I want to keep matamata and have questions

[snakeguy101]

1) no. these turtles are not sensitive to nitrates or small amounts of choline or other minerals found in tap water. They will do fine in an uncycled tank.

2) As long as you are doing partial water changes, you should not need to worry about the pH. I never understood why every one was so stringent about the pH with these guys because they are not taking in water the same way that fish do so I can't imagine it having a huge effect on them. I keep my pH around 6.5. When I had my pH lower as I had read that they should be kept (between 5 and 5.5) he developed shell rot on his plastron. I do not know if there is a correlation but I removed the rotten areas and raised the pH slightly and it has not returned.
I would be more worried about thermal shock. Do not fill the tank with ice cold water or you could have problems.

3) I got mine as an adult and have had him for going on 5 years. He has grown only an inch or two from when I got him. Growth rate in adults is slow. As for small ones, I would imagine it being faster but I cannot say for sure. I would be fairly confident saying that a 55 gallon tank will last you a year or two though.

4) I would not try feeding pellets. Most pelleted turtle food is designed for herbivorous sliders and cooters, not for carnivorous bottom dwellers. Stick to fish. I feed mine live simply because it is easier bot he has accepted dead mud minnows from hemostats in the past. it is not tough to get them to taste something.

5) No UV is necessary. I do not even provide mine with a basking area and I have had no ill effects from this.

Read this whole thread and you will learn quite a bit:
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=259090

 

[Chefken]

Very excited to be adding a 4" Mata to my 150 gallon in the next week or so. cant wait to have an awesome turtle living in my home office where I spend lots of time. My kids are gonna freak out! Hope my wife is OK with it. LOL Loved these guys since i was a kid!

 

[piscavore pisces]

1) no. these turtles are not sensitive to nitrates or small amounts of choline or other minerals found in tap water. They will do fine in an uncycled tank.

2) As long as you are doing partial water changes, you should not need to worry about the pH. I never understood why every one was so stringent about the pH with these guys because they are not taking in water the same way that fish do so I can't imagine it having a huge effect on them. I keep my pH around 6.5. When I had my pH lower as I had read that they should be kept (between 5 and 5.5) he developed shell rot on his plastron. I do not know if there is a correlation but I removed the rotten areas and raised the pH slightly and it has not returned.
I would be more worried about thermal shock. Do not fill the tank with ice cold water or you could have problems.

3) I got mine as an adult and have had him for going on 5 years. He has grown only an inch or two from when I got him. Growth rate in adults is slow. As for small ones, I would imagine it being faster but I cannot say for sure. I would be fairly confident saying that a 55 gallon tank will last you a year or two though.

4) I would not try feeding pellets. Most pelleted turtle food is designed for herbivorous sliders and cooters, not for carnivorous bottom dwellers. Stick to fish. I feed mine live simply because it is easier bot he has accepted dead mud minnows from hemostats in the past. it is not tough to get them to taste something.

5) No UV is necessary. I do not even provide mine with a basking area and I have had no ill effects from this.

Read this whole thread and you will learn quite a bit:
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=259090

you're the man. thanks for the input. i read through that whole thread and still had those few questions. thanks for answering as i trust your experience. i'm actually purchasing an adult i found here and i can't wait to get it. the tank is actually fully cycled now but good to know it makes no difference with turtles. that just means i can add some monster fish in with the mata once it's fully assimilated! i see that you have cichla with yours. do they have show agression towards the turtle?

 

[snakeguy101]

The only aggression I have seen from the fish to my mata was I had an oscar get territorial and pick the mata up by the shell and drag him to the other side of the tank. The mata did not seem to mind and it certainly did not hurt him. He is also never aggressive to the fish unless they are small enough to fit in his mouth.

Good luck.