Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey. I have 3 young 2 month old baby RES in a tank with guppies. I've seen rcently that the guppies gills are red and just now noticed one of the fish has white spots on the fins mostly, I would assume Ich. What do you think I should do with the fish/turtles? can the fish be treated without the turtles being taken out of the tank, will they get hurt if I add methyline-blue for Ich? I put a block of turtle-guard in the water. Do u think it will cure the fish? I should add, that I have been putting tap water stright into the tank, does this have anything to do with the fish diseases?

The tap water is likely to be contributing to your problem. Tap water contains chlorine which is a major problem for fish and turtles. You need to either let the water sit at least 24 hours at room temp for it to burn off or treat it with an anti-chlorine chemical available at your pet store. You can also go to a grocery store and by "spring water" which is also good for them at less than $1 USD/gallon.
Good luck, and take care.
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-Ferg

"The only day wasted is the day in which nothing is learned."
-My neighbor and friend.

Ich is a stress related desease for fish. I would guess that iving around something that will one day eat them might be the major stress producing problem. As for the tap water, I put staright tap water with my fish all the time and do not have problems. However, with my RES I do declorinate. I would treat the fish seperate, and do a complete water change for the RES just to be safe. It never hurts to be over cautious with these guys when they are so small. Good luck.
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Jenea

1:3 Eastern Hognose
0:0:1 Florida Redbelly
0:1 Gulf Coast Box Turtle
1:0 Red-eared Slider
2:0 Cats
1:1 Kids
1:0 Spouse

Jenea,
Now I do just the opposite. I dechlorinate my fish water but not the turtle water.

My RES is only 9 mths old and has already been through a resp infection, so I am a little more careful with him. After having fish for over 10 years, I stick with the more hardy species. They can put up with a lot.
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Jenea

1:3 Eastern Hognose
0:0:1 Florida Redbelly
0:1 Gulf Coast Box Turtle
1:0 Red-eared Slider
2:0 Cats
1:1 Kids
1:0 Spouse

Oh, poor baby! I hope he's OK now.

After giving him antibiotic shots for a week, he made a full recovery. He has become an absolute PIG!!! He will actually chase me out of the water for an earth worm! He is nuts, he begs for food everytime he sees us. What a character. I could not believe he sat still long enough for me to take this pic. He is about 4 inches (front to back) now. Is that normal growth?? I have quite givng him so much food, but he doesn't seem fat to me. What do you think?

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Jenea

1:3 Eastern Hognose
0:0:1 Florida Redbelly
0:1 Gulf Coast Box Turtle
1:0 Red-eared Slider
2:0 Cats
1:1 Kids
1:0 Spouse

He's adorable and doesn't look fat to me.