General Care Discussion :: water slimy?

[pao]

whenever i take my turtles out, i notice that theyre a little slimy, i was wondeirng what this is, because they usually arent slimy at all when ive just changed out the water in the tank, so what is the slimy stuff? is it bad? and how do i prevent it?

[SpotsMama]

You say they aren't slimy when you first change the water? Then it's probably not excess water conditioner.

Do you test your water for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates? How does the water look and smell? If the turtle's just a little slippery, that's normal but if it's got a slimy feel then it's probably got a coating of something like bacteria on it.

[pao]

water is a little stinky, i havent tested the water for anything, ive seen a bunch of test kits at pet stores but i wouldnt know what the tests are supposed to look like

[pao]

what i mean by not knowing what theyre supposed to look like is, i wouldnt know what the test results should look like if the conditions in the tank are good/bad

[SpotsMama]

Here's a link to a very good test kit.

http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ct ... tertestkit

It's very comprehensive and has enough test solution to last a long time - maybe years.

It's important to test your water from time to time because bad stuff that's invisible can build up and cause problems. It will let you know if you're changing the water often enough and if your filter is doing an adequate job for your tank. Without testing, you can't be sure.

Do you feed your turtle in his tank? It really helps keep water cleaner to feed the turtle outside the tank - in a big bowl or dish pan. Lots of people do it that way.

[DavidY]

Most pet stores will test a sample of your tank water for free. Just bring some of the tank water to the store in a plastic bag or small food storage container.

[SpotsMama]

DavidY makes a good point. If you buy your own test kit, the kit comes with complete instructions including how to interpret the results. It's very easy to use.

[pao]

i feed one if them outside the tank, the other one will only eat in the tank, whenever i try to feed it out of the ttank, it just tries to look for a way out

[pao]

and also, some bubbles on the water dont pop right away like they should they stay, i dont know if that means theres something in my water or not

[steve]

Are they basking everyday?

[pao]

yup asfar as i know they are basking everyday, ive recorded their daily activities with a webcam i few times and they do bask several times a day

[marisa]

The slime is usually a film of bacteria. It's good to wipe it off with a soft cloth. Paying attention to the water quality would be good as well.