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FAQs About Red Ear Slider Turtle Systems 2

Filtration needs for outdoor RES habitat 05/08/08
Greetings and salutations WWM Crew,
<Hiya Kathy -- Darrel here>
Thank you for your wonderful site! Very informative.
<And you show a great deal of wisdom and taste for noticing!! Congrats!>
After an exhaustive, yet entertaining, search through the pond, turtle (slider) and filtration pages, I am left with a few remaining questions as to how to provide the best outdoor environment for our RES.
<You have questions? We have ... um ... well .... let's wait & see>
A bit of background may be helpful. Our RES "George" joined our family quite unexpectedly one day. One of our dogs discovered George wandering through our backyard and kindly alerted us of his presence by barking like mad! Given that we live in a Central California suburban subdivision and have a fenced-in backyard, his arrival was something of a surprise. After a fruitless canvas of our neighborhood, we determined that George was to become part of the family.
<so far, so good>
George is a male RES with a carapace of approximately 6 inches. Right now, he resides in our 167 gallon outdoor pond. The pond has a 450 gph in-pond pump, a biological filter, pond plants (including very tasty water lilies, water hyacinth and duckweed) and a small fountain nozzle. The water temperature ranges from 65 to 75 degrees for much of the year; in summer, however, the water temperature can reach the mid-80's. Since George's arrival, we have also added a floating, basking platform for his sun-worshipping pleasure (of which, he makes great use). George eats Koi pellets and occasional "Turtle bites", which he enjoys quite a bit, as well as plenty of water lily foliage and spinach/greens.
<sounds nice!>
And, now, at long last, my question(s)...
The biological filter seems to be handling the addition of George very nicely. In reading through the turtle pages, however, I see that it may be inadequate for his long-term health and well-being. In your opinion, should I look to add a mechanical filter as well? If so, what type/size would be best suited to the task? Also, if I do need to incorporate the mechanical filter, should it be used in-line with the biological filter or independently? The filtration pages have so much information that I must confess to being a bit confused and in dire need of clarity.
<Hmmm .. clarifying pond filter questions! A veritable fountain of puns (OH DARN!!! I just did one!)>
<If, by a Biological Filter, you mean one of those in-pond basket thingies attached to the pump, then I'd say yes it could probably need augmentation. That said, remember that the surfaces of the pond, plants, etc. are ALL part of the biocycle. Just like in an aquarium, the thing we call a biological filter is often adding some amount MORE biological filtration to a working system>
<To keep it simple, it is a practical impossibility to have a substantial enough biological filter to keep up after turtles the way you can for Koi. With JUST GEORGE it may be possible, but if he writes to his family in Denver and invites them over ... or if you're minding your own business at the pet store when a Slider or Cooter leaps from the tank and into your shopping cart (don't laugh -- it happened to me last week) then you have to augment your system with more mechanical cleaning AND ... begin more frequent water changes. What I'm suggestion is more like a canister power filter that you can fill with physical filtration as opposed to something like a 'barrel' type filter filled with bio-balls.>
<Also, please keep in mind that you are working in partnership with Mother Nature in any pond and Mom is the senior partner. Research your options for "over wintering" George out of the pond, because even in Turlock and even for an animal that can survive in frozen ponds much further up north, it's still very hard on them and our job is to always look toward improving his odds.>
I thank you, in advance, for your advice.
<You're welcome. We hope you like it.>
Thank you,
Kathy in Turlock, CA
<If the advice doesn't fit, bring it back & we'll fix it for free!>
<Darrel>

re: Filtration needs for outdoor RES habitat 05/14/08
Hey Darrel
<Hiya Kathy!>
Thanks you for your speedy reply! I think I have a clearer idea of how to manage George's pond, now. In reviewing your response, however, I realized that I hadn't been nearly as clear in my description of the existing system as I could have been. Sorry if my lack of clarity, muddied the waters, as it were...(I believe the puns may be contagious...pass the word!)
<They certainly are! And once good humor starts and takes hold, the only known antidote is to watch Sister Act 2 - Back in the Habit>
Re. George's system, in addition to the previous info, I should have mentioned that there is one of those pre-filter box thingies (as an aside, may I just compliment you on your grasp of technical terms like thingie...I knew immediately to what you were referring since I, myself regularly use equally technical terms like thingamajigger & doohickey). The box has 2 layers of filter media, around the pump. I clean this out regularly since George's addition as it gets fairly mucky, fairly quickly -- I think he does it on purpose! The outlet line from the pump, runs to the exterior biofilter, which is one of those barrel deals, with 2 layers of filter media as well as a layer of bioballs. From there, the water returns to the pond in a bit of a spillway/fall to add aeration. I check the water quality weekly, using the same type of test kit that we have for our indoor aquarium(s). So far, the water quality has been excellent...am I missing anything beyond the mechanical filtration?
<You haven't missed a thing. At the risk of repeating myself and being redundant (again) for our reading audience, Turtles are not a percentage increase in filter load, they are a paradigm shift in .. um ... solid waste output and the very best way to deal with it is mechanically - get it out of there.>
Also, given that our little corner of California is in the scenic Central Valley and regularly has summer temps in the upper 90's/low 100's...I am planning on providing a shade over part of the pond, to hopefully help moderate the water temperature. Will this, in your considered opinion, in addition to continued water changes, be sufficient to keep George happy and healthy thru the summer? If not, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
<I think you're right on the money, Kathy! Everything we discuss is textbook "quality care">
Thanks again for all your advice.
<Worth every penny you paid for it!>
<here's some of my stuff: http://www.xupstart.com/wwm >

Red ear sliders, sys. 5/2/08
Hi I have two red ear sliders. They will be a year mid - summer. I had them in a 10 gallon tank. They were the size of a quarter when I got them. They are now about 3 1/2 inches long.
<Grow fast, don't they!>
I just upgraded there tank to a 75 gallon. (figured they would grow into it).
<And how!>
I have it set up with a 50 watt basking light, 5.0 UVB light and a florescent light that came with the tank. The air temp is around 80 during the day give a little more as the lights heat up and 70 at night. The water temp is 70 during the day and less when the lights are turned off at night. I have two whisper bio filters going up to 40 gallons running right now with two turtle docks under the basking and UVB light. I have the tank half way filled up.
<All sounds great.>
Now my questions are
is this to much water?
<Nope; so long as they can easily climb out of the water onto the land, they're fine.>
is the light o.k.?
<Sounds good to me. Do keep ahead of light bulb changes though. Different brands have different life spans, so check with the manufacturer on this issue. But all lights "wear out" over time, and typically need to be replaced once a year. After this time, the amount of light (including UV-B) can drop below a useful level. Lights used purely to illuminate the tank can be changed when they fail, but the UV-B light is critical, and needs to be monitored and replaced as required.>
and my most important question is I need to know exactly the name of the best filter to use and buy. I am so confused over this. If you could help me out that would be great.
<No one brand stands out as "ideal". But Eheim filters are often said to be the most reliable, so that's perhaps the direction to go. I'd recommend any messy fish having a filter that offers 6 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour. I see no need to reject that rule for terrapins/turtles, so if you have around 40 gallons of water in the vivarium, then a filter rated at 40 x 6 = 240 gallons per hour would be about right. External canister filters are the ideal for terrapins, being better able at handling large amounts of solid waste without ridiculous amounts of servicing.>
Also is it o.k. if I take them out in the summer. I live in P.A. I would love for them to get natural sunlight if that is o.k. How long should they go for if it is o.k.
<Where's "P.A."? Doesn't mean anything to me here in England, except "Personal Assistant"! In any case, if you're in the temperate zone outside of the subtropical natural habitat of this species, then you can't leave it outdoors all year round. But across summer, provided the air temperature doesn't drop below 15 degrees C at night, that's no reason not to leave them in a secure pond area from which the cannot escape. I do this with some tropical fish, and it actually does them some good. Now, your main issue is that terrapins are superb escape artists, and can burrow and climb surprisingly well. Also, they are vulnerable to predation by things like cats and foxes, so make sure those sorts of things can't get into the enclosure.>
Thanks Christine
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Re: red ear sliders 5/4/08
Thank you for all the information. I live in the U.S. and during the summer days it gets pretty warm. So that's when I was wondering if I could take them out. Maybe put them in a kiddie pool and keep an eye on the water. It would only be for a couple of hours a day of course while I am out there with them.
Christine
<By all means put them outside for a few weeks when it is hot. But don't carry them in and out for a few hours each day: animals don't like to be man-handled and suddenly placed in a different environment. They aren't like us, and think differently. To your eyes, a sunny garden is a tranquil place to sunbathe, but to a pet reptile its a bizarre and frightening place filled with strange sounds and smells. So if you want them to have a "vacation" outdoors (in itself not a bad thing at all) create a safe, sheltered environment that they can settle into around about May and then be brought back in once it cools down in September. Make sure there are resting places and hiding places, and of course the water still needs to be kept clean. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: red ear sliders, shell issues 5/5/08
Hi - Neale
Thanks for all the information. I have one more question. Since I changed over the tank 4 days ago I took my turtles out and noticed that their shell very slimy. They never felt like this before. Is this bad for them and what do you think it is. Is there something I should do?
Thanks, Christine
<Hi Christine. Odd shell textures can be caused by a number of things. Hard water can cause a crusty (limescale) deposit to develop on the shell. In itself not dangerous but should be cleaned away gently with a toothbrush. Fungus is more serious, and forms a fuzzy, slippery or slimy deposit. Related to poor water quality, and potentially lethal, so needs fixing. Treat the animal with a reptile safe anti-fungal medication, and review water quality management (filtration, water changes, overfeeding). Algae is common, and forms a greenish slime. Easily wiped away with paper towel. Not dangerous, and probably normal in the wild. Hope this helps, Neale.>

Re: red ear sliders -05/07/08
Hi Neale
Thanks for the information. How would I be able to tell between a slippery slimy deposit of fungus or and algae that is also slimy and slippery?
Thanks Christine
<Hello Christine. Simple: algae is typically greenish brown, but can run from reddish through to blue-green; fungus is off-white, perhaps grayish. Hope that helps, Neale.>

Re: red ear sliders 05/08/08
Hi Neale
I am so sorry to bother you again but I really need help. I don't know what to do next. I don't want my little turtles to get sick or die.
<Indeed not!>
It has been a week since I put them in the 75 gallon tank. I have the two filters working up to 40 gallons each. (order another for 130 gallons). Have
75 watt basking light, florescent light, and 5.0 ubv light. O.k now I know this green slime because my basking dock has green algae on it.
<Algae is harmless, but most easily removed with a pad or scraper.>
There is a film on the water. Now my filters are making soapy looking bubbles on top of the water.
<Ah, likely too much organic material in the water (consider what polluted lakes look like -- froth!). So, reduce the food DRAMATICALLY, do a big (90%) water change, rinse the filter media in aquarium water. Switch to low protein (i.e., plant) foods from now on, and use high protein foods (pellets, seafood) once a week and only in small amounts.>
Water is turning cloudy with what looks like white flakes in it.
<Do remember turtles (like all reptiles) shed their skin, and this looks like big, transparent flakes of dead skin.>
It kind of looks like when the turtles shed. Could it be that they are shedding so much from going from a 10 gallon tank to a 75 gallon tank.
<No idea.>
Please help turtles and me in desperate need.
Thanks Christine
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Re: red ear sliders 5/10/08
Hi Neale
<Christine,>
Thanks for the information. I changed the water and hooked up another filter. I purchased an eheim 2017.
<An excellent purchase; I have the Eheim 2217 (a similar unit) and while "old school" in design, these filters are reliable and very effective.>
So now I have the three filters going. A noisy little filter.
<You can perhaps phase out any small filters after 3-6 weeks (to give the bacteria time to colonize the new filter media in the new filters). Provided you're offering at least 6 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour, you're fine. With turtles, have one really big external canister filter is what you need, and the less clutter inside the tank, the better. I bought a useful little unit called an Hydor ETH, basically a heater you put into the outflow tube from the canister filter. When I kept turtles, I found myself replacing the heaters once a year, because the turtles would eventually smash them. So perhaps worth considering.>
I have given them romaine lettuce for the first time and they are really not sure what to do with it. They are looking for their pellets.
<I bet. The issue is this: imagine someone who loves steak. And then their doctor tells them they need to eat salad and cut out the red meat. Yes, the steak is bad for them, and yes, the salad is good for them -- but does that mean the person would be happy to eat only salad? Nope. Same with animals; when they get used to high protein diets, they can be very sniffy about switching to the greens they should be eating. But your job as the pet owner is to be strong, and give them what they need, not what they want (like kids, I guess).>
What other kind of green is good for them? And I really don't know how much I should be feeding them daily?
<There's a great article on "salad options" here:
http://www.redearslider.com/plants.html
Note the point that as turtles age, they need more greens. And also, not all greens are equally good: some are 100% safe, some are best used as treats, and others should be avoided altogether.>
They will be a year in at the very end of July I think. Every time I go over to them its like they are hungry and looking for food. I don't want them to be fat and I don't want them to be starving.
<Absolutely no risk of them starving at all. In common with all reptiles, turtles can go for long periods without food. Many carnivorous reptiles will literally only eat a few big meals per month. Herbivores and omnivores eat rather more, but still only less than 20% what a similar sized mammal or bird would eat. So provided you are offering the right foods and otherwise keeping them in good shape, they will eat when they're hungry.>
Have a good day Christine
<Likewise yourself, Neale.>

Re: red ear sliders 5/15/08
Hi Neale
How loud is this Eheim 2217 filter suppose to be.
<Eheim filters should be pretty quiet. But if you configure the thing wrong, it can "rattle". Air bubbles get caught inside the pump and you get a very distinctive rattling sound. Do also check the impeller itself is seated properly in its housing. The little "stick" the impeller sits on can get worn or deformed over time, and again, if this prevents the impeller from whirling around in its socket properly, you'll get noise. Finally, kinks and constrictions along the pipes can make the pump work harder, and potentially this can result in extra noise. But otherwise, all you should hear is a gentle whirring sound.>
Mine is really loud. Also I am a little confused about cleaning the filter. When you change the water, and I clean the filter wouldn't I be cleaning out all of the bio out of it that has built up?
<There's two or three aspects to cleaning a filter, depending on your configuration. If you have just mechanical and biological media, these are the two steps: First, you rinse the biological media in a bucket of aquarium water or under a lukewarm tap. The idea is to rinse off silt without upsetting the bacteria. I always clean media in aquarium water, but supposedly lukewarm tap water is fine. The second step is cleaning the mechanical filter media. This can be rinsed in the same way but more aggressively as required, and filter wool pre-filter layers may need to be replaced entirely. The third step is if you have chemical media, such as carbon. Depending on the medium in question, this will need to either be cleaned aggressively or else replaced entirely. Some chemical media wears out within a few weeks (carbon, Zeolite) while others will work fine provided any silt and bacteria are washed off (peat, calcium carbonate).>
How do I do this?
<In the Eheim filter, the mechanical media are normally at the bottom and the biological media towards the top.>
Change the water and filter?
<Some folks do indeed do both at once. Normally I change water every weekend (or every other weekend if I'm feeling lazy!) and clean the filter every 6-8 weeks. It will be obvious when the filter *must* be cleaned because the water flow will drop substantially.>
Thanks Christine
<Cheers, Neale.>

I need your help! RES care, humanity 3/30/08
Ok, I need some help convincing my mom that my red eared slider turtle is important enough to have all of the right habitat stuff. I don't want my little Jimmy-Hendrix to die!!!
<As always review water quality, diet, and basking environment before panicking. Almost all reptile deaths come down to not observing these rules. RESs need a large aquarium with a filter (certainly no less than 30 gallons for an adult, plus a filter with a turnover of not less than 4, and ideally 6, times the volume of the aquarium in gallons per hour). The diet should be 50% green foods when young, and 75% green foods once more than half grown. Finally, these reptiles MUST have a UV-B source to bask under. The tube or lamp WILL need to be replaced periodically; check with the manufacturer on the recommended interval, but typically its something like once a year.>
My turtle is only one and a half inches both long and wide, I have a 10 gallon tank, two basking spots, some Zoo-Med Reptisafe Water Conditioner, Zoo-Med Turtle Treats, Zoo-Med Aquatic Turtle Food.
<Too small, wrong food.>
I also have another kind of food witch he seems to like better, it's called Tetrafauna ReptoMin, is that as good for him as the Zoo-Med stuff?
<Neither is what you need. These turtles are HERBIVORES, like sheep and cows. They want lots of plants to eat. Pellets can be used once or twice a week. Suggested plant foods include Elodea (pondweed) and curly (not iceberg or red) lettuce.>
This is all that I have for him, no special lights or anything. Are those necessary?
<Yes.>
Anyway, my question is what other stuff do I need, habitat wise, to keep my little Jimmy-Hendrix healthy?
<A heater is also important unless you live somewhere it rarely gets below 18C/65F. Because these reptiles are super-destructive, get a heater with a plastic guard. Over here in England these are standard on many of them anyway. When I kept turtles, it seemed to me I was replacing the heater once a year!>
And do I need to add anything to his diet besides the turtle pellets and treats?
<Yes.>
I need you guys to help me prove to my mom that turtles are important enough to spend a few extra bucks on. So please help me be a good turtle owner/pal.
<Start by telling your Mom you need a book. There are plenty at the library, book shop or pet store. Read, my friend, so that you can do the right thing. These turtles get VERY BIG, VERY QUICKLY, so be forewarned! Cheers, Neale.>

Green Water – 03/18/08
Hey there!
My RES is a little over 6 years old and everything has been going great!!
All of a sudden after the last water change my water has turned green! So green that I cant see my turtle swimming in tank, and that can't be fun for him either! He's no where near the window so there is no direct sunlight and the tank is as clean as it could possibly be! Is there any other things that it could possibly be???
Thanks
Hillary
<This is, as you seem to suspect, algae. It means you aren't doing enough water changes and the filter is inadequate to the task. Sunlight + nutrients in the water = algae. So do more water changes, and upgrade the filter. For terrapins, you need a filter providing not less than six times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour, and I'd recommend at least 8-10 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour. A bigger tank will also help by diluting the problem. Nothing else will work. While the terrapin likely doesn't care about the algae as such, the fact you have algae at all indicates poor environmental conditions, and long term that opens you up to healthcare issues that are expensive to treat and painful for the animal. Cheers, Neale.>

How big of a tank. RES sys. 12/25/07
Hi my name is Russell
<Hi my name is Darrel>
I have three red eared sliders, one male, one female, and one I'm not sure about yet but I think its a little girl.
<Sliders are sexually dimorphic, which means it's very easy to tell the difference once they're mature. Males are smaller than females and develop very long front claws (fingernails)>
I was wondering how large of a tank will all three of them need when they grow up to full size. I want to keep them together like they are now and want to use a glass aquarium. Is this even possible?
<Yes it is, Russell. But when they mature, a glass aquarium isn't exactly the right enclosure for them -- they need a wide surface area of water, even if it's only a 3 or 4 inches deep, which is the opposite of most aquariums. Using the Internet, I'd research what they used to call indoor ponds -- small ponds made out of barrel halves or various tub shapes -- that can be combined with land, dirt and slanted areas. You can make some very attractive water gardens and planters that would be great for adult Sliders.>
thanks.
<Yer Welcome!>

Re: Big trouble in Little Turtletown 12/7/07
Well because we bought them off Chinese people in Chinatown..
<Yes, street merchants aren't known for their animal husbandry expertise>
They obviously couldn't speak much English and didn't mention anything what so ever about a basking lamp or any temperatures... but most definitely I will take you advice with the information you sent me!
<Here's some more complete advice for you -- a short article on how to keep them & keep them healthy. You'll notice that it doesn't have to be expensive to keep them well -- you just have to understand what's being said and then DO it>
< http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/RESCareBarton.htm >
And he usually is very active but for the past few days he's just bin slumped. The food the Chinese had sold to us is called floating turtle glammarus pellets. It says in the back that its specially made for all turtles <<There is no such thing... RMF>> and provides complete diets.
<It may very well be true, but since I don't use it or know anyone who does, all I can do is tell you what I personally use because I know that it will solve that problem. Best of luck to you -- Darrel>

Re: Big trouble in Little Turtletown 12/7/07
I honestly am very grateful for going out of your way and giving me the advice you gave me... thanks and take care
<No problem, Cilenie, that's why we get the big bucks!>
<oh wait .... we don't GET the big bucks. Actually we don't get ANY bucks -- we do this because we like helping people and their pets. So I'll accept your thanks with great pleasure and at the same time thank YOU because without good folks like you, we wouldn't have these jobs.>
<The jobs that don't pay anything. That we like. And the people. {sigh} I need an aspirin!>
<>
<All kidding aside, Cilenie, it's our pleasure!>

Re: Big trouble in Little Turtletown 12/9/07
Oh by the way how much would the lamps go for?? And what am I better off getting? The lamp or the thing that warms the water up?
<>
<For those of you that just joined us, we're discussing some small turtles and one that appears lethargic and/or ill very possibly due to housekeeping issues>
<>
<UV lamps are not all that expensive in the over-all scheme of things, but you'd have to check both on line and in your local pets stores to see what is available. I've used Vita-Lite fluorescent bulbs for years, mainly because they used to be the only ones that published actual scientific data on their bulbs. Recently I've been using Repti-Sun from my friends at Zoo-Med with good results. Sorry, but that's as close as I can come to being your personal shopper.>
<For turtles, it's not a good idea and almost any level to heat the water. Let the water remain at room temperature and heat their basking area to between 88 and 93 degrees using a conventional incandescent bulb for the heat in addition to the aforementioned UV bulb for health. There's a link below that explains in more detail.>
<For reference, that thing that heats the water is called heater.>
< http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/RESCareBarton.htm>

Is an over-active Slider too hot? – 11/16/07
Hey Crew!
<Hiya Jamie!>
I read through your Faq's and I really enjoyed the site. Thank you for the great info!
Well onto my questions...
My first question is about my female RES that I bought about 6 months ago, she's been very healthy and always active and friendly. We keep her in long 20 gallon tank, with a heater/filter, heat kept around 78 degrees, basking platform that she can easy climb on, and a UVA/UVB lamp. She's about 4 inches now, maybe slightly bigger.
1) First problem encountered with her was that she refuses to eat any kind of pellets, we tried 3 different kinds and even soaked tem in tuna to entice her. She dislikes them so much, she even acts like they aren't there. After many tries, we finally decided to try to keep a balanced diet (as best as we can) with veggies and extra stuff (usually feeder fish, crickets, krill..etc.) Any suggestions on how to keep a good stable diet?
<The first problem is that the water is too hot. Water temp should be around 65-73 and the dry land/basking temp between 85-93 -- She needs to have a choice as to be warm & dry or wet & cool and so far you've taken that choice away from her. -- I'll address the feeding concerns a little later on>
2) For some reason lately she has become extremely active and loves to climb onto her basking platform and then attempts to climb out of her tank, sometimes getting too close for comfort. She even ends up back flipping into the water and one time got stuck. Any explanation as to why she is doing this and how we can prevent it?
<My guess is that she's active because she's a bit over heated and her behavior will change when you provide her the proper temperature gradients. Also, you'll find that the water stays a bit cleaner and clearer at the lower temperatures>
<Now, as far as diet and diet fixations go ... Sliders are not usually very picky. If she's otherwise healthy and after about 3 months of correcting her temperature situation ... you can just stop offering her any other kind of foods .... and offer the Koi pellets once a week, scooping them out if she hasn't eaten in 15 minutes, and after about three weeks, she'll wake up & smell the writing on the wall (to mix metaphors) and start eating the pellets. If she's otherwise healthy, 3-6 weeks in nothing to HER ... but you'll be beside yourself with needless worry. Just for comparison, I've had a box turtle so fixated on strawberries that she refused any and all other food. When I finally started offering her a proper diet or nothing at all ... she went for TWO YEARS and three months!!!! It was a real test of wills with an animal that will likely outlive me.>
<Start by correcting her environmental issues and read the link below -- check all your husbandry against the guidelines and then ... when it's all perfect. Just out-wait her ... and she'll come along.>
Thank you again, and I hope to hear from you soon.
-Jamie in Chico, Cali.
<Nice town, Jamie -- my son went to college there! -- Darrel>
< http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/RESCareBarton.htm >

Help with a slimy Slider 11/1/07
Hello -
<Hiya Kassie! -- Darrel here today. My 100th reply on behalf of Wet Web Media!!!!!!!>
<Sorry, you don't win a contest or anything, but I thought you'd like to know>
I have a red-eared slider - female, 9 years old - who shares a tank with four small Danio fish (they've been in the tank with her for 3 years). I have questions about her water/tank.
<I need to remind you that it's not really a good idea to mix fix and turtles for a lot of reasons, the most common being that on very rare occasions the turtle will, given the opportunity of a sick or weakened fish, make it into dinner. It doesn't happen often, and after 3 years, she's not likely to try to chase them -- but it needed to be said.>
1) Attached is a picture of some algae I've been fighting to eliminate (unsuccessfully; the water in the picture is a little cloudy b/c I just re-filled the tank). I have taken out all the rocks and scrubbed them clean. I do water changes about every 3-4 weeks or so (so her water stays clear). I have 2 Fluval canister filters in the tank (330 and 400 series) - I clean them about once every 6 months. The algae is mainly dark green, slimy and covers everything - it leaves an oil-like sheen on the water surface. I can literally peel sheets of it off the rocks, etc.
<It's called, appropriately enough, SLIME ALGAE. It's usually a green-blue but also can be a deep green>
What causes this?
<It's usually attributed to a bacteria (Cyanobacteria) that thrives in dirty water especially with an over abundance of organics. This is why we see it so often in turtle tanks because total amount of food and turtle waste quickly overcomes almost any biological filter you're likely to set up. The Cyanobacteria secretes a substance than encourages the growth of sympatric algae that is particularly slimy. Sort of like my brother in law>
What can I do to eliminate it? I have algaecide that I use for my fish tank - can I use that for the turtle tank as well?
<The reason you've had such a hard time eliminating it is that our typical cleaning techniques aren't effective against a bacteria that is colonizing virtually every surface of the tank, filters, the inside of the filter HOSES (didn't think of THAT, huh?), air lines, stones, heaters, cords ... ANYTHING in contact with the water. An algaecide will kill off the green matter itself, but does nothing for the underlying cause. As soon as the bacterium get another whiff of food or waste and go back into production mode, the algae will appear faster than a lawyer at the scene of a car accident.>
<You can treat the bacteria with erythromycin, but it's expensive through the vet and (in my opinion) the commercially prepared stuff sold at pet stores is next to useless. So do it the old fashioned way:>
<What you need to do here is a total break-down and initialization. Move the turtle and the fish to a separate tank, tub or enclosure -- anything from a glass tank to a Tupperware tub (this is just for 3 or 4 days). Use the existing water and lamps and provide some sort of basking area for the turtle. Meanwhile break down your tank, wash the components in salt water (or ordinary table salt mixed in ordinary water) and get them as clean as you possibly can. Rinse the tubes and hoses in hot, hot, HOT water and then set it all back up -- gravel, filters, logs ... just like usual ... but OUTSIDE somewhere. Fill it with the normal amount of water and then add 2 cups of chlorine beach for every gallon of water. Make it stink. Then run the full system, pumps, heaters, whatever ... for two days. This will kill the bacteria, fungus, most viruses and almost anything organic.>
<Now we're half done>
<Now rinse. Rinse again and then rinse more. Drain all the water, refill with fresh water from the hose, run the system for an hour and drain THAT ... and then repeat.>
<Now dry it off as needed, take it back inside and set it up just as you would a brand new system (because it is) taking care to condition the water (for the sake of the fish) and remember to feed lightly since you'll have no real bio-cycle set up for a few weeks.>
A few months ago, my turtle had a shell issue - hard white spots (calcified shell) that were a result of an infection. As per the vet, it was NOT shell rot. I imagine it may be related to the algae problem and I don't want it to happen again.
<Probably not related, but as we address the root cause of the algae, this too will pass>
2) I usually fill my tank straight from the tap (using one of the gravel vacuums), using a thermometer to check the temp (about 76 degrees) - do I need to add a water conditioner to the tank? If so, what should I look for?
<Treat the water for chlorine and/or chloramines for the benefit of the fish>
3) How important is it for my turtle to eat a varied diet? I have tried giving her something besides turtle food (meal worms, crickets, veggies) but she won't touch it.
<She doesn't need a varied diet, but a healthy BALANCED diet ... of which meal worms and crickets really aren't. Try to switch her to a diet of Koi pellets, which are inexpensive and the fish enjoy them too, or something identical in composition to the Koi pellets only more expensive, such as Tetra Repto-min. I raise a couple ponds filled with water turtles including hatchlings that grew into adults than in turn produced more hatchlings (you can't swing a cat around my place without hitting a couple dozen turtles) and they ALL are fed Koi pellets as a basic diet. 100% complete and balanced>
<SPEAKING of 100& ..... Did I mention that this is my 100th response to Wet Web Inquiries?>
4) I have two lamps (the aluminum half-dome shaped kind) with bulbs that provide UVA and UVB but I'm having a hard time getting the air temp on the basking rocks to be warmer than about 82 degrees. I can't move the lights any closer to the top of the tank. Is there a different type of light fixture I should use?
<In my opinion, yes. I use fluorescent UV bulbs for my indoor UV needs. The relatively weak power of man-made UV means that the bulbs have to be very close to the animal (8-12 inches) in order to be of real value and incandescent bulbs can generate too much heat at that range, so I use Zoo-med Repti-Sun bulbs in inexpensive fixtures I get at the local home supply store. Then, for heat, I use an aluminum cone spot lamp, as you already have, with a standard 100 watt household bulb suspended and just the right height to get 88-90 degrees on the basking rock. >
<Speaking of 100 watts ..... Did I mention that this is my 100th response to Wet Web Inquiries?>
Thanks so much for your help!
<You're most welcome, Kasie, we truly enjoy helping!>
Kasie

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