Urgent Care :: Whitish Spots on my Squirtle

[jentramp]

How big is your turtle? 4-5 inches
How long have you had it? Less than one year

What is the water temperature? 76degreesF
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes, three of them for a total of 400 watts
How much water is in there? 150 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? No
Are you using any filtration? Yes, two marineland emperor 400's with bio wheel

What is the basking temperature? 85degreesF
Is there a basking light? Yes MVB
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Egg crate
Is there a UVB light? Yes, it's a MVB

What have you been trying to feed it? Zoo med pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? Today

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 150 gallons
Is the tank near a window? No
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Yes, my MS classroom

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? None, she still eats and is active

[Joddog]

He looks like he is starting to shed his scutes. However, instead of coming off intact, they are flaking. You need to up his vitamin A to help this process. Also wheat germ (koi fish food or pond food are high in it) will help.

Can you get a better picture without the crate in the way?

[jentramp]

I guess the area I'm mostly concerned with us around the inner edge of the marginal scutes.

She is a very active turtle as always, but a few weeks ago I noticed some whitish stuff along the edge of her marginal scutes. I didn't think anything of it because she does not have any other symptoms, but now it's worse. It is most visible when she is in the water, and it comes down to the outer edge of the under belly/plastron too.

It's hard to take a picture since she's such a busy turtle but I tried my best. She also doesn't like being handled so I don't take her out often

[jentramp]

[Jeremiah]

It could be either hard water deposits or fungus; I'm leaning toward the latter because your turtle's scutes seem to have trouble coming off properly. I recommend adding some Wheat Germ pellets to the diet.

How much water do you have in the tank? Turtles need filters that are rated for 2-3 times the water volume in their tank. The filter you're using is rated for 180 gallons between the two of them, but that would only (barely) work if only 90 gallons of water are in your tank. Canisters are better with turtles than HOBs. I brought all of that up, in case you're under-filtering (in which case, the probability of fungus is even higher).

[steve]

There is a bit retained scutes, some shedding and some fungus.

[jentramp]

It could be either hard water deposits or fungus; I'm leaning toward the latter because your turtle's scutes seem to have trouble coming off properly. I recommend adding some Wheat Germ pellets to the diet.

How much water do you have in the tank? Turtles need filters that are rated for 2-3 times the water volume in their tank. The filter you're using is rated for 180 gallons between the two of them, but that would only (barely) work if only 90 gallons of water are in your tank. Canisters are better with turtles than HOBs. I brought all of that up, in case you're under-filtering (in which case, the probability of fungus is even higher).

Okay, so I should get a cannister filter for at least 300 gallons? I am having trouble finding anything for over 200 gallons...

[Jeremiah]

You have a pretty high bio-load, so I would either go with the Fluval FX5 or the Odyssea CFS 14i (available from AquaTraders). I prefer to build my own filters, but your class is probably a bit busy for that kind of project. Although if you're interested in that approach, I can share some instructions with you.

How many gallons of water are actually in the tank? Regarding the cost of filtration, if the tank was the school's idea, then you could probably put it on their bill (especially if you get the Fluval, it should be a one-time deal. Those things are workhorses). It's definitely worth the investment, to avoid further fungal adventures.