General Care Discussion :: Gunk is everywhere

[GThiele93]

So i noticed yesterday, alll this stuff at the surface of the water. It looks like a oils pill and is so slippery and nasty i tried to disturb it with my net but it just jiggles like jello(no pun intended). I noticed that its on my turtles back there is a thick layer it looks like thin white hairs almost clear.Is this benficial bateria, or protein build up on the surface. I am going to clean the tank and scrub the back of the shells with a tooth bush. Is this stuff good,or bad,should i leave it in there. please help.
I have a 10 gallon tank and a fluval 1 filter for two 1 and a half inch baby RES. I feed them in a seperate tank too.

[thegrandpoohbah]

Protein film. Can be soaked up by laying a couple sheets of paper towel on the surface of the water or by skimming it off. To prevent it you need to make sure the filter is agitating the surface.

[GThiele93]

Straight to the point, thanks a lot for your help.

[emma]

I had this too. I got a bubbler and had it run the whole day then turned it off at night. It has stayed away ever since.

[Bascomb]

Unless your turtle is a hatchling the 10 gallon is a bit small. the suggested requirements is 10 gallons per inch of turtle. I think if you sized your tank to that measurement and had a filter that would exchange your water at least 5 times per hour it would help. Good uva, uvB and basking lighting would help with the fuzzy stuff on the shell.

[Bumby's Mom]

If you get a bubble wand/air stone that will take care of the problem. It sure helped in mine.

[Sgt. Pepper]

You definitely need a bigger tank. At least 30 gallons for your two babies.

[Bascomb]

GThiele93 -- While we are spending your money, I have 2 about 2 inch in a 30 gallon and I use a filter that is 350 gallons per hour (gph) and it does a good job getting the water exchanged. There is a little swirl at one end of the tank that keeps the water moving and keeps the tank clean and healthy. If you need any suggestions as to what to buy I am sure there plenty that will help. These little guys need more tank and water than fish and a lot more filter. Good luck.

[Dormant]

I have a baby turtle the same size as GThiele, and a ten gallon tank. It works just fine, and it would be spacious enough for 2 babies. His are just hatchlings. A 30 gallon tank, heck even a 20 gal, would be a bit too much for them right now. He should keep an eye on their growth and upgrade when necessary. Little babies only need enough to completely submerge themselves, and swim a bit. It will work their muscles and help them learn to control their breathing. They were not born or kept in much water at time of purchase. This of course is just based off my expirience, and I know he bought his turtles the same place and time as I did, so I'm assuming his Turtles are similar to mine.

[GThiele93]

Yes,yes thank you for your help you guys actully I'm going to be upgrading with in the next month. I'm aiming for a 50 to 75 gallon right now and I'm going all out and getting a XP3 that will last me a while.Thanks again for all you help everyone. Escpecially you Dormant and Bascomb.

[Bascomb]

Dormant -- There is a general rule of thumb that you need 10 gallons per inch. Two one-inch turtles would make it 20 gallons at least and with much growth would require another tank. The little ones adapt to deep-water quickly and do well. If you get them just out of the eggs, that may be a point. In the wild they hit the water and get going. I have two yellow bellies and they are in a 30-gallon and were put in as hatchlings. Sliders need much more water, and filtration than most other aquarium dwellers.

[Dormant]

Dormant -- There is a general rule of thumb that you need 10 gallons per inch. Two one-inch turtles would make it 20 gallons at least and with much growth would require another tank. The little ones adapt to deep-water quickly and do well. If you get them just out of the eggs, that may be a point. In the wild they hit the water and get going. I have two yellow bellies and they are in a 30-gallon and were put in as hatchlings. Sliders need much more water, and filtration than most other aquarium dwellers.

Alls I'm saying is my turtle is less than two months old and when I filled the water up half way in my 10 gallon tank, he/she got really scared and I had to remove a good amount of water before he calmed down. My turtle was never in the wild...in fact, it was more than likely bred to be consumed, thus the reason we got he/she on the street of China Town, NY.

My turtle is healthy...always active, always willing to eat, and even comes to the side of the tank now when my girlfriend or I come around. I know general rules of thumb and all that, but I can't deny what I see, and I see that my one turtle that is the same size as GThiele's turtles, is very happy in a 10 gallon tank and it seems to be more than enough room.

That isn't to say it would be different for two babies, but I can see two babies being just in a at least a 10 gallon for the first month or two...

[GThiele93]

They are hatchlings and i used my fluval 1 pointing the pump upwards to disturb the water now.

[SpotsMama]

A 10 gallon tank is a bit small for two 1 1/2 inch turtles but they will be ok for few months. Just keep in mind that they are growing quickly. Pretty soon, not only will two turtles feel cramped in a 10 gallon tank but it will get harder and harder to keep it clean. One of the big benefits of a bigger tank is that it's easier to keep the water clean as there is more of it to dilute the turtle waste.

On the water level, one thing you can do is raise it gradually, an inch every few days, or whatever seems to make the turtles comfortable. Also, as the level gets high it's helpful to have something at the surface of the water - like a plastic plant that reaches to the surface - for the turtle to rest on when they gets tired of swimming. Again, one of the big benefits of having more water in a tank is that the larger the volume of water, the easier it is to keep clean. Also, turtles in the wild have evolved to swim in big ponds and lakes and over the long run they are happier in tanks where they have room to maneuver, swim and dive.