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Over the last few weeks, I've been noticing the ramp on my turtle dock turning dark green. I did a full water change last week and scrubbed it, but it's back again. Is this algae, and if it is, is it harmful to the turtle? I just want to make sure it is OK, and if not, how do I get it off? Lastly, to those of you who feed your turtle lettuce, how do you possibly keep the tank clean? I have little peices of lettuce floating EVERYWHERE, and some of it is getting in the filter! I really want to feed him in a seperate tank, but I don't have one, nor do I have enough room for one ( I live in a small dorm). Anyone have any ideas on how to keep the tank clean and get rid of the algae (?).

That's algae alright. My dock is dark green and stinks like crazy. I scrub it but only some comes off, then it comes back with avengeance. Not much you can do really. Not harmful to the turts at all though. Every so often I get sick of looking at it and order a new one.

As far as the lettuce, I don't know. I feed in the tank but there are rarely any bits floating around. My filter seems to get it all. Maybe a better filter is needed for your tank. You could just use a net to skim the top of the water if it bugs you that much.

Ok, as long as it's not harmful to the turtle. Is it just this type of dock that gets the algae (the zoomed turtle dock) or does it happen to all docks?

I have a zoo med dock and one of those green turtle ramps and they've both got it. It's a combination of the warm water and the uv rays from the lamp.

I have the little bits of lettuce floating after he eats. Jen is probably right. I know that my filter is rated for 3x larger but I probably could use a better one. I just let it float and get it when I do the weekly cleaning.

Light, warmth and nutrients in the water all contribute to algae. To discourage its growth, the balance between these three conditions has to be changed. Difficult/almost impossible to do though, and algae eventually will return. Cleaning it is easier, though, if you scrub with white vinegar and rinse well afterward.

sounds like algae, t6hey also sell stuff at petco you can clean you tank with that helps prevent algae *nods*