The FRT is about 3''-3.5'' round and the Royal is about 2'' long.[img][/img]

Cool Plec and pic!

Nice!

Cool pic!

Holy.

How did you manage to get an FRT? They're pretty rare to come by since there's not a lot of captive breeding and there's an export ban on 'em.

Also, I don't know much about the Royal Plecos, but I wouldn't keep *any* pleco in with a soft shelled turtle.

Thanks guy's

SF~

I dont know why people call them soft shells because they are nothing close to a soft shell. The shell on them is just as hard as most turtles. It just has a nice smooth feeling to it. I do get what you mean. I have no trouble at all with the Royal's I have him/her with bothering it's shell. I did have a problem with the 2x Uaru.A I had in there so they were thrown into the big tank. They kept trying to pick at the shell.

I keep a few types of plec's with my pink necks and they clean their shells off for them. I swear their shells look better since they went in with the big guy's

I am waiting on another 1 or 2 but this might take a long time. i waited 5 years for this one. Reason being it is very hard to find small FRT's and I dont trust buying a large one from another hobbiest. You never know what they are being fed or what they were kept with.
Mine only gets some meaty foods the rest of the tie it is only veggies and fruits. I have him/her with guppies, 2x weather loaches and 5x different types of Royals. it's fav food from what I can tell right now is green peas and carrots LOL

Oh I almost forgot. When and if my buddy gets the albinos in I will take a bunch of pic's to show you guy's. They might be coming soon

Because medium shell isn't used would be my guess.

Even though they have a hard bony shell, or at least harder than that of most of the softies that I've seen, FRTs have a much more reduced bone structure compared to most of the "normal" turtles and instead of the usual keratin scutes they have a leathery skin.

It's the big reason I wouldn't keep any plecys in there with it. Reading up on treatments with softies (most of which are applicable to the FRTs and Leatherbacks as well), the potential for advanced ickyness is really high. Secondary infections in the skin, shell rot underneath and fungus in between the layers. Ew.

Like I was sayin though, I don't know anything about the Royals. I just know I have a common that likes the taste of electrical wire, and can chew through copper, so if it was determined it could work through shell too I bet.

I know what you mean about the shell cleaning thing, I have an asian leaf turtle in with a lone Socolofi and it did a fantastic job cleaning off it's shell.

LOL that is a good one

Royals are veggie eaters mine dont even go near the FRT unless they just hang out on him and he only lets this one do it and non of the others. I do keep an eye out for any makrs or scraps ( I am crazy about this turtle it is my baby ) I do water changes every or every other day. When I first brought him/her home the shell looked a bit off. Now it is in perfect shape and he/she is very happy with it's tank. The royals are going into another tank this week because he/she needs more room alone

Thanks for the info SF I appreciate the concern and it is not going in one ear and out the other so to speak LOL I will do what is best for the turtle.

It's all good. With the effort needed to get your hands on one of those guys, I wasn't doubting your commitment, just figured it was better to mention it just in case.

Speaking of, and we should perhaps start a new thread for this, but what are you planning on housing him in when he/she gets adult size? They get around two feet if memory serves. I've got a snapper here in the same weight class, and was planning on some sort of pond. Their requirements aren't nearly as exacting though.

I was thinking about another custom tank or two in the next few years. First one is going to be atleast 3.5'W ( I already have a 3'W tank so I need a bit bigger ) and the second will have to be at least 4'W. I dont like long tanks so I am thinking nother over 6'L and maybe 2' or 3'H. The second will be for the turtles as they like to dive. The big tank I have now is 3'H and it is so damn hard to clean but I love seeing the fish dart out from the bottom to the top when they eat.

My buddy went the cheap way and bought a 12'L4.5'W and get this only 18'' H LOL but it is a bottom dwellers tank though.