General Care Discussion :: Passing on fungus

[Mooch]

Hi guys! My turtles are just getting over their shell fungus as there is only going to be another day of treatment. My question is about how they pass on the fungus. Is it from contact of is it in the water? Do I have to treat the water with anything? The silver sulfadiazine treatment worked great on their shells as well.

[steve]

Yes, it seems like it's in the water, though it needs to be on the scutes to spread. I'm not sure what water treatment you can effectively use, though a UV sterilizer would be one to try.

What sucks is how the fungus just goes deep enough that it can spread easily to the surrounding scutes, and at that point I'm not sure if any sort of water treatment helps.

[Mooch]

Thanks for the info Steve! I've gotten so much useful info from this website!! Would a complete water change be the best thing? I'm pretty much done treatment after tonight, just wondering what the best steps are going forward. Thanks again!

[steve]

I think extended basking times help the most followed by shedding. Complete water change can't hurt though it's tough to say without actual testing.