Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I've been experimenting with plants in my turtle sump, and have recently built a separate sump for peppers. After looking around this site it looks like there's a wealth of good information and would just like to show what I've started. I'm still kind of winging it from this point, but I think it will work out in the long run.

This is for my 12" shell snapping turtle's setup, to which I might add gold fish to the sump for more bioload if necessary
The old tank, 100 gallon rubbermaid

new tank, 300 gallon

start of the plant sump

Initial move

What survived, I grabbed the plants from a friend a few days before a freeze


Hopefully my habanero plant does alright with the transplant, but I need to order some new seeds and do more research. I kind of dove into the unknown as more of filtering my turtle's tank, but am pretty excited to be able to provide a better environment for him and grow food.

Hiya mate -

Nice lil window setup!

Have you given any thought to the thought of salmonella poisoning from turtles within AP systems? May be different with fruit (chillis), but I know of it being a potential issue with veggies n green leaf edibles within AP.

I'd love a little turtle in my indoor system!

I got a couple of turtles with the same in mind, but reading showed that turtles are carriers of salmonella so turtleponics will most probably produce salmonella tainted veggies.

This may be allright however, as long as you don't eat any of the veggies raw, I think, I'd get a second opinion before eating any of them in any form though.

Is a neat setup. If you wash it up real good and chuck goldies in you'll have a great little AP system there, or you can grow flowers or vines in your turtle sump which will look pretty not be a health risk and filter your turtles water too.

What do you feed your snapping turtle?

Welcome to the forum.

I think you will find the goldfish disappear if you put them with the turtle.

Actually there is some way to eliminate salmonella from turtles, unfortunately I cannot tell you how. There is a turtle farm in Mississippi that raises certified salmonella free turtles for the pet trade. I think their methods are proprietary. Has anyone else in the US noticed turtles are readily available at pet stores in the US. Petco has them where legal.

Arturtle may be onto something.

Don't know about that...but seen a cooking show where they were eating them ....Thats right Hestons show....

By the looks of things they could take your finger off.....AR have you still go all yours

I guess I'm going to have to look into the whole salmonella thing, I had no clue. I've eaten a couple of the peppers from the plants, but it's only been setup a few weeks. I'm planning on setting up a system for my fish tanks too, which would be in the 200 gallon range.

I feed my turtle a mixture of seafood and reptomin and have had him for 8 years now. If it's a health concern as far as food I may just go back to growing house plants. I guess I need to do some more reading this weekend.

Thanks for the concern and input

ha, the key is to distract him and then grab him from the rear. I pulled my finger from his mouth when he was still small and cute, and have learned to not trust him since.