i posted further down the board asking if anyone knew of a way to eliminate water mites from my turlte tank for good, im having to do complete water chages on my 30 (uk) gallon tank every other day due to these annoying little pests. i got absolutly no response to my questions on this subject here so i posted my question on a different forum and board. the responce i got from there was that if, when i re-set up my turtle tank and i mix a 1% of the total volume of water in the tank, of regular household bleach into the water, this will keep the mites away, but surly this cant be safe? even such a small amount would surly create some adverse effects (no difference to chlorine in the water, and we all know you have to use a dechlorinator when ever you put them into fresh tap water)
what fo you all think of this advice?
-----
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.
is this safe?
Replies (18)
n/p
-----
i would completely break down the tank. wipe it out and use hot water and a new sponge that wil lbe thrown away and a lot of elbow grease. i would never put any chemical cleaner in a fish or reptile cage, except maybe 'de flea reptile relief' for reptiles, this is an anti mite/tick sprey for terrariums that you may want to consider using to spray the insid eof the empty tank. i would also do the same thing to the filter. i would just replace the gravel completely, as well as any decor except maybe decor that is easy to clean(no holes or cracks or highly textured surfaces. i wouldnt even consider bleach.
thanks for that, i thought it sounded a bit iffy, just thought id make sure though. thanks for confirming my suspisions. 
-----
I always clean my tanks with a dilute bleach solution but I don't add any bleach to the tank water while the turtles are still in it.
Bleach for cleaning is safe, all you have to do is rinse it well, air dry by the time you've done that there is less chlorine left hanging around than the chlorine that's in the tap water you'd use to refill the tanks. For those who are really paranoid you can use anti-chlor in the rinse water.
I clean with bleach because nothing else is going to murder the germs that are hanging around on the sides of the glass the basking area, the filter tubes, the heater, etc. etc.
I wouldn't use soap, ammonia, chlorhexidine, or phenol but bleach isn't that scary because it can be rinsed away.
The germs are much more scary to me than what I use to kill them.
-----
PHRatz
those are good points. but if it gets trapped under the frame it could get in the water. and as far as having less chlorine than tapwater, thats why you need to use a water conditioner everytime you add water.
Hi,
I respectfully disagree about the need to add a conditioner to the water. I’ve been keeping and breeding turts and torts for about 25 years now and have never used it. I’ve never seen any ill effects from using plain old tap water. If you can drink it, they can swim in it.
>>Hi,
>>I respectfully disagree about the need to add a conditioner to the water. I’ve been keeping and breeding turts and torts for about 25 years now and have never used it. I’ve never seen any ill effects from using plain old tap water. If you can drink it, they can swim in it.
I've never added anti-chlor to my turtle water unless they have feeder fish with them. I've only been keeping them for 11 years, haven't hit the 25 year mark yet but so far, not a problem.
Fish, amphibians, hermit crabs are all animals that can't handle tap water but turtles are reptiles, they are much tougher critters. One theory I've heard is that what little bit of chlorine is in tap water may help to limit bacterial diseases in turtles but.. I don't know about that because:
With tap water once it's been sitting in the tank for a day the chlorine that was in it will break up and vanish anyway. That's why so many people use "aged" water to spritz their pet frogs. After the tap water has been sitting in the spray bottle for 24 hours or so, it's safe for the frogs without having been treated with anything because the chlorine is already gone.
-----
PHRatz
can someone explain how chlorine disappears from aged tap water? chemically it shouldnt happen, it would have to lose a proton in order to not be chlorine anymore. if it simply evaporates in to the air it cant do that in a spray bottle thats been sitting out for a day, there is no where to go since the bottle is sealed. ive heard of this a lot but dont understand how it is happening. please explain. i personally like to be on the safe side and if i wasnt on well water i would use a conditioner.
it is true that water that is over 24 hours old is clorine free, and this is done, as you suspect via, evaporation.
you are also correct in saying thoughv that in a sparay bottle there is no way for the clorine to get out, the water has to be out and open for 24 hours for the water to evaporate. the problem is for something like a 30 gallon tank, thats a lot of buckets of water to have lying around the house for the day!
even thought the chlorine is gone within 24 hours, i still like to use a de-chlorinator in tap water because at the end of the day you are, in theory, still asking these animals to swim in bleach...how ever mild it is! this is why i posted my question as i thought that this would be defeating the objective of using a de-chlorinator for the water!
your eyes sting after going to the swimming pool and opening your eyes under water do they not?...so why do you think the actions of the chlorine will have any different effects on the turtles?
-----
The amounts of chlorine used in tap water and that used in swimming pools is vastly different. The amount in normal tap water will do absolutely no harm to your turtles.
all i know, is that with working in a pet shop, i have seen the type of damage putting fish into chlorinated water can do, i would rather be safe and spend a couple of pounds on de-chlorinator that will last my tank 100 water changes, than wish that damage on my turtles.
but isuppose it is each to their own
-----
You are doing your turtles absolutely no damage by not using a water treatment for Chlorine. In my 25 years of keeping turtles I have never and I do mean never had a turtle have an adverse reaction to chlorinated tap water. But if youy want to spend your money on something you don't need, that's your choice
>>can someone explain how chlorine disappears from aged tap water? chemically it shouldnt happen, it would have to lose a proton in order to not be chlorine anymore. if it simply evaporates in to the air it cant do that in a spray bottle thats been sitting out for a day, there is no where to go since the bottle is sealed. ive heard of this a lot but dont understand how it is happening. please explain. i personally like to be on the safe side and if i wasnt on well water i would use a conditioner.
Those who use the aged water for frogs, I suppose they pour the water into a pitcher or something, let it sit then fill the sprayer bottle? I don't know for sure because I use R/O tap water for mine. We have a water softener system for the whole house and a reverse osmosis system at the kitchen sink because the water here is so hard that without any treatment it makes tea look like mud.
The chlorine vanishing is just a chemical breakdown, it dissipates, breaks up through evaporation so unless I have fish I don't worry about it in my turtle tanks.
I'm very careful about water for my hermit crabs and frog though.
-----
PHRatz
Eleven years is a good long time. Most of the people I've met over the years seem to get into the hobby and then back out of it rather quickly. I think most don't realise what a load of work taking care of any sized collection properly is. Thats one of the reasons I don't use a water treatment. Why do more work and pay for a product you really don't need.
my two cents.. the reason you dechlorinate tap water for fish tanks is because fish have gills and the chlorine can basically cause chemical burns to the gills... turtles however are fine in tap water.. the dont absorb it through thier skin and they dont breathe it in... so there is no need. .. cant say ive had turtles for nearly as long as some of the previous posters, but i agree with them .. ive had them for around 7 years and never used dechlorinater unless i was keeping fish in the tank also.. if it makes you feel better, use it, the turtle will be fine either way.
-----
my pets: clown treefrogs, reed frogs, big eyed treefrogs, tiger leg monkey frogs, gray treefrogs, milk frogs, cuban treefrogs, whites tree frog, green treefrogs, squirrel treefrogs, blue webbed gliding treefrog, chameleon treefrogs?, dusky salamanders, tiger salamander, veiled chameleon, box turtles, mud turtle, map turtle, yellowbelly slider, florida softshell, two saltwater tanks, four cats, two chinchillas, and a boyfriend.
haha.. i completely forgot about the original post with this... what kind of water mites? if it is something that normally occurs in fishtanks, you might be able to buy fish treatment to get rid of them... are they on the turtle or just in the tanK? would help if you have some sort of ID for them.. at any rate.. as a last resort, break down the tank, get rid of rocks, any porous deco and scrub down with hot water.. if you want to use chemicals to make sure they are gone.. use something made for turtles or aquariums.. i believe there is a mite removal wipe and spray available that you could use to soak your decorations and wipe down the glass with.. i think it is made by zoomed.. never used it personally but it cant hurt..
-----
my pets: clown treefrogs, reed frogs, big eyed treefrogs, tiger leg monkey frogs, gray treefrogs, milk frogs, cuban treefrogs, whites tree frog, green treefrogs, squirrel treefrogs, blue webbed gliding treefrog, chameleon treefrogs?, dusky salamanders, tiger salamander, veiled chameleon, box turtles, mud turtle, map turtle, yellowbelly slider, florida softshell, two saltwater tanks, four cats, two chinchillas, and a boyfriend.
no idea WHAT kind of mites they are. they are little white things, the largest being about 1mm in length, they are small and white and they kinda look like they have 2 heads on the front of them if that makes any sence to anyone. i noticed that they first started appearing at the same time that i kept finding little "blood worm" in the tank...but i never feed live bloodworm to my turtles so i know that these have also been broght in with something. but as for what i am completly at a loss!
i have all the same decorations etc, in this tank, that was in the old tank, nothing new has gone inside! im at my wits end, im having to do complete water changes on the tanks every 2 days due to the proliffic rate these mites are breeding at.
iv spoken to all the local aquariums, and the vets, and not one of them can advise me what to do to destroy them apart from "GET A NEW TANK"
-----
>>Eleven years is a good long time. Most of the people I've met over the years seem to get into the hobby and then back out of it rather quickly.
I'm not a breeder. I did buy my 11 year old CB painted on purpose because I wanted him. Then I fell into rescuing.... sort of... and have 6 other turtles/tortiose right now.
I only take in what I know I can care for. Any other animals that are brought to me get another home found for it if I don't want to do it myself.
For me a pet is for life, no matter what.. well unless I lose it and become like those collectors you see on TV who take animals in but then don't provide adequate care for them. If that ever happened, I'd hope someone would take them away from me. :-x
I know what you mean though about people backing out. My vet runs a herp rescue, she gets turtles and tortoises dumped on her all too often.
-----
PHRatz
