General Care Discussion :: Mineral deposits

[Starchick]

I posted some pictures a while back because I was concerned about Hercules' shell. He has whitish deposits along the inner edges of most of his marginal scutes. I was told that it was probably mineral deposits and not to worry, but there's definitely more of it than before. I'm still assuming it's deposits, and I know that Michael has hard water. I would just like to do something about it, since he's about halfway through shedding and I would hate for this to continue building up even on his fresh scutes. I was reading about water softening pillows for filters. One I found online was specifically for a XP3, the other was this: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... h&keepsr=1

I'm using a Fluval 4 internal filter, which doesn't have an extra compartment or anything, but it does have a space between the foam pads where I can fit something, I have carbon in there now. Do you think these things will work?

Also, here's one of the pics I posted, in case anyone has anything to add!

[DavidY]

You should get a freshwater test kit and make sure what the water hardness and pH really are. Then you can either use a water softening filter element or another water softening product made for aquariums. I know there are many types of tropical fish that require acidic water like Discus and Anglefish, so there are a lot of products out there for that. But make sure to get a good test kit so you can monitor it too.

[Starchick]

Okay, I tested my water. The ph was 6.4, which is lower than usual, it's typically around 7 straight from the faucet. The hardness was in the neighborhood of 100 ppm. I'm using a Mardel 5 in 1 kit, and the range is pretty big, but it looks to be on the higher end of 'moderate' hardness.

[DavidY]

hmm, that's odd that the pH is that low but the water is still hard. I'm not big on water chemistry so hopefully someone else will be able to jump in with more help. GreyGoose?

[steve]

She's shedding right? How does the shell look underneath?

[Starchick]

He looks good under the few scutes he's shed, but the ones that look the worst aren't ready to come off yet. I'm just concerned because it seems to be forming so quickly. When I looked at him this morning there was quite a bit of it on the scutes on his sides (he has a bunch of extras between where the carapace and plastron meet) and I'm starting to see it creeping out from the seams of his plastron as well.

[steve]

It *might* be a touch similar to that fungal infection my RES had. Can you find out about the background of the turtle? Since your other painteds are fine, I would continue to suspect that it is a mild infection and not mineral deposits.

I'll try to post some macro shots when I get home.