General Care Discussion :: algae on shell

[Myke]

My RES has algae on his shell. The water is clean, filter working fine, water temp is between 72-76. I have a small boat and a rock to help her get to the turtle dock, they also have algae on them. Is the turtle spending to much time in the water? What can I do to get the algae off the shell?
Thanks
Myke

[Newbie_Owner]

Hmm, Ive had a recent problem with that too, Ive just been using a toothbrush to scrub the algae off the panels and etc.

As for the shell, I usually use cotton swabs and give a good wiping.

but you dont have to listen to me, as Im not an expert lol.

[Kemul]

Perhaps the turtle is not basking long enough or often enough daily? Do you have
UVB for your basking area? What's the temperature of the basking area?
To entice basking, the basking area should be about 10°F higher than the water
temperature, somewhere around 85-90°F.

[BullDog]

You can gently scrub the algae off with a clean soft toothbrush or cloth. A bit of algae isn't harmful to the turtle's shell, but a heavy coating of algae can prevent the shell from drying out.
I don't think it has anything to do with how long your turt spends in the water. Frankie had a bit of algae on her shell when I first got her. I scrubbed what I could off. This summer I noticed it spread a bit, it might have been because of the extra warmth.

[mike hill]

Mke - I use warm water and table salt with a soft tooth brush. I let the salt water dry on the back. I wash it off with warm water and only brush it on and then off with warm water. If you choose to do this make sure you do it quickly as they don't like the brush one bit.

[corey7144]

Izzy has had that problem when shedding but only on the ones falling off. so im not sure about it being on the actual shell.