Urgent Care

Ok, so I made a mistake and did a water change that took out too much water (about 50%) because the nitrate / nitrite levels were high.

Last weekend we went out of town so I did a water change right before, fed everyone a bunch (overfed, I'm sure), then left. When we got back, the water was cloudy and gross (likely because of the overfeeding but now I realize it was also because I did a large water change the day before we left) so I, sadly, did a second water change yesterday to try to eliminate the high levels. Well, this morning the levels were STILL high so I went to the pet store here and they tested the water (just to be sure) and recommended Tetra EasyBalance Plus to help out with this problem.

It was only after I had put it into the turtle tank (and the fish pond) that I read on their website that it's not safe for aquatic turtles. IT TOTALLY DOES NOT SAY THIS ON THE BOTTLE AT ALL ANYWHERE. I put in enough to treat 200 gallons. I'm so mad and so worried now that I've been looking for things to put my turtles into until I find out more information on safety.

How bad will this end up? Are the turtles big enough to withstand any diluted chemicals?
It seems my "trying to do the right thing" keeps snowballing into "oh crap what have you done" territory.

Please tell me my turtles will be ok or what I should do!
:oops:

How big are your turtles? 6 inches to 10 inches. There are 5 in there.
How long have you had them? About six months

What is the water temperature? 76-78
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? Roughly 300 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? This is the problem; I did today.
Are you using any filtration? Yes

What is the basking temperature? 85-95 depending on the time of day
Is there a basking light? Several
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yep
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Eggcrate / Wood
Is there a UVB light? Yep, two

What have you been trying to feed it? Dandelion Greens / Turtle Sticks
When was the last time your turtle ate? A whole lot today. They eat a lot. No problems there.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? Big
Is the tank near a window? Nope
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Nope

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? Not yet

Do you still have the link to where you read that information?

Their website. :/
http://answers.tetra-fish.com/answers/0 ... stions.htm

"Can EasyBalance be used with Turtles

My daughter has a painted turtle. Is EasyBalance safe for turtles?"

"No. Turtles can absorb chemicals through their skin. The only safe product is something like Aquasafe. A turtle tank should not need Easy Balance. They are a lot of work, but they require a weekly 50% water change to keep them and their tank in good shape. For more info on turtles, visit http://www.turtlerescues.com.

BREX"

I found it in two places on their website. Sigh. You'd think they would put that on the freakin' bottle.

Also, weekly 50% water change? Really?

I think it would be SAFEST if you drained the WHOLE pond tank... but thats probably not the option you want to hear.
Diluting and changing as much water as possible (like when you're getting rid of nitrates) is probably a good idea.

p.s. The pet store person might of recommended the 'Tetra EasyBalance Plus' because he assumed you had fish. Otherwise he's a knucklehead.

apondfortimmy wrote:Also, weekly 50% water change? Really?

For people with small tanks... :roll:

Gracie Turts wrote:I think it would be SAFEST if you drained the WHOLE pond tank... but thats probably not the option you want to hear.
Diluting and changing as much water as possible (like when you're getting rid of nitrates) is probably a good idea.

p.s. The pet store person might of recommended the 'Tetra EasyBalance Plus' because he assumed you had fish. Otherwise he's a knucklehead.

Crap. Well, I do have a biofilter so ... that makes it easier to restart, right?
It's a good thing I love these turtle because it is COLD out right now. Not in the garage though. It's cozy in here.

One thing to consider is that those who are answering might be volunteers and might not have full in-depth knowledge of the product. I don't see how it could be more harmful to turtles than fish, but I guess drain, rinse and repeat to be on the safe side. Then go back to the normal routine, but perhaps clean a little bit earlier in the schedule.

I called them the second they opened this morning and the rep on the phone said it's not toxic but that I should do a 50% water change to dilute it. She (Cassandra) also said that I should watch them over the next week or so to make sure their skin doesn't dry out.

Learned a lot on that call, actually. Off I go to do a huge water change (again) for the poor turtles and a 5% water change 10 times today on the fish.
And clean the new 30 gallon tank to put a few of the fish into since I now have a touch of overcrowding in the fish pond. I may need to offload some fish back into the spa pond for relief.

Gracie Turts wrote:
apondfortimmy wrote:Also, weekly 50% water change? Really?

For people with small tanks...

I thought that's what caused my issue in the first place. /sigh

Have you put anything new in your tank recently? New filter or basking site or anything?

Nope, just a lot of food. I do wash the gunk out of the filter part but not the media. Like the filter part that catches the gunk before it gets to the pump part.

Well, ok, this last weekend's food quantity was more than I usually do. I never had these problems until this week. Shows me that I can never go on vacation without a turtle-sitter again.

I go for about two weeks max. I have automatic feeders for the fish and add a couple pellets and then throw in several leaves of various veggies and a baby carrot, for good measure. It works but I won't go over two weeks. Like, on Thrusday I'm done with my finals so I'm gonna go to Las Vegas (my wife goes to UNLV) and I will stay there till the 28th (two weeks) and then drive back restock the feeders and water as nessecary and then I will go back to Vegas till I start next semester which is 9 January, so I will come back on the 8th. I did it over the course of the summer and it worked great. I did loose two guppies to a hungry turtle but that's when I learned two weeks is the max, after that no problems, everyone was alive and happy, happy, happy:)

Hey, I live in Vegas. If you wanna stop by for a visit, come on over.

Urgent Care :: Learned Tetra EasyBalance+ isn't safe AFTER adding! HELP!

Who is online