Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had mold or algae growing in my tank for a while. I'm not sure what kind of fungus thingy it is but it is dark greenish brown. I clean out my tank and scrub it gone but then like 2 to 1 weeks later it is back. Mostly it grow where the sun light hits it. Is there anyway to get rid of it without using bleach?

and my turtle hasnt been eating for a long time now. I don't know how he survives. he is a red earred slider about only 2 inches long. my father just gave him to me one day in the summer and it lived in a pretty poor enviroment. no heater. shallow water. but he ate everything i threw at him. he seemed pretty active and lively. but then when fall started coming around he started eating less. so i read up on how to take care of a turtle and i was so ashamed. i felt so bad for putting him in a tiny tub with nothing. so i got him a bigger tank, filter, light with uvb, heater and he lives in deep enough water to swim up and down. i think about 4 inches. but he still doesnt eat. mostly he sun bathes or just sits in the water. *sometimes* i see him active swimming up and down. every couple days i hand feed him. I just mash up his food and kinda shove it in his mouth. he seems ok with it. but maybe it stresses him out. and he swallows most of his food. but then when i put him back in the tank he jumps into the water and spits the rest out. sometimes he makes little noises too. is this normal? should he be silent? It is also kinda cold in my house like upper 60's. so i have had a cover for him. during the day it is on halfway so the light can shine through but then during the night i take the light off and cover it all and the sides get all foggy. i stuck my hand in and it seems pretty humid and nice. is this ok for him?

and my real questions...
is he going into hibernation? will he ever eat again? does he have a respitory problem? aaa why wont he eat?!

oh yea i have also tried small fish and different types of pellet food and even worms to try and tempt my turtle but he shows no interest. he acts like there is nothing to eat.

Do you have a submersible heater in the water for him? If his water is too cold he won't eat.
Frankly I can't find a good submersible heater in a local pet store. I mail ordered those I have because I can find better quality at a lower price that way. Lots of catalogs run these on sale pretty often but you have to look in their fish supply section.

Why fear using bleach? It will solve your problem quickly, when you rinse well it won't linger in the tank.
9 parts water to 1 part bleach, rinse then let everything dry by air, that's the best way there is to kill all germs and algae.
You mention sunlight on the tank, do you have the tank near a window? If so you should move it because sunlight coming through glass won't do anything to benefit a turtle. The needed UVB rays can't get through glass & the sun can cause the water temp to rise too high.

As for not eating...this one is a little one, if it were me I'd see a reptile vet right away because little ones are very fragile. Just like any other new pet it's never a bad idea to have a check up.
If there is a health problem caused by it's past living conditions now is the time to get that taken care of. Good luck with this, it's great that you were able to take it away from people who ignorned it.
Let us know what happens!
-----
PHRatz