AboutYexalen Expertise I am experienced with the care, lighting, heating, breeding, sexing, species identification, and general keeping of mostly aquatic turtles. I also have experience with tortoises and land turtles and can certainly research any question that I do not know the answer. I can not answer medical related questions as I am not veterinarian certified. I prefer not to answer questions on animals that you or somebody else has taken out of their natural environment unless the animal was in danger, ill, or injured.
Experience I have owned six aquatic turtles and have been researching turtles for several years. I have been on several question and answer sites under this category. I also have started up a web site focused on reptile care with a portion of it for turtles.
Education/Credentials I have been around turtles sense a very young age and always found them fascinating and because of that it has lead me to researching day after day, reading book after book, and finding endless amounts of web sites with information.
Expert: Yexalen Date: 6/29/2008 Subject: red ear slider and plants
Question My 11yr old step daughter just brought home a red ear slider...(HATCHLING) from Florida. I have him in a 20 gallon tank set up,with filter and floating dock. what kind of (PLANTS AND OR FISH) can i keep in there for him to not feel so vulnerable? Also is the store bought BAMBOO from PETCO safe? i keep getting told to put that in with him at various pet stores, BUT!!! i've also heard it was toxic!!.. please help!!!
Answer Hello Zach, He will need a larger enclosure after a while but the 20 is fine for now. The thing about getting plants and fish is that the turtle will definately eat any fish that is in there. So only use feeder fish. But be careful as many of the feeder fish sold at pet stores have parasites. I like to stay away from fish completely. Baby turtles don't really like to eat plants but some will. So I am glad you want to be sure you know which are toxic and which are not.
The Bamboo you are reffering too does it look like the one in this link:::
If so then it is non toxic and can be used in the tank. Bamboo is toxic but that kind isn't actually Bamboo at all its a Dracaena which is non toxic. People refer to it as Lucky Bamboo but its not related to the toxic Bamboo. If that makes sense.
Don't use soil or gravel or sand as this can cause the turtles proplems if they injest it. The plant will be fine with roots floating in the water as long as the turtle doesn't get hungry for them.
Other plants include:::
""""Aquatic Plants
Turtles are more destructive to plants than are fish. Turtles use plants as food, to hide in, and to swim through. They bang into them with considerably more impact that your usual aquarium fish. Water plants help increase the oxygen content of the water as well as lower the level of nitrates. The following aquatic plants are considered hardy for use in aquatic and semi-aquatic turtle enclosures.
Temperate
Arrowhead (Sagittaria sublata)
Canadian Pondweed (Elodea canadensis)
Common Eel Grass (Vallisneria spiralis)
Crystalwort (Riccia fluitans)
Hair Grass (Eleocharis acicularis)
Java Fern (Microsorium pteropus)
Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana)
Water Hyacinth (Eichornia sp.)
Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes)
Water Trumpet (Cryptocoryne ciliata, C. nevillii)
Tropical
Canadian Pondweed (Elodea canadensis)
Water Hyacinth (Eichornia sp.)
Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes)
Water Trumpet (Cryptocoryne cordata)
Brackish
Arrowhead (Sagittaria sublata)
Canadian Pondweed (Elodea canadensis)
Crystalwort (Riccia fluitans)
Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana)
Water Trumpet (Cryptocoryne ciliata, C. nevilii)
