General Care Discussion :: Using Chemicals in a turtle pond.

[John C.]

I am about ready to move my turtles outside for the spring/summer and I am constructing a new pond. I have always had a problem with green water algae and have never been able to get my outdoor ponds stablized without this stuff taking over.

I want to know if TetraPond Algae Control is safe for turtles. It states that it is safe for Koi.

My pond will be in an area that gets sun part of the day until late summer when it will be in sun three-quarters of the daylight time. If I put a canopy over the pond it will defeat the whole purpose of having sunlight for my turtles to bask in.

[steve]

I haven't used it but it, but it probably is safe. In general, I try to avoid any type of chemical in the water.

Have you thought about a UV sterilizer to deal with the algae?

[theartbook35]

Well... a pond is a little different than a tank since it's more closely related to a wilder environment... Algae is okay, in moderation, it doesn't necessarily hurt the turtle, a lot of it can be a tad annoying and uncomfortable though.

Have you thought about anacharis? It's known for being a competitor with algae and good at getting rid of it. I'm sure if you planted three or four it would thrive in an outdoor pond and also be less likely to be completely destroyed quickly by your turtle.

[marisa]

You could try an aquatic plant like duckweed or water hyacinth that would spread over much of the surface of the pond to keep out the light and minimize algae.

[SpotsMama]

Whatever you do, I'd recommend scooping out as much of the algae as you can before dealing with it (adding chemicals, letting duckweed or hyacinth cover the surface, for instance). You don't want a huge amount of algae to die and decay in the water because that will make it toxic.

By the way, when the weather's warm, duckweek covers the surface of our pond and it does keep the algae from growing. We scoop out a couple of netfulls of duckweek every day (it grows even faster than algae) to allow some sunlight to reach into the water.

[theartbook35]

Whatever you do, I'd recommend scooping out as much of the algae as you can before dealing with it (adding chemicals, letting duckweed or hyacinth cover the surface, for instance). You don't want a huge amount of algae to die and decay in the water because that will make it toxic.

By the way, when the weather's warm, duckweek covers the surface of our pond and it does keep the algae from growing. We scoop out a couple of netfulls of duckweek every day (it grows even faster than algae) to allow some sunlight to reach into the water.

This will sound very not normal of typical turtle care, but, here's how I beat algae:

100% water change once a week, thorough hot water rinsing of tank surface, even where the water didn't touch, hot water rinsing of all tank objects weekly or once a month depending on the size and slime accumulation. I do not keep my tank anywhere near a window.

I know how much bacteria a reptile can build up... I'm determined that every reptile I raise is going to end up totally healthy, happy, and clean, because there are TONS of people in the world who don't seem to get sometimes that reptiles are sensitive to their environment, and their environment feeds their health.

In other words, I never let it build up to begin with. In a tank at least. I like algae for ponds, because I think it's more appropriate.

[Diamondbacks4Life]

Have you thought about a UV sterilizer to deal with the algae?

Trust when i say if you get one of these it is money well spent. My pond during the hot summer months would turn bright green in week or two.

I bought a uv sterilizer and let me tell you the water has stayed crytstal clear ever since. Clears it right up.