Urgent Care :: Which shell issue do I have?

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Post Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 10:54 pm   Which shell issue do I have?

My turtle has white filmy stuff on his shell and I can't tell if its fungus, mineral deposits, shell rot, or shedding. Its shiny and reflective in the water. But when I take him out, and it dries, it looks a little like dry cracked skin on a human would, except its a shell. Reminds me of a callous.
Possible contributing factors:
He is about six inches and always begs for food. I gave him a lot of protein before I realized that overfeeding is a thing and growing too fast is also.
His tank might be too small with an inadequate filter. It holds twenty gallons, and I fill it up well so he has more room to swim around. But it gets murky really fast.
He sheds every time that I get new water, which I did just yesterday. I wonder if he's over shedding?
I put a lot of water conditioner in his tank, and the food, with added minerals, may have dissolved in the water. Algae grows so fast in there! Could that be a factor of !mineral deposits?
I also inserted some beneficial bacteria into the tank, to help break down waste and debris. Maybe the bacteria isn't so beneficial after all.
I though about strengthening his shell, by giving him more calcium. Was I supposed to leave the banquet block in there?
Ever time I go to turn off the light to create his night cycle, he is basking. First of all, where in a turtles schedule is basking usually? Perhaps his sleep schedule is off. I believe he's been lacking UVB, because I turn off the light at night while he's basking. Should I leave it on? Or can he sleep anyways?
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Post Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 11:25 pm   Re: Which shell issue do I have?

Shiny in water but cracked looking above sounds to me like scutes shedding irregularly. The layers can start to separate but underwater, light reflects and makes it look shiny. Can you get any pics?

Basking when the lights are out sounds unusual. Does he go into the water when you turn the light out? If he does go back in and has lots of time to bask during the day, I wouldn’t worry as much.

20 gallons is definitely too small and the algae growth indicates lots of nutrients in the water for the algae. How often do you change the water?
Tobi a RES born in 2012
1 dog, 1 teenager, 3 aquariums filled with fish, snails, shrimp and a bit of algae
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Post Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 5:08 pm   Re: Which shell issue do I have?

He does go back in the water when I turn out the light. But I always see him in the water. When I go To my room, he is basking, but he goes back inside. I'm not there most of the day, so I'm not sure if he basks during the day. His sleep schedule hasn't been consistent,so I think he has his basking time mixed up. I've had him for thirteen days, and he is about two months old. In those thirteen days, I've changed his water three times. It has to last until I get payed so I can get some more water conditioner and a varying diet for him.
As for lots of nutrients in the water, I can definitely believe. I've tried to make his water very healthy. I guess a little too healthy to maintain it. This last time I changed his water, I aged it for about three days after adding the water conditioner. But I added more the next day and just before I filled his tank. He also doesn't eat all of his food. He bites it, it escapes from him, and then its too small for him to bother eating and very difficult for me to get out.
He also looked like he was sleeping the last time I saw him basking at night. Should I leave light on, even if it promotes algae growth?
Also, I've heard that overgrowth causes a lot of shedding. I've been feeding him a lot of growth pellets. I've started adding some cilantro to his diet. I'm going to cut back on the pellets. Could growing too fast be the issue?
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Post Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 5:16 pm   Re: Which shell issue do I have?

Also, I left a calcium block in his tank, which may have dissolved in the water and formed mineral deposits.
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Post Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 11:06 am   Re: Which shell issue do I have?

Yea, it's fine to skip those blocks. Whats the tank setup like? Does he have privacy?
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Post Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 3:28 pm   Re: Which shell issue do I have?

He only has one place to bask so far. I stay out of my room a lot of the time, and nobody goes in there...I think. He doesn't have any hiding places either. I plan to get him some when I get payed. Maybe cover parts of his tank so he can feel a little safer. Just putting a towel over half the tank made him stop acting so frantic. and he only has a floating dock, right under the basking light.
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Post Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 9:14 pm   Re: Which shell issue do I have?

How big is he and his tank?
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Post Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 10:47 pm   Re: Which shell issue do I have?

His tank is twenty gallons and he is six inches.
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Post Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 11:05 pm   Re: Which shell issue do I have?

Any pictures of his shell?
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