Sime isn’t a common occurrence in the wild so if you notice that the water in your pet turtle’s tank is looking slimy then you’d understandably be quite worried
This article is a look into why your turtle’s tank water seems to be slimy
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Why is my turtle tank slimy?
Water should be free-flowing, it should take the shape of its container, and it should be thin, not thick and slimy. If the water in your pet’s tank is thick and slimy then you’d understandably start to worry
Here is why the water in your turtle’s tank may be slimy:
Sap:
It’s a general rule to be mindful of what you are adding to your pet tank, the decorations in your pet’s tank, and the wood decorations in particular, may be the reason for the slimy water in your pet’s tank.
Certain trees contain excessive amounts of sap in them and when the wood from these trees is turned into decorations the sap will leave the wood and get into the tank water.
If you put these decorations in your turtle’s tank then the sap may ooze out of the decorations and get into the animal’s water making it slimy
What to do:
You can get rid of the slimy water by cleaning out the animal’s tank and replacing the old water with new fresh water.
You can still use the wood decorations that you have, just boil them for a little while to remove the sap, and then place them back into the water once they’ve cooled down.
Make sure that you boil any new decorations that you buy, that are meant for the tank before you place them in the tank
Algae:
Another reason why the water in your pet’s tank may be slimy may be because there is algae in the tank.
Algae comes in different forms, there is the dark green variety that looks like a carpet, which is harmless, and there is the slimy, long, and hairy type, this type is harmful
The slimy type of algae grows when the water in your pet’s tank is not changed enough, when the filter is not big or strong enough to clean the tank, and when the turtle doesn’t have a warm and dry place to bask.
Basking and drying out kills the bacteria that cause algae on the turtle.
What to do:
The first thing that you’d need to do is clean out your pet’s tank and replace the water. Tip: make sure that you clean the tank often to keep algae build-up at a minimum.
You may also want to consider getting a bigger and stronger filter for your pet’s enclosure, this won’t keep algae away indefinitely but it will help a lot.
Making sure that the animal has a dry and warm area to bask in will also keep bacteria from growing on the shell and forming an algae bloom in the tank.
If there is slime on your pet’s shell then brush it off using a soft brush, toothbrushes usually work very well for this job. Be gentle when doing this.
Avoid using chemicals in your pet’s tank in an effort to clean out the algae.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other turtle/tortoise related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Why Is My Turtle Eating Rocks?, Why Does My Turtle Tank Lose Water?, Why Is My Turtle Water Slimy?, Why Does My Turtle Tank Water Look Oily?, Why Does My Turtle Like The Filter?, Why Is My Turtle Tank Growing Algae?,