General Care Discussion :: Algae on turtle's back

[Jessemoreno]

My turtle grows alot of algae on her back. I put her in a container and use a toothebrush to scrub it off. I stroke it softly to make sure I'm not hurting her but she hisses alot and jumps.

My question is is algae on a turtles back dangerous? Has anyone ever had their RES hiss and jump at them? My gf has 2 turtles and she says they never do that.

Also what could I get to reduce the algae?

[rsour24]

you shouldnt have two turtles that far apart in size int he same tank. you need better filtration and a bigger tank

[Jessemoreno]

you shouldnt have two turtles that far apart in size int he same tank. you need better filtration and a bigger tank

Thats the old tank.My new tank is 60 gallons. The turtle is 4 inches long.

[rsour24]

i see 2 turtles. ha. and u still need better filtration. for 60 gallons you need a filter rated for a 180 gallon tank

[Love of Animals]

They are both very cute! I'm glad you have a 60 gallon for them. Is the water filled to the top on it? Or is it lower for a basking area. If it's lower you might want to make an ATBA. It's a basking area on top of your tank so you can keep it filled all the way. The more water there is the easier it will be to maintain water quality. Water quality issues may be what's causing a lot of algae on his shell. Make sure you get a filter that is rated for 3 times the tank size. Some turtles just don't like to be handled. You can usually tell when they are going to strike though by getting to know their mannerisms. As far as keeping turtles together with such a size difference. It could be dangerous to the small turtle if aggression does start. Keep an eye on them for that and also make sure the small one gets his fair share of food. Good luck with them!

[steve]

I agree with what's been said above... you need to separate ASAP. The proximity to the window could be greatly contributing to the algae growth in the tank.

[richieboy]

Yep apparently sun light or light for that matter = algae.

[Jessemoreno]

They are both very cute! I'm glad you have a 60 gallon for them. Is the water filled to the top on it? Or is it lower for a basking area. If it's lower you might want to make an ATBA. It's a basking area on top of your tank so you can keep it filled all the way. The more water there is the easier it will be to maintain water quality. Water quality issues may be what's causing a lot of algae on his shell. Make sure you get a filter that is rated for 3 times the tank size. Some turtles just don't like to be handled. You can usually tell when they are going to strike though by getting to know their mannerisms. As far as keeping turtles together with such a size difference. It could be dangerous to the small turtle if aggression does start. Keep an eye on them for that and also make sure the small one gets his fair share of food. Good luck with them!

Yeah I'm trying to get a filter for them but I spent alot of money on their tank.So I have to wait for my next check. The water is 10 inches deep. the tank measures I think 16 inches tall so its pretty deep.

Everyones been telling me to seperate them. But they seem to get along. No real agression. Toby rides on Shellys back. I've had them together for about 5 months and I always check for damage on his shell to make sure she's not being agressive.

I just started walking Shelly I let her out in the backyard so she could walk but I have 2 cats so I have to watch her while shes out of the tank. I think she likes walking in the grass. I see her in the tank and sometimes she looks restless.

[Love of Animals]

Taking them outside to get natural sunlight is very good for them. Glad you keep a close eye on her when she's out, they can escape or hide fast. Some turtles get along for life but a lot of turtles will get along for a long time then suddenly for no reason they stop and one of them gets seriously injured. So I'm glad you keep a close eye on that as well. Starting up turtle habitats can get quite expensive, but once you get everything the cost goes down. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but eventually your going to need an even bigger tank for two of them. What filter are you thinking of getting? For larger tanks most of us use canister filters. Ordering on line will get you better prices. Do check out photos of ATBA's so you an eventually get the water filled to the top. The more water the easier it is to maintain. Good Luck with them!

[steve]

It's not an issue of aggression, it's simply a size issue. I saw someone who kept RES like you, and the larger one swam over to a smaller one, thought it's head was food and took a bite. Luckily, it bit the top and lower scutes and the smaller one escaped injury. A bite can do serious harm, but a smaller turtle has more trapping issues as well.

[Jessemoreno]

I finally got a pleco and it cleaned the turtles shell pretty good. But I noticed there is red spots on the turtles back. Like its scales.Is that normal?

[steve]

There shouldn't be any red spots on a res shell, can you take a pic? Is it possible the pleco damaged it (not unheard of)?

[Jessemoreno]

It wouldn't let be upload a big pic on here so I'm posting a link

https://picasaweb.google.com/1033012805 ... 7503772898

[steve]

I'm not sure what that it. This is after trying to scrub it off? Has it gotten smaller?

[Jessemoreno]

No its staying the same. I haven't touched her shell since the pleco cleaned it.