Habitat - Indoor :: weird brown mold

[tHeLoCuSt]

as you see in the picture theres brown stuff all over the place. what is it? (and yes im gonna change the gravel to river rocks)

http://x017.uploaderx.net/x/DSCF1951.JPG

http://x017.uploaderx.net/x/DSCF1952.JPG


im pretty new to keeping turtles so bare with me, i have a yellow bellied slider tho

[scripta_elegans]

I think it's algae. It looks like the same suff I get to scrape off the one little place of my aquarium where the basking light hits. Is it close to your basking light?

[tHeLoCuSt]

alll ive got is one of those reptile uv lights, the "mold" seems to be just on the right where the filter is the left hand side has none

[DavidY]

Yup that's just algae. Tell us about your setup (size, water temp, filter, basking temp, basking lights, etc) and we may be able to offer some advice. Algae is normal in any aquarium especially if it gets any daylight through the windows at all. Even indirect light like in a bright room will cause algae to grow like crazy. High water temps can contribute as will an undersized filter. Algae feed off the turtle's waste so keeping the filter clean and regular partial water changes can help keep it under control.

[tHeLoCuSt]

ah sweet yeah ill tell you the set up later i gotta go out its beer oclock

[DavidY]

lol!

[steve]

I wouldn't keep small rocks like that in the tank anyway. Go for large river rock, make sure they are bigger than your turtle's head.

[tHeLoCuSt]

I wouldn't keep small rocks like that in the tank anyway. Go for large river rock, make sure they are bigger than your turtle's head.

yah ive got my friend to get me some from wherte he works but when i said river rocks he was like "[!!!] are they:S" so who knows what hes going to get me

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Hm, the reason why we dont suggest small rocks smaller than your turtles head is because, well..they arent the smartest of animals and they tend to eat them, which can cause impaction, expensive vet bills, and death.

River rocks or just a bare bottom is fine, it helps keep the tank cleaner too. And its okay, yellow bellied sliders and red eared sliders are practicly the same when it comes to take care of them.

[tHeLoCuSt]

i tink i might need a bigger filter aswell, im not sure what size my tank is tho

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Here ya go http://www.redearslider.com/calculator.html

[tHeLoCuSt]

Here ya go http://www.redearslider.com/calculator.html

22 gallons apprently... i still dont know what im doing really hah

[marisa]

It looks like a form of algae (diatoms) that is caused by a lack of lighting. How much lighting do you have in the tank (the pictures look quite dark)?

[tHeLoCuSt]

It looks like a form of algae (diatoms) that is caused by a lack of lighting. How much lighting do you have in the tank (the pictures look quite dark)?

just a strip light... what you recomend?

[marisa]

Increase the lighting in the tank to make it brighter.

If your turtle only has a strip light, what's warming the basking area? Basking area temp should be 88-90F.

The strip light is a UVB light? If you bought it separately, it should say on the package whether or not it's a UVB light. Your turtle needs one.

Just want to check---is there any glass or plexiglass between the light and the tank? If so, you need to remove it---the barrier is keeping UVB rays from reaching your turtle.