Photo courtesy of Steve Buissinne

If you’ve seen our articles on vermiponics and aquaponics with fish, you may have wondered what other animals can be used in a hydroponic system. It’s true that many animals’ waste can be used to fertilize plants, but the larger the animal is, the more complicated the process becomes.

Worms and fish are pretty simple. But what if you already have turtles anyway? Can the waste in their water be used to the benefit of an aquaponic setup? The short answer is yes. But you’ll have several obstacles that aren’t a problem with fish or worms, and you’re better off not growing anything you want to eat. If you’re determined, however, to make the most efficient setup you can, or you just enjoy a challenge, this article can get you started growing plants in a turtle tank.

Obstacles to growing vegetables

The big thing that gets in the way of an indoor vegetable garden fertilized by turtles is the glaring fact that turtles are major carriers of salmonella. Some people have reported not having issues eating vegetables grown in a hydroponic system fertilized by turtles, but it’s definitely not recommended. If you’re growing veggies, it’s better to use them to feed to the turtles themselves.

If you’re going to eat your aquaponic vegetables, wash them thoroughly in vinegar and water, or better yet, cook them first to kill any salmonella.

Benefits to the turtles

Adding any live plants to a turtle’s aquarium will improve the water quality. Plants naturally filter the water and add oxygen, both of which are good for your turtles. That being said, you can’t just plant some veggies and let the water go. Turtles are fairly messy. They make a lot of waste. And you will need a proper water filtration system, as well as a regular tank cleaning schedule.

Basically, you still have to take care of both the turtles and the plants separately. The system won’t just run itself.

How to get started with turtle aquaponics

If you saw the earlier Tye-Dyed Iguana article about aquascaping a turtle enclosure, you may be wondering what the difference is between aquascaping and aquaponics. Aquascaping is growing plants directly in the turtle tank, usually as hides or other enrichment for the exotic pets.

Aquaponics, however, involves a system in which the plants are grown in a separate grow bed. They do not actually grow in the turtle enclosure. Instead, the water from the turtle tank is filtered into the growing medium to hydrate and fertilize the plants, just like in other hydroponic setups. You can even do both aquascaping and aquaponics in the same setup.

To get started, you of course need a turtle enclosure. You’ll also need basic hydroponic equipment, including:

• A grow bed
• Grow lights
• PVC pipes
• Tubing
• A growing medium
• A water pump

Once you get started, keep following the Indoor Cultivator blog for more tips on improving your hydroponic or aquaponic system.