General Care Discussion :: At Wit's End

[Freddy]

I got my RES, Freddy, about 5 years ago. He's about 6 in. long. He's in a 30 gal tank, with a regular and UV light. He seemss to be doing well, but...

The algae around his basking rock is ridiculous. Not only that, there are small larvae that come up to the surface of the water. Tiny little silver worms that eventually become fruit flies and I think lay eggs in the water, repeating the process. I've cleaned the thing out completely numerous times yet they keep coming back! I don't like the thought of them in his water, and I don't like the thought of them being on or around his shell. I don't know what it is or how to stop it.

I'm almost tempted just to say forget it and get an entirely new tank, but how do I know it won't happen again?

[mikee]

Need more information. How large is your tank and turtle(s). What kind of filter do you have? How many gph is the filter? What temperature do you keep the water in the tank? What lighting do you have? How often do you change your water? What % water change? How often do you and how much do you feed your turtles? What do you and how do you feed them? Where is your tank located? What kind of heater do you have? How often do you clean the tank?

[megcornell]

I think you may have two separate issues going on.
The algae while unsightly, isn't a serious issue. You can try to keep it under control by scrubbing the basking dock occasionally, but given that it is in direct light the algae growth is really encouraged by the surroundings.
As for the worm issue, I'd bleach the tank to get rid of all the worms/larvae/any other life stage insects in the tank. Use about 2oz bleach per gallon of water to rinse out the tank and filter-- anything that comes into contact with the water. You'll need a place to keep your turtle safe for a few hours as the tank will need to be rinsed thoroughly with clean water and given a few hours to air dry. That will get rid of the worms for now, but I'm curious as to what's causing them in the first place.
Is there a lot of left over food in the tank?

[Freddy]

Not to my knowledge, a bit of it usually comes out of his mouth when eating, but nothing major. I'll clean it out again with bleach this time. And I think I'm just gonna get all new rocks and a new filter. I really want them gone. I have a screen over the top that a friend made that they seem to, I dunno, hang onto near the lights.

[octpusgirl8]

A 30 gal tank is awfully small for a 6 inch turtle. I'm sure he's fouling the water really quickly, making an optimal enviroment for algae and other pests. The general rule of thumb is 10 gallons per inch of shell, so he needs more like a 60 gal tank. Get him a bigger tank and he will be a much happier turtle.

[mikee]

Fred – after you get a larger tank, you will need a canister filter that will exchange the water at least 5 times per hour. (GPH). When cleaning up your equipment, to get rid of the algae you will need to clean it off your turtle. Use some table salt, warm water and tooth brush and gently clean off his shell and skin. A six inch turtle in a 30 gallon tank is way out kilter. The six inch turtle can poo up a 30 gallon tank in no time and your filter will not be able to keep up.

[SpotsMama]

I think the question about why the algae and larvae are occuring is a good one. Exposure to light is a chief reason for algae, but algae also needs nuitriants in the water to grow. Nuitriants means left over food, accumulated turtle waste and the by-product of turtle waste that has been neutralized.

Your turtle is quite large for a 30 gallon tank - a "right sized" tank would be 60 gallons. That means that even a very good filter would have trouble keeping up with the waste the large turtle produces. You would have to change the water very frequently to keep it clean.

Do you ever test the water for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates? These are turtle waste products. They are invisible, so even if your water looks clear they can be present in large amounts. Since they are fertilizer for algae and probably fly larvae as well, they are a likely source of your problem. You can get a test kit at the pet store in the fish section to test for these chemicals. A good kit is the Freshwater Master Test Kit by Aquarium Pharmeceuticals. It comes with good instructions on how to do the tests and what the results mean.

If it turns out that waste products in the water are what's causing your algae and fly larvae, then the solution is a bigger tank and better filter. Until you can get these things, you can control the water quality with frequent water changes. You can also feed him in a separate container, outside the tank. That really helps with water quality. Keep testing to make sure the water is staying clean enough.

Here's another suggestion. It's possible fly eggs or larvae are sticking to your turtle, so when you put him back in the tank he re-infects it. Try rinsing him off very thoroughly in clean water before you put him in a safe place while you clean the tank. Make sure he gets a chance to thoroughly dry off before you put him back in, as being dry may help kill any fly larvae that are left sticking to him.

You mentioned a screen over the top of your tank. If the screen is between the UVB light and the basking platform, it is probably blocking the UVB light so your turtle isn't getting the full benefit of it. To correct this (if it is a problem) you can cut an opening in the screen over the basking area so the light can get through unobstructed.

[shannon_nicole]

I've seen larvae in my tank before too... I noticed that they seem to come up to the surface to breathe every now and then, so if you have like 20 minutes or so you could just watch and every time you see one scoop it out with a net.

I only had a few in mine that one time and I scooped them out and killed them and that was that. But if you have many of them it might not work. Or if yours are some other kind that don't have to come up to breathe, then it also might not work.

[Freddy]

Thanks for the good advice, I'm gonna start straightaway on getting things cleaned out.