way, how do you tell the sex on these guys? He might be a she!

I'm thinking he's just not used to it so is not looking for it. I reckong once I get him going I'll be away.

I've already tried that and yes I stuck it to the bottom and also tried attaching a piece to an ornament.

I have inherited a large Pleco, just an ordinary brown one. He is about 20cms long. I don't think he has ever been feed anything other than cleaning the tank. I can't get him to eat anything, I don't think he is used to it. I have tried alge chips and cucumber and he doesn't go anywhere near them and I have to end up removing them because they go yucky. I'm worried he won't be getting enough to eat by sucking on the glass alone. There doesn't appear to be anything on the glass but he is pooping green stuff so he must be getting food from somewhere. He doesn't appear to spend anytime on the bottom. Does anybody have any ideas on how I get food to stick to the glass where he spends all his time? I have tried attaching food to the ornaments but he doesn't touch that either. Any sugestions or any other foods I can try?

Sorry just thought of one more thing, how long should I have my light on for during the day?

I will be getting two RES turtles soon and just wanted to make sure I have things right. The tank doesn't have to cycle but the PH is important? They will be fine with no stones and this will be easier to keep tank clean? The light needs to shine directly onto the basking area not through glass. (I have a reptile bulb) Does this mean I should take the splash guard off my light as well? Can you tell the sex when they are little? I would be really grateful if you experienced turtle owners could answer my questions. I want to make sure get it correct from the start. Thank you in advance

There is lots to learn isn't there How are you going to get your new tanks to cycle? Just keep in mind it may tank longer than 2 weeks for them to cycle. From what I have read it varies quite a lot.

You will cause a massive ammonia spike and possibly lose the lot. Best to only add 2 -3 at a time, let the tank settle and then add 2 or 3 more etc. Adding only one fish can casue a small spike.