Reef Safe Turtle?

[sps4mytank]

thats a cool looking turtle. Are these guys hard to keep?

Also Peter, Yea i felt as though they were packed sorta like sardines in a can. I did think it was feeding tiem though. Maybe they were just gathering together to grub but who knows. I sure was amazed.

 

[Hahnmeister]

There was a guy, I think on RC, that had a turtle. I think he lived in mexico and had one that was about 12" in a rather large reef tank... at least 300g. I suppose they get to that size quickly, and they make alot of poop (as well as need a large supply of algae or something similar to dine on).

If I remember correctly, the Green Sea Turtle, Chelonia mydas, is what he had and its actually legal to keep depending on where it comes from. They aren't endangered, but restricted, so you need a CITES permit. IMO, its still a bad idea unless you have a public aquarium that is lined up to take it when the time comes. Even at that, I would consider it to require more attention and experience than most non-professional aquarists can give.

According to this site, loggerheads should be legit too...
Marine Turtles - Office of Protected Resources - NOAA Fisheries

 

[jascymcl]

Hey guys not attacking , not reef police just letting you guys know what could happen and letting you guys know the federal consevation law on all marine turtle (Leatherback, Hawkbill, ect....) telling you guys because I know somebody doing the time... So dont take it the wrongway

 

[BlazinNano]

Like I said in my other post Freshwater! They are awesome. Would be affraid to have a marine. They get alot bigger then freshwater. But a marine would be awesome. Just affraid to see how big of a tank you would need. Also there are a couple turtles that eat coral so you could not have a reef tank. I mean if you could have a big enough tank and get the permits I say go for it. I know I would. Who would not love to have like a 500 gallon with a turtle in it. That would be awesome!

 

[Acrokeeper3729]

I have a 300 gallon and I cant imagine anything larger then a just born hatchling in it. Even if it was legal and they were readily available I would think even 1000 gallon tank would be insuficient to house a sea turtle.

 

[JNye]

thats a cool looking turtle. Are these guys hard to keep?

Also Peter, Yea i felt as though they were packed sorta like sardines in a can. I did think it was feeding tiem though. Maybe they were just gathering together to grub but who knows. I sure was amazed.

turtles are easy to keep. you just need to do a little research. Their enclosures are also very cheap to set-up, mortar tub, water, island with heat lamp and a uv-b light. They can get boring though. I've gotten rid of mine.

 

[gar732]

You really have to think long term. We had a red eared slider that we got about the size of a 50cent piece. We put him in a 20gal long with a decent sized koi thinking we had some time before he got too big. In less than a year he out grew the koi, the tank, and ate his tank mate. If you give them a proper setup they grow like weeds, the kids loved him though.

 

[rendos]

I really like sea turtles.




Note the avatar.

 

[wicked demon]

I personaly think we should continue to bash other peoples comments, questions, ideas and beliefs. Its a good idea that turns into some real fun in the long run.:tongue:

 

[BlazinNano]

thats a cool looking turtle. Are these guys hard to keep?

Right now I have a 55gallon with 3 turtles, all under 4 inches. I have a Painted, Map, and a Yellow Belly. Just give them plenlty of swimming room, a place to get out of the water, a heat light, and a UVB bulb. And just keep the water clean. Remember the water they poop in they drink as well.

 

[Dave@ARA]

I'm selling Panda Bears WYSIWYG

 

[Amphibious]

Yeah, but are they “reef safe�?? lol!!! :sure:

 

[Bitcoin Reefer]

I have a 300 gallon and I cant imagine anything larger then a just born hatchling in it. Even if it was legal and they were readily available I would think even 1000 gallon tank would be insuficient to house a sea turtle.

I don’t know if there are any smaller species of saltwater or brackish water turtles that exist, but many freshwater turtles would thrive in a 300g tank. I had a turtle in my freshwater community 75 gallon for a long time. He was awesome, and oddly wouldn’t eat the over 20 tropical fish in the tank, just food I gave him or if I’d feed him feeder goldfish that I messed up their fins so he can catch them lol.

 

[Reefing102]

Holy Necrothread!

With that out of the way, when I was first getting into reefkeeping (I was 13/14) I always wanted to find a baby sea turtle to bring home when visiting the beach. The repercussions never “clicked” per se. Thankfully Mother Nature ensured that all baby sea turtles were safely in their eggs or safely in the water whenever I went to the beach. Nowadays, I would still love to own one but have nowhere near the capacity or experience to properly care for one.

One thing I’ve started doing when possible, there’s some organizations you can volunteer for to aid in sea turtles (those that mark the nests, observe the turtles during hatching, etc). It’s an amazing experience if you ever have the opportunity.

 

[dennis romano]

Sixty+ years ago, there was a well respected shop in NJ that was selling sea turtles for $75. Yes, real sea turtles swimming in one of his big tanks. As a side note, another shop in the same town was selling monkeys.

 

[Timfish]

Always wanted a turtle and thought, "man wouldnt it be cool to have a turtle in my tank"

Pretty sure it would out grow my tank fairly fast but I was just wondering is there anyone keeping a marine turtle? I would never keep a turtle in my reef tank, but wanted to see if it was possible.

If anyone does, do you have pictures of the one in your tank?

Strictly speaking, if you had a system big enough, and had the correct permits and cash flow to pay for the staff with the right degrees, yes it's possible.

I'd have to think though, just supporting the facilities that rescue and rehabilitate injured turtles would be much simpler.

 

[Vette67]

Sure. Just go to Maui and grab one. Nobody will notice. Besides the fact that they get north of 3 foot diameter shells….

They are absolutely beautiful creatures, though. And swimming with them in Maui was definitely one of the highlights of visiting Hawaii. So I get that it would be so cool to have one in my tank. But the logistics alone…. They are definitely better left in nature.

 

[Northern Flicker]

i must note i did say i personally would never kept them as i said in my first post. I just thought it would be cool.

I was more wondering about if anyone has ever tried

No one has tried because sea turtles are huge and swim long distances, it's not really a cool idea at all.

 

[7of9]

Sure. Just go to Maui and grab one. Nobody will notice. Besides the fact that they get north of 3 foot diameter shells….

They are absolutely beautiful creatures, though. And swimming with them in Maui was definitely one of the highlights of visiting Hawaii. So I get that it would be so cool to have one in my tank. But the logistics alone…. They are definitely better left in nature.

I love them.

And yeah, given the distances sea turtles regularly migrate and the fact they usually travel in large groups, I wouldn't think there would be a tank big enough to keep them happy. I have visited some sea turtle conservation facilities when I lived down south, but the goal there was always to rehabilitate and reestablish wild populations.

Some things, it's just better to leave them wild and visit them in their own habitat.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Always wanted a turtle and thought, "man wouldnt it be cool to have a turtle in my tank"

Pretty sure it would out grow my tank fairly fast but I was just wondering is there anyone keeping a marine turtle? I would never keep a turtle in my reef tank, but wanted to see if it was possible.

If anyone does, do you have pictures of the one in your tank?

No, it's illegal to keep sea turtles without licensing and special needs. The only people who are allowed to keep them are public aquariums and wildlife rehab associations. Even then they need to be declared unreleaseable due to injury or birth defect. Even so they need multiple thousands of gallons, a specialized diet and round the clock staff and vet visits.