Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, I have my turtles on my 2nd floor balcony. So far, no probs with weight. The developers said there was no problem with two 75 gallon tanks on it. The balconies can handle 15 people they said.

Anyhoo,
Now I have a slight problem. There are mosquito larvae in one tank, but not in the other. And in the one tank with the larvae, there are little "algae tubes"... They are about 1/4" long and brown fuzzy tubes everywhere. Some on my turtles shell. She doesnt seem bugged by them, and She isnt acting strange at all, except by being bugged by mockinbirds that nest on the tree nearby.

I know guppies are a good choice for larvae in the water, and in the wild they put up with a lot more crap. Anything I should change? Screen tops, lighting, water additives?
The filters move the water, but not as much as I would like.
I'm running an Eheim canister (can't remember the model, but it's the largest model) and a Rena XP3 or 4... the largest.

Thanks again...

-----
Coastal Carpet Python 0.1 (Lillith)
Albino Burm 0.1 (Kimba RIP 10/23/04)
Columbian RedTail 0.1 (Squishy)
Kenyan Sand Boa 1.0 (Shai'hulud) MIA
Brown Water Snake 0.1 (Fang)MIA
Common Snapping Turtle 1.1 (Sherman and Tiger)
(RIP Abrahms)
RES 1.0 (speedy)
African Rock Python (Mongo) 0.0.1
Rosy Hair Tarantula (Shelob) 0.1.0

Point the filter flow up across the surface of the tank. A rough, flowing surface will distract many bugs, but unfortunately may attract different species. Guppies are a good idea, but you'll have to replenish them on occasion (food for turtle!) Try it and see how it works.

I can't imagine a screen doing any good, and I'd stay away from water additives--- tap water might be something to try though. THe chlorine will evaporate soon enough, but it might keep numbers down.

Ian

Cute little guy