I was reading about keeping live plants in an open front pen for a land turtle / tortoise when I discovered the ABG mix… One interesting component is activated carbon / charcoal. It seems like a great way to adsorb unfriendly chemistry, but I can’t find opinions on how it might affect a turtle…
Does anyone have experience w this? Good or bad? Or, at least, an informed opinion on the same?
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This is absolutely not a professional opinion, so please wait for somebody who knows what they are talking about.
However, activated carbon is the primary ingredient in most water filtration systems, and i have seen no warnings to avoid it for filtering turtle water, so my GUESS is that it will be perfectly safe since it is so readily used in the aquarium and terrarium hobby.
Edit: looked it up fast, activated carbon is used commonly for turtles in the filtration systems and is generally recommended to keep ammonia and phenol levels down. So sayeth the internet at least.
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As long as you use a quality carbon and rinse it well i dont see an issue. I used carbon extensively on all our reef tanks
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Thank you both for your input. I have used activated carbon extensively as a water filter method. In aquaria, it would be captured in a flow through device. I used pantyhose. The fish never would have access to the carbon itself.
In this case, however, I am thinking of mixing it in the soil. That would make it available for accidental ingestion. Potentially. I know AC is used to “pump” stomachs when other toxins might be consumed, so I know it isn’t toxic. I’m more concerned w how it might pass the GI tract.
Thoughts on this?
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I cant imagine its much different than accidentally eating charcoal (untreated) if anything, it would break down alot easier than ither materials i would think. Compared to rocks and pebbles, it shouldnt cause an issue.
Here is how it works in humans, since turtles are still carbon based life forms, I imagine itll work much the same, just need to be careful of impaction, but if they go eating the substrate thats always a risk.
Orally administered activated charcoal does not get absorbed through the gastrointestinal lumen and acts within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in its unchanged form.
No significant toxicity from activated charcoal exists as it is not systemically absorbed; however, adverse effects from the administration as listed above, such as emesis, aspiration, and bowel obstruction can occur.
In people the aspiration and emesis is because of how activated carbon is administered to people via tube, so really just bowel obstruction applies
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