Best Turtle for 140 Gallon Aquaponic?

Hello! I am thinking about getting a turtle for my 140 gallon aquaponic system. I am housing them in a 140 gallon stock tank that is about 5 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 2 feet deep. The total water volume, however, will exceed 200 gallon because of the water in my plant's grow bed and tubings. The problem is, since I live in Chicago, IL, it get very, very cold here during winter. My system will be in a part of my house where there are no windows or air-conditioning. There are screens and a ceiling, however, and I plan to put the plant bed and tub close to a screen where they can get good sunlights. Since my tub is not big by pond standards, what is the best turtle for that setup? How many can I get? I prefer turtles that I can interact with and won't hide all the time. Being able to stand the cold (-40 degree Celsius) is a must. I will cover the tub with insulators during the winter, but I cannot bring it inside. Also, can I add some mosquito fish or goldfish (2-3) with the turtle or will that be too much?


Thanks for the help and comments are VERY appreciated!!!

 

I can't think of a turtle that could be trapped in the tub pond and survive the winter. with that said unheated the fish might not make it if it freezes

The fish with the turtle would be fine. Turtles also need to bask in warm/ Uv light and a place to get out of the water.

 

Turtles are a ton of work....my oldest has a red ear slider.....they produce truck loads of waste....constantly needs his enclosure cleaned....but....I don't think id give him up for the world....hes a lot of fun

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Waste is not a problem because I am running an aquaponic with the tub. I want as much waste as possible. Go google aquaponic and you will know what it is. I want to know what kind of turtle stay a relatively small size and are cold hardy.

 

Well...I could be wrong....but as turtles are cold blooded reptiles...id saycold hardy is out of the question....I move mine to the basement during winter

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I'm not sure if it would be ideal, but I would check out a musk turtle, also known as a stinkpot turtle. They stay small around 5 inches or so. They don't require much sunlight for basking. They still bask occasionally, just not as much as other species.

As for your temp requirements, maybe this is a typo, but I don't think any fish, turtle, or plant could survive -40 Celcius. According to the converter at bottom of page, that is also -40 F. With that said, you could easily install a couple of larger heaters, to keep the water somewhat warm. Anything is warmer then -40C, haha.

 

I'm not sure if it would be ideal, but I would check out a musk turtle, also known as a stinkpot turtle. They stay small around 5 inches or so. They don't require much sunlight for basking. They still bask occasionally, just not as much as other species.

As for your temp requirements, maybe this is a typo, but I don't think any fish, turtle, or plant could survive -40 Celcius. According to the converter at bottom of page, that is also -40 F. With that said, you could easily install a couple of larger heaters, to keep the water somewhat warm. Anything is warmer then -40C, haha.

Unfortunately, that isn't a typo... The air temperature got to -40 C last year and I just want to make sure whatever I am getting is cold tolerant so in case it happen again. I am sure that the water temp won't get that cold. The coldest the bottom of the pond get is 6 degree C. I looked up on the musk turtle but a lot of people say that they are shy and since they are bottom walkers I won't get to see them much. Anyone with musks that behave otherwise? If I have musk turtle, can I keep them with mosquito fish and goldfish? I don't care if some got eatened. Is it okay to keep 2 or a trio of turtles?

 

Hello? Anyone here?

 

If the temps are that crazy low then any turtle you get would need to be able to get out of the water and dig into the ground to hibernate. All of the turtles in my pond (both land and aquatic) are buried right now since it got below freezing a few days ago.

If you could mount a heat lamp with a basking dock it would make a significant difference, along with a tank heater. As far as what turtles to choose, it's your call. You probably won't see musk turtles a whole lot in a tub, they seem to like to stay in the water and hide out a lot. Sliders are a bit more interactive.

I see you are wanting to do aquaponics, the other potential issue you may have is that turtles can carry salmonella. So if you are growing food crop you better be sure to sterilize it before eating.

 

If the temps are that crazy low then any turtle you get would need to be able to get out of the water and dig into the ground to hibernate. All of the turtles in my pond (both land and aquatic) are buried right now since it got below freezing a few days ago.

If you could mount a heat lamp with a basking dock it would make a significant difference, along with a tank heater. As far as what turtles to choose, it's your call. You probably won't see musk turtles a whole lot in a tub, they seem to like to stay in the water and hide out a lot. Sliders are a bit more interactive.

I see you are wanting to do aquaponics, the other potential issue you may have is that turtles can carry salmonella. So if you are growing food crop you better be sure to sterilize it before eating.

Well, I just looked it up and it turns out that musk turtles hibernate underwater and I am suppose to leave a air hole on the ice like what people do for fish. Do RES hibernate underwater too or on land? I am thinking about having either 1 male RES or 3 musk turtles. If RES hibernate on land, should I build a "turtle house" with insulators and blankets for them to sleep in?

 

I have no idea, I don't keep them in extremes that cause them to hibernate. My outdoor turtles are all box turtles and a river cooter, all of which hibernate in the ground.

If you put a basking area in there (you should anyway) along with a water heater they should be fine. The basking area could also double as a land hibernation point if they choose to do so, just put enough leaf litter, peat, or whatever in there so they can dig into it.

 

I will give them a basking area made out of eggcrate. All I am wondering is, since musks can be found in eastern Canada, will they survive Chicago's weather? I am sure some of you turtle folks know a thing or two about temps right? If turtles aren't a good choice, what are some big northern fish that I can have (NOT GOLDFISH OR KOI) in a 140 gallon tub?

 

A lot of natives would work. Pumpkinseed are cool.

 

As for the turtle hibernation thing, how do mud turtles hibernate? There are not a lot of info in the Internet about mud turtle's hibernation. I want to keep 2 musk and 2 mud turtles but I don't know whether mud turtles hibernate on land or underwater. If they hibernate on land, how would I do that? My pond is a above-ground one and it is in my screen room. Should I have a bucket of mud for them to dig in?

 

Any informations? Hello?