Just bought an Alligator Turtle. Help!

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Hey Matteus,

Any recommendations on a water filter? Being that I have only about 5 or 6 inches of water ( height) I assume I need one that can just be placed directly into the tank?

Also from Monday evening to Wednesday morning, Bowser has eaten 4 of the 5 fish bought.... guppy left as of now... Do I need to regulate how much fish I buy/ he eats or just keep loading the tank with 5 guppies at a time and once there are gone do a "refill"? The reason I'm asking is I read that if you overload them with fish they will grow faster and get fatter leading to heart problems etc...

Thanks,
 
Bowser Frey said:
Hey Matteus,

Any recommendations on a water filter? Being that I have only about 5 or 6 inches of water ( height) I assume I need one that can just be placed directly into the tank?

Also from Monday evening to Wednesday morning, Bowser has eaten 4 of the 5 fish bought.... guppy left as of now... Do I need to regulate how much fish I buy/ he eats or just keep loading the tank with 5 guppies at a time and once there are gone do a "refill"? The reason I'm asking is I read that if you overload them with fish they will grow faster and get fatter leading to heart problems etc...

Thanks,
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I suggest trying frozon silversides aka minnows because they are more safe for them i would assume . But with the filter i dont know you tank size so i can't really help
 
Goldenburd said:
To be honest I wouldn't listen to petco as they literary been telling you some lies. First off you should never feed your fish feeder fish do to the health issues and i recommend you get a filter for your tank. As i can't see one. Lastly I would suggest doing some research on the turtle and make sure its not illegal to keep it in your state. Btw im not trying to be rude
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Hi Goldenburd,

No worries.. I realized that Petco isn't the most knowledgable cause they recommended minnows which from my reading is a no-no ( i did read that red minnows are ok... also I've been scouring the web for as much info as possible ). I dont think they are "lying per say" but have no experience with AST and think thats its the same care as a common snapper. In regards to legal its a bit weird... I'm in NY. The 5 boroughs have them as illegal but im 5 minutes away from Long Island ( I'm on the border really) which has stores that sell them legally... like Bob's Reptile store and others...

I have a 10 gallon right now. Once he outgrows that which I believe should be a year or 2, I already have a 125 gallon in my sights for RJ Bowser. Let me know if you have any recommendations on a water filter for a 10 gallon. If you go back to the start of the tread I have pictures of the tank and beast.

Thanks,
 
Bowser Frey said:
Hi Goldenburd,

No worries.. I realized that Petco isn't the most knowledgable cause they recommended minnows which from my reading is a no-no ( i did read that red minnows are ok... also I've been scouring the web for as much info as possible ). I dont think they are "lying per say" but have no experience with AST and think thats its the same care as a common snapper. In regards to legal its a bit weird... I'm in NY. The 5 boroughs have them as illegal but im 5 minutes away from Long Island ( I'm on the border really) which has stores that sell them legally... like Bob's Reptile store and others...

I have a 10 gallon right now. Once he outgrows that which I believe should be a year or 2, I already have a 125 gallon in my sights for RJ Bowser. Let me know if you have any recommendations on a water filter for a 10 gallon. If you go back to the start of the tread I have pictures of the tank and beast.

Thanks,
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Ah so you close to me which is a great thing because i know fish stores around yah mate i suggest going to thatfishplace (name of my lfs one of the biggest in America) in Pennsylvania as you can find basically everything you need for your AST. Also i would get a bigger tank asap try to get atleast a 40 gallon if you can as you don't want to have problems with anything and you can get a fitler for it easier. Also get another tank for basking.
 
AST's don't bask... even though I do have a basking place and a UV light. They live underwater there whole lives.. Also, they don't move a lot either like common snappers which are way more active... These turtles are like semi-living rocks. He keeps his mouth open and waits for food to come to him.

Thanks,
 
Goldenburd Goldenburd

Also looks like PA is having 3 Reptile Expos in these next few weeks. One on Nov 16 and two on the 26th.... PA must love its reptiles!
I was going to go to one of them on 26 but have to take care of some other business unfortunately. Will you be attending any of those expos?

Thanks,
 
The 1 inch per year is absolutely bogus. When they are big- maybe.

I had one when I was a kid because a friend of mine stole it from its mother and gave it to me.I kept it because I didn’t know what else to do with it. Within less than a year it basically filled up the 20 gal tank a had it in. I’m pretty sure it was 12-14” when I found a rescue for it. It grew much faster than you are expecting. This is actual experience not reading about it or talking to petco.
 
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Matteus,

I appreciate the info...I also feel 1 inch per year is BS and if that's the case, I'm just going to go straight to the 125 gallon from petco when the time comes... which seems like it could be within 12 months... I want to avoid going from 20, then 40, then 70.... feel like its a waste of money.. Petco has a 125 gallon with a stand for like $500 bucks... the best price I can find or I might just keep my eyes open and buy a used one from someone on craigslist or letgo.com.

Thanks,
 
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That’s a good plan. Usually you can find great deals on Black Friday. Go for a nice sized filter like an fx5-6. Bigger is always better. Might be a bit overkill at first but you will thank me later on

good luck with this guy. Be sure to keep us posted and send more pics so we can live vicariously through you. Lol
 
One more thing about the size of tank- you want more of a footprint than height. A 125 tall tank is garbage for this kind of turtle. You want to give it room to turn around and whatnot when it grows. They don’t need as deep water but will need turning radius.
 
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