One of the most common questions that new turtle aquarists ask is whether they can get plants for turtle tank. The answer is yes, you can. There are a lot of benefits of having aquarium plants for turtle, and you should always think about this before making your decision.
For most new turtle aquarists, we would suggest they wait until they’re totally comfortable caring for their turtles before adding plants to their turtles’ homes.
If you already have experience with aquatic plants then you can consider adding plants for your turtle habitat. And if you’re a beginner, you should look at the advantages of getting live plants for turtle tank, and then you can decide whether you want to get the plants or not.
Table of Contents
ADVANTAGES OF HAVING AQUATIC PLANTS FOR TURTLES
- Live plants help in filtering the ammonia and nitrates present in the water, and it also helps in reducing algae concentration by competing for carbon dioxide. One of the most vital benefits of having live plants in a turtle tank is the improvisation of water quality.
- Live plants provide adequate oxygen to the water, which prevents the growth of bad bacteria. Most bad bacterias are anaerobic, which implies they don’t do great if oxygen is present.
- Live plants add beauty to your turtle’s home and make it look more natural. Turtles really enjoy hiding and exploring in these plants, as well as munching on them whenever they feel like.
WHAT KIND OF PLANTS CAN YOU ADD TO YOUR TURTLE TANK?
You can always get live plants for turtle tank like:
- Hornwort: This is the best freshwater aquatic plant for turtles. This plant is super cheap. It needs a lot of light so consider placing it in a well-lit area. Adding hornwort plants to your turtle house is very simple as it does not need any substrate. You can tie it to a rock and anchor it to the tank, or you can just leave it floating.
- Java Fern: This one’s a very common and inexpensive aquarium plant that gets along well in turtle habitats. In nature, it’s attached to driftwood and rocks. It doesn’t have strong roots, so just sticking it in the turtle tank won’t help. You’ll need to attach it to something firm. The easiest way to attach Java Fern in your turtle tank is to place it between rocks or some driftwoods and to tie it with some thread.
- Anubias Barteri: These are broadleaf plants that are great choices for a turtle tank. They are one of the best aquatic plants to maintain. They’re very inexpensive and are easily available in aquarium supply stores as well as per shops. Anubias plants are trouble-free. They keep very well in dim light. The best way to plant them is to tie them to a rock and then pile some gravel around the base of the plant.
- Amazon Sword Plant: These plants are sturdy and easy to maintain, but they certainly need a great amount of light. Don’t plant them in dark areas of your room like underneath the turtle shell. The turtles are more likely to try to pull these plants by their roots. Maybe they get angry because they don’t taste that well.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s better to get live plants for turtle tank than no plants at all. One thing that you should be careful about is that turtles try to “taste” the leaves of the plant and a few turtles would never quite figure out if they’re real Or not and will continue trying to eat them. If such a situation arises for more than a week after locating the plants in the tank, then you should immediately remove the plants as it can hurt their digestive system. Keep your turtles safe and happy.
