Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,
I have 2 RES for almost a year now. I have noticed the water looks oily on top. I have to clean the filter out (as well as buy a new one, just waiting for the ol paycheck ie-fluval) and will clean the filter tomorrow, could that be the reason for the oily water? What is it caused by?

One of the Res does this thing where it looks like he is biting the water, and what he does is sucks it in and then spits it out. Like he is blowing bubbles.

At times one of the RES will look like he is going to attack the other, is this just a mating thing? His front arms extend out and he sorta shimmies... Its quite silly, but I was not sure if they were going to fight. I am unsure of the sex of them as well.

Thanks a lot, much Turtle love,
newturtlemom

Yea it's just a mating ritual I suppose. I have 2 male RES that are 6-7 years old and they do it to each other. Maybe it's fun or something not sure

About the oily stuff, you might need a better filter? Is your water staying still and not moving much? I found that Aquaclear filters do a great job at keeping the water moving so that the mysterious oily film doesn't appear. I don't know what causes this but I would assume it's from the turltes skin. As for the bubbles, yea its also strange. If you have a aquaclear filter or a filter that keeps the water moving a lot, then you won't see either of these.

Hi, what are you feeding them, the oil may just be coming from the food(turtle stix) ur giving them which should go away within a few hours after feeding.

The "oily water" is protein buildup from commercial turtle foods, with stand still water you will notice this more often.

Agreed. Clean your filter and do a partial water change. If will clear up temporarily. When it returns repeat the process.

The oil is proteins. In my salt water tanks I would get protein to froth up bubbles when I feed my fish fresh tuna. The oil can come from anything that contains proteins. A protein skimmer will take care of that in a heart beat, or you can use a small net with very small holes, or even line the mesh with a paper towel. Run this around the surface and you can clean it up real fast. The problem with the oily surface for fish is that it creates a surface that does not allow the air to interact with the water. Since your turtle does not breathe water, it shouldn't be a problem anyway.