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I have a small, 2 inch, RES. I've had him for about 2 months now yet I still have some questions...

I've found a few small spots of algae on his shell that are only visible under water, is this something I should try to scrub off?

I've done a ton of research on this site and have his feeding under control but in the last week he has completely stopped basking.

Today I cleaned is tank and moved around his set up giving him about 8 inches of water and only zoo meds ramp for basking hoping this will help.

However, is this "mean"? Even now he hangs off the ramp to breathe never actually going onto the dock.

Also I've read all about the gravel and still wondering what size rocks are OK to use... I.E. how big do the river rocks need to be?

Thanks in advance

You can try brushing the shell with a baby toothbrush. You can also try using a
little diluted salt while brushing the shell.

The turtle can handle any tank size, in my opinion. Even the more water, the better.
However, you need to provide holding place for the turtle to rest, like what you've
done with the ramp.

Give your turtle some more time to get comfortable with the new setup. Do you
use UVB bulb for the basking area? You also need regular household bulb for the
heat.

I prefer bare bottom tank, as any substrate traps debris. If you decide to use
substrate, you can put sand or large river rocks. Never use gravel, especially
those smaller or equal to the size of the turtle's head.

I do have a UV lamp for him however I didnt know a regular lamp was needing for heat. I keep the tank in the "safe" zone but a lamp is needing for heat?

you can try to tape the basking area for a few hours a day with a camcorder but it has to be when you aren't there... he might be going up there when you aren't around... since you just changed his stuff around, maybe he just needs time to get used to it, ya know?

also, word of advice: sand is better substrate, or nothing at all, because river rocks trap EVERYTHING in between them. I had them and now have sand... food and poop sit on top and if you get a bring shrimp fish net ( has very small holes in the net) you can help the filter even more and scoop out the debris left on top of the sand... things just sit right on top of the sand verses in between the river rocks.

also, the algae- i would just use a soft cloth to clean him off, dilute some white vinegar (that you would use in cooking) and give his shell a nice cleaning once a day for a few days. I use a little bit of vinegar and lots of water to clean his tank and wipe down the walls of the aquarium from his jumping off the ramp and splashing... the vinegar won't hurt him and is safe for him to be around, rather than any type of chemicals.

The basking area might need more heat to tempt him to come up. If you have a heat lamp, and he still doesn't want to come up, he might just be having some problems getting up it. i'm not sure if you can put a little more of the dock in the water, so he can swim up to the ramp and get on it easier... just a suggestion... I don't know what you cna do, i don't know how your set up is.....

Thanks for the advice, I'm going to try whipping down his shell this afternoon. I was thinking about using sand however its not a problem with a filter?

r u sure its algae? cause he could just be shedding his shell
thats what my little turtle was doing

As long as you rinse the sand, like put it in a bucket and run some water in it for a few minutes, and make sure that you turn the filter off before you pour in the sand... if the filter is off and you put the sand in and let it settle for a few minutes then turn the filter back on, it won't clog the filter. If you have the filter on when you pour in the sand before it settles it will get stuck in the filter and clog it up. So, just turn off the filter, pour in your sand, wait a few minutes, turn the filter on, and within about an hour or as long as 3 the water will be clear again... The sand takes a while to completely settle. that's all you need to know. good luck.