General Care Discussion :: How sensitive are turtles to water parameters

[spottedcatfish]

Ok, so I come from the world of fishkeeping. What's more, I come from a world of insisting on keeping soft water loving fishes (at least I never got a thing for discus, right?) in nice, hard Rocky Mountain water. The fact that I don't have a test kit right now is driving me mad (gotta drive to the big city, doing that next week).

Here's the water situation. Please note, it's part of my job to know these things, so I'm not as crazy as I'm about to sound. City water around here is consistently potable, and drinkable if you've always enjoyed the taste of baking soda (mmm.... sodium bicarbonate), it's so hard it seriously prevents many shampoos from lathering properly. I buy my water from the RO dispenser at the grocery store. The potentially troubling part is that the aquifer that the city wells tap just about doubles in size every summer, changing the mineral concentrations, and I suspect pH, because it is replenished by extensive flood irrigation which draws on a canal system that pulls out of the Yellowstone.

How much is my turtle (1.5 inches, very much a young-in) going to notice if the hardness and pH change over the course of a couple months, level out and then do the same thing a couple months later? I've already got him half and half on the RO water because he came from a town that draws from surface water and so was (best guess) softer, so if I keep doing that it should mitigate the changes. I can also do some searching and testing and find a brand of consistent and filtered (but not RO'd) water to use. He's only got about 6 gallons of water in his tank right now (yes, I am planning on upgrading, I am definitely moving in July, and then probably again in a year, so he'll get new digs every time I do), so I don't mind hauling water for him.

What do you all think? Put him entirely on the hard water? Will that help him with the whole nice, hard shell thing? Stick with the half and half? Or try to find something a little more consistent? I keep trying to remind myself that he's not a fish, he's tolerant, but I'm starting to realize why there are so many 10 gallon tanks at garage sales around here...

[JimmyJam]

I am not sure but would a faucet water filter like "Brita"(spelling?) work to make the water softer? Test the water after to check for a good PH balance and if needed treat the water with turtle safe chemicals.

[Chrisbarnett]

Turtles are pretty resillient when it comes to water parameters. Straight hard water should be just fine. You'll just have to deal with water lines, and maybe some hard water deposit on your turts shell.

and no it wont help with the nice hard shell thing, but cuttlebone will.

[TheComputerGremlin]

The hard water should be okay, esp. if you have the time to give him a bath in good water occasionally and scrub his shell with a soft toothbrush. RES are pretty resilient creatures, which is good. However, if the better water isn't going to break the bank (which, coupled with a good filter should amount to only a few gallons a week in a larger tank), it won't hurt to mix the two. The changes in local water quality will be less noticed when added to a larger, established tank also.

So your best bet is to get a larger tank, maybe a 30-40 gallon, and fill that at least half way up. Get a good filter, that will help cut down on the effects, and then when you add the local water, it will be less noticed.

[SpotsMama]

The only thing to watch for is if your turtle starts have shell fungus problems. Fungus thrives in alkaline water, so lowering the ph can help.

[spottedcatfish]

All right, thanks for the advice everyone! I think I'll stick with the half and half for now and keep an eye on his shell, the little guy has been eating and basking when he thinks I'm not looking, so it seems like he's settling in well.

[marisa]

It depends on the species. RES are hardy and will do well in a fairly wide ph range.