General Care Discussion :: wat is it?

[rayzherup]

about 2-3 days after i clean my tank, there is always this filmy substance over the top of the water w/ some bubbles on it. The weird thing is, you can't pop the bubbles, they just slide away. My turtles are fine and all but it's realy strange. if you look at it from underneath, it's kind of opaque...

[greek]

how do you clean your tank?

[rayzherup]

i take the water out with one of those long hose thingies then i just wipe down the bottom and sides with some warm water anda paper towel. then i refill and put in the usual. water conditioner, waste degrader and a piece ofthose turtle bock things that prevent against salmonella. I follow the instructions on how much to use tho...

[kmichael55]

do you ever use soap? i had that once and assumed it was because i had used soap to clean the sides and not rinsed properly.... other reasons if it looks oily could be from fish if you have feeders in the tank, or if you stick your hands in a lot and they are oily, or if you feed your turt fish sometimes their poop is oily

[industrial_girl_2000]

FYI - you don't need to use the turtle block to "prevent against salmonella." You really can't "cure" a turtle of salmonella.....it is normal for their digestive tract & they always carry it.

The oily film on the top of the water can come from a lot of things but is not harmful to the turtle. It can come from their waste if they ate something oily the day before. Or it can come from the natural fats in the turtle pellets. Nothing to worry about....

[DavidY]

You can try to direct the output from your filter so that it agitates the surface of the water more. That will mix the surface scum back in the water so it can get pulled out by the filter. It's either a sign that you may be overfeeding your turtles or that your filter is not strong enough.

[rayzherup]

well i never use soap, don't feed in the tank, and have never fed them anything live, so maybe it's just their poop...? I sure hope it's not harmful, that's all i care about...

[DavidY]

Usually a light film on the water's surface is made up of organic waste and proteinaceous compounds (byproducts of uneaten or partially digested food). Sometimes even just dust particles in the air will collect on the surface of water if there isn't enough turbulence. As long as no one is using hair spray or other aerosol products near the turtle's tank, it shouldn't be anything to worry about. If you had fish or live plants in the tank it would be a concern as it would interfere with the exchange of gasses at the water surface (oxygen, carbon dioxide, etc.).

[marisa]

Aside from trying to agitate the surface of the water more, it sounds like you put a fair amount of "stuff" in the tank. Just wiping it down with water and a paper towel may not be enough and may be contributing to a very gradual buildup of residue. Once in a while, you could try wiping the tank down with diluted white vinegar, which is safe for your turtle and which would cut down any oils or greasiness. Rinse well after to get rid of the vinegar and any smell.