What am I doing wrong?

Chris90

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Joined
Jul 26, 2020
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1
Location (City and/or State)
London
Hi guys + girls,

Very new turtle owner, so please go easy!

When we first got him, in his small enclosure, we use to get lots of green algae. Now we have him in a much much larger container and all we seem to get is brown algae/brown dust everywhere.

Anyone know what I might be doing wrong?

We turn his basking lamp on around 8am and leave it on till around 6/7pm daily, idid read somewhere the light could be the cause. Its a fluval tank so it also has two strips for the UV light he needs, thats also on all day.

He seems happy, he basks daily, eats anything and everything, but it looks a mess and i want a nice environment for him. I should also add we have two filters in the tank, one big one under the tank and a normal one inside.

I might try and add some photos but not sure if they'll load properly, we have since taken the stones out as they became so filthy so quickly.

Thanks

Chris
 

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enchilada

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Your filter system can’t handle the bio load .
He looks like a slider, so aquatic plants is not an option . that leaves you one option : go bigger on the chemistry/mechanical filtration system . I’d start with minimum Fluval FX6 canister filter or DIY Home Depot bucket filter


if you just want to get rid of the algae, there’s a simple but dangerous way —— nuke them with Glutaraldehyde . Be very careful because it also nukes the beneficial bacteria. I use it on my planted tank , takes a long way to figure out the maximum safe dosage .
3C9E0B9E-BDC7-4E03-A7C6-BBA77EF208ED.jpeg
 

Moozillion

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When I had problems with brown algae, I reduced the length of light significantly. I used to have a full spectrum light on 12 hours, but I reduced it to 8 and then to 6.
I was also advised that algae means there's LOTS of nutrients in the water. More plants can help take up those nutrients and starve the algae to some extent. You can use aquatic plants but you can also use house plants, as long as you situate them so that their leaves are ABOVE the water line. I like to use pothos plants that I put in a small, clear soap caddy (the kind that had suction cups on the side to hold it to the wall, and lots of holes in the bottom and sides for drainage): this keeps the leaves ABOVE the water, but the roots are BELOW the waterline, where they can suck up nutrients! It looks nice and my turtle loves to rub back and forth under the roots so that they scratch her back!
So, NOT over feeding, having a filter meant to handle MORE water than the tank actually has, reducing the photo period (time the light is on) and adding plants has worked for me for the brown algae.

And remember that algae is not all bad: it's just another kind of water plant. The turtles live in and amongst algae in the wild. It's not pretty to our viewpoint, but it doesn't bother the turtle at all. As long as Martha Stewart doesn't come visit at my house, no one cares how it looks but me! I know a number of turtle keepers who always LIKE to have at least a little algae in their tanks.
Just my 2 bits! ;)
 
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