Diamondback terrapin

[hobbie1993]

Am getting a pair of Diamondback terrapin turtles and am thinking of putting a moss ball in the tank. Does anybody know if this kind of plant is safe for these turtle? I have seen them in other turtle tanks on youtube. But I want to be safe then sorry. Thanks

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

Welcome
After a quick Googling, it seems like moss balls are ripped apart fairly quickly by turtles, but nothing on whether they are toxic or not... which does not mean they are safe.
Even if your terrapins leave them intact, I don't know about their edible quality. Maybe @Anthony P can tell you
Good luck with new turtles.

 

[wellington]

I can tell you they work. I use them in my fish tank and used to use them in my frogs water.

 

[Angel Carrion]

I can tell you they work. I use them in my fish tank and used to use them in my frogs water.

What do moss balls do?

 

[wellington]

What do moss balls do?

They keep my water clean longer, keeps algae off the glass longer and also, with the frogs water, which had no filter, it kept it clean and no algae build up either more months. Like three or four months then I get new ones. I did water changes of course during this time, but there is no slime/algae build up at all.

 

[Angel Carrion]

They keep my water clean longer, keeps algae off the glass longer and also, with the frogs water, which had no filter, it kept it clean and no algae build up either more months. Like three or four months then I get new ones. I did water changes of course during this time, but there is no slime/algae build up at all.

Damn that would have helped a ton on my last tank. It got overrun with algae not matter how much I scrubbed or did water changes or brought different species of algae eaters! Haha.
Thank you!

 

[wellington]

Damn that would have helped a ton on my last tank. It got overrun with algae not matter how much I scrubbed or did water changes or brought different species of algae eaters! Haha.
Thank you!

The ones I used, not sure if there are other types, seemed to be like a cats toy ball, with probably carbon in the middle and then the green moss covering it all. It felt like green fur, so not sure if it was real moss or not, but it worked great.

 

[Angel Carrion]

The ones I used, not sure if there are other types, seemed to be like a cats toy ball, with probably carbon in the middle and then the green moss covering it all. It felt like green fur, so not sure if it was real moss or not, but it worked great.

I'll keep that in mind if my current tank starts getting alae-fied. I moved it so it's away from any windows this time.

 

[wellington]

This is the kind I used. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004MYIENA/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

 

[hobbie1993]

Welcome
After a quick Googling, it seems like moss balls are ripped apart fairly quickly by turtles, but nothing on whether they are toxic or not... which does not mean they are safe.
Even if your terrapins leave them intact, I don't know about their edible quality. Maybe @Anthony P can tell you
Good luck with new turtles.

Thanks for the info Yellow Turtle01. if @Anthony P can shed some light on the edibility that would be great!

 

[hobbie1993]

wellington, I agree with everybody, they are great in fish tanks!!!!!

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

I can tell you they work. I use them in my fish tank and used to use them in my frogs water.

Really? I've got this huge pleco, think he'd eat it?

 

[hobbie1993]

I guess it depends on how big the pleco is, LOL! Yellow Turtle01

 

[hobbie1993]

Couple of pictures on how these guys are doing so far. I'll post a video soon. Youtube?

 

[Anthony P]

Hey there! Sorry I didn't answer your question sooner. The moss balls should be fine. Give it a try and see how they do. The turtles might mess with them enough to keep the balls from doing well. I doubt DBTs will mess with them too much, but they are super active turtles, so who knows, really.

They can, like any aquatic plants, keep the water much cleaner as they remove waste from the water. Are you buying the balls from a pet store, already in water, or the dry ones in a box, that grow once you place them in water yourself?

 

[hobbie1993]

No worries thanks for the information! I have one more question for you, my lighting that provided uvb and uva burned out today
(http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000256DP4/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20)
. So I did some reading on lighting (http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Reptile-Health/Habitats-Care/Reptile-Lighting-Information/) and there is alot out there! can I just use a flood light for heating and some uvb need (Like the article suggests)? If I go that route what other lighting would you recommend for uvb and uva. I hope this was not confusing . Here what my set upi looks like now but am going to tweak it.

 

[Spencertretter]

When I got my two Terrapins I had a Pleco, fancy guppies, and ghost shrimp. Also had moss balls and a bunch of other plants. My Terrapins were only a few months old like yours (yolk still on their stomachs). The tank looked great and everything ran smooth for a few months. Eventually they started to nip at the fish and destroy the plants. They never liked the moss balls enough to eat them tho. I'd keep them in as long as they don't shred them up... That could lead to a disaster with the filter.

 

[hobbie1993]

Thanks for the info Spencertretretter! Here'spicture of the tank.

 

[Spencertretter]

No problem. Your tank looks good! You might want to consider investing in a canister filter soon. These guys grow fast and you'll need good filtration. I've had an EHEIM Classic 250 External Canister Filter since the day I got my little guys. Will have to upgrade soon though. Any questions just let me know

 

[Angel Carrion]

View attachment 146066 No worries thanks for the information! I have one more question for you, my lighting that provided uvb and uva burned out today
(http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000256DP4/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20)
. So I did some reading on lighting (http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Reptile-Health/Habitats-Care/Reptile-Lighting-Information/) and there is alot out there! can I just use a flood light for heating and some uvb need (Like the article suggests)? If I go that route what other lighting would you recommend for uvb and uva. I hope this was not confusing . Here what my set upi looks like now but am going to tweak it.View attachment 146069

Gah! Get rid of that coil bulb! They are damaging to their eyes.