Is it soft PH 6.0- 6.5 ? With aquarium salt ? Does carbon in Fluval filtures ,etc really make a difference ? How do you prevent shell rot ?
Reptile & Amphibian Forums
Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.
What is the ideal aquatic turtle water condition ?
Regmon
Aug 26, 2005 01:49 AM
Replies (2)
PHRatz
Aug 27, 2005 09:28 AM
>>Is it soft PH 6.0- 6.5 ? With aquarium salt ? Does carbon in Fluval filtures ,etc really make a difference ? How do you prevent shell rot ?
It kind of depends on what turtle species you have & what you keep them in. A pond would be a different story but for my aquariums where I have a western painted & a yellow mud, which are both very small aquatic turtles; frankly I don't pay attention to the pH. That's because I drain my tanks & thoroughly clean them once a week. I know there are people who won't agree with me on this & that's fine but I don't agree with the idea that if your filter works well enough you don't need to clean the tank for a month or more.
That's because turtles aren't fish & IMO they shouldn't be treated like fish. The water may look clean after a week but that doesn't mean it is, turtles produce a lot more waste than tropical fish do.
I disinfect the tanks with a mild bleach solution then I rinse out the filter well but keep the carbon for a month. The carbon does make a difference in water clarity, my water gets dirtier looking the older the carbon is.
Prevent shell rot through cleanliness. Shell rot is disease mostly caused by bacteria, although a fungus could cause it as well. When the water is clean the turtle is clean... however on tank cleaning day I do use a soft brush to clean the turtles before I put them back into their fresh tanks.
If the shell feels slimy then they have bacteria growing on them & I want that off of them.
I'm sure someone else will have something different to say but this is my opinion. 
-----
PHRatz
Regmon
Aug 28, 2005 01:43 AM
How about PH for asian turtles such as Callagurs , Orlitias , Mauremys , and Indo / Aussie species like Chelodina , Emydura ?
I plan on doing a 25 -30 % water change and cleaning throughly the Fluval pump and carbon weekly and replacing the carbon on my Fluval pump monthly . Along with feeding the turtles in a seperate tub 2 - 3 x's a week .
