General Care Discussion :: White, floating skin-like STUFF

[kikicool]

I'm losing my cool now. I cleaned the whole tank Tuesday, and the fish had a feeding frenzy. So that afternoon, I did about a 10% water change after netting/vaccuuming remains. I have a strong nose... I could still smell fish. So YESTERDAY, I changed about 25% after cleaning and vaccumming the tank.

Still smelled. Still cloudy.

So this AM, I pretty much emptied 90% of the water. It's no longer terribly cloudy but... there are these little white things floating around. They are too light to sink. I thought at first they were remnants of fish. But it seems like there are more now than there were! Also, it's too much. These sort of collect around the edges of the water, by the walls, and in spots that are hard to reach to clean (of course). Could this be a sign my turts are growing? I've noticed Lily getting sort of "ghosty" lately. Lots of white skin hanging off her. Now she has not so much hanging on her. Could this white stuff be dead skin of hers? It loosk like skin, even seems to have prints.

If so... is this normal? It's driving me nuts!

[marisa]

White stringy things? It could be skin if your turtles are growing. From your description it sounds like a lot if it's normal shedding, though...

[kikicool]

Well, I had just cleaned the tank, so it prolly wasn't as awful as I made it sound. Just that when it's sparkling one day, and cloudy already the next with these white things in it... it seemed much worse, I suppose. I think it is skin. Is there anything that could result in too MUCH shedding?

[marisa]

Temps that are too high and a high ammonia level are two frequent contributors. Also too much or to little Vit A in the diet. I'd just wait and see if they come back or if the turtles keep shedding.

[kikicool]

grumble grumble stupid ammonia

[marisa]

But you don't know that that for sure. Just keep an eye on the shedding.

[kikicool]

troo dat. I'll get a test kit today, and keep an eye out... and stop obsessing. Some days I'm just unstoppable.

[marisa]

I can relate to that.

[DavidY]

I just took in 3 RES from someone who was no longer able to keep them anymore. They were in a small tub filled with filthy water, it looked like a cesspool. Couldn't even see the poor turtles until the guy pulled them out. I brought them home and gave them a good rinsing before I put them in their new home with fresh clean water. They settled in fairly quickly and are doing great now.

But I did also notice they all had a kind of white haze on their skin and they seemed to be shedding some of it off, leaving strands of white film floating around. I assumed they must be shedding, but I also wonder if the extreme change in water quality might have prompted it. Sounds similar to your situation after doing a massive water change.

[kikicool]

hmm...interesting. anyone know?

[Zarjulius & Miaomiao]

My turtle was sick with RI but after administering Amikacin shots he's finally doing much better - eating, swimming more, not swimming sideways so much. Another development is a lot of POOP. Seriously a lot. But I've also noticed white stringy things floating as well, which I haven't so much before. I thought it was just another form of waste, but now I also think it's probably shedding. The other turtle who wasn't sick has been growing the whole time, tho. Anyway, any tips how to keep that terrible chlorine and ammunia infused tap water free of those particles?

[marisa]

Some meds will cause loss of appetite and it wouldn't surprise me if the shedding was at least partly due having been on them as well. The shedding should eventually stop, though. Until it does, I'd try to keep the water clean with changes and either use a net or turkey baster to take out as many of the particles as possible when I saw them.

Welcome, DavidY. Since your turtles were in such crappy water, I'm thinking the ammonia level was really bad. What you're seeing could very well have been from the conditions they were living in. What does the new skin look like? If it looks healthy, it sounds like they're just shedding. If there's a problem with the underlying skin or if the shedding occurs repeatedly on the same areas, it's possible it could be a fungus. But I'd keep an eye on it to see what happens.

Last summer, when I thought my painteds were shedding a bit too much, I gave them baths in aquarium salt and water for several days. It helped clear up the shedding.

[DavidY]

Their skin is looking better under the shed, but not perfect. I would think after living in those conditions it might take a while for their skin to clear up.

FWIW, the guy I received them from said he used to fill their tank with water and give them an area to bask, but that it was getting too difficult to clean all the time. So someone told him to change his setup so it was all land with just a dish tub full of water. He figured it would be easier to keep clean by taking the tub out instead of cleaning the whole tank. I think he just lost interest and didn't want to spend time on them anymore. The tub looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a couple of weeks when I got there, although he said he cleaned it every 3 days. Either way, it was unbelievable that he kept 3 turtles in there! I'm just glad he realized he couldn't care for them and needed to find them a new home.

Right now I have them in a spare 40gal breeder (I know, it's way too small for 3 juvi/adult RES), but I am designing an indoor pond in my basement which will eventually be their permanent home. I also didn't want them in too big of an enclosure right now in case I need to treat their water with any medication for their skin. Which, by the way, can you recommend a good water conditioner/treatment that will help to condition their skin? So far, they are doing great and seem very happy. They are feeding and checking out every corner of their tank. They are also basking regularly on the platform I made for them out of PVC and eggcrate. The male is also courting with the female with no signs of abuse or aggression (he's a lot smaller than she is). Thanks.

[marisa]

Well, from what you wrote it sounds like your turtles were really lucky that you came into their lives.

It probably will take a while for their skin to clean up.

If your tap water is treated, it would be good to use a dechlorinator like Reptisafe, which adds some other beneficial ingredients to the water as well (not the only option, but to me a good one). Aquarium salt baths in a separate container have worked in the past for me. Other than a dechlorinator (if needed), I think keeping them in clean water would be the best thing for their skin. What kind of filter are you using?

[DavidY]

I bought a Zoomed 501 Turtle canister filter, but after what I've read on this forum (great resource, by the way) I am going to add a spare Whisper external filter that I have. For now I plan on doing frequent water changes to keep up with their waste. I also took some Pothos plant cuttings from one of my vivariums that was overgrowing the water section and attached them to the basking platform with their roots in the water. So far the turtles haven't bothered them.

My tap water comes from a well so I don't use a dechlorinator, but the Reptisafe sounds like a good idea. Kind of like Stress Coat for fish. Thanks for the kind words and the suggestions. I love learning about animals and their husbandry.