Turtle Tank Help

[BigBeginner]

i have ALOTTT of white ashy powdery stuff on my turtle tank glass that i think is limescale build up, the tank is tall so i use more surface area then volume with the water, so is there is alot and i dont want to go through the trouble of taking everythign out of my tank and filling it to the top with water and waiting, every week casue it just comes back,

so my question is, is there anyway or thing that can remove it AND prevent it from coming back, or at least remove it

also on a diff note, do i need a spray bar for my turtles

and is it ok to use drinking water (like in the huge blue containers/bottled water) for turtle tanks?

 

[Buslady]

i have ALOTTT of white ashy powdery stuff on my turtle tank glass that i think is limescale build up, the tank is tall so i use more surface area then volume with the water, so is there is alot and i dont want to go through the trouble of taking everythign out of my tank and filling it to the top with water and waiting, every week casue it just comes back,

so my question is, is there anyway or thing that can remove it AND prevent it from coming back, or at least remove it

also on a diff note, do i need a spray bar for my turtles

and is it ok to use drinking water (like in the huge blue containers/bottled water) for turtle tanks?

First off if you have 5 turtles in a 20 gallon tank you are seriously undersized. You can use any water but why spend money on bottle water when tap is just fine?
2nd, you can't prevent it from coming back cos it's IN the water. I have the same issues. I take a razor blade and scrape off the lime. That's about all you can do. Yes it's a pain, and nasty looking but what can ya do?

 

[BigBeginner]

i have ALOTTT of white ashy powdery stuff on my turtle tank glass that i think is limescale build up, the tank is tall so i use more surface area then volume with the water, so is there is alot and i dont want to go through the trouble of taking everythign out of my tank and filling it to the top with water and waiting, every week casue it just comes back,

so my question is, is there anyway or thing that can remove it AND prevent it from coming back, or at least remove it

also on a diff note, do i need a spray bar for my turtles

and is it ok to use drinking water (like in the huge blue containers/bottled water) for turtle tanks?

First off if you have 5 turtles in a 20 gallon tank you are seriously undersized. You can use any water but why spend money on bottle water when tap is just fine?
2nd, you can't prevent it from coming back cos it's IN the water. I have the same issues. I take a razor blade and scrape off the lime. That's about all you can do. Yes it's a pain, and nasty looking but what can ya do?

i have 3 turtles.... and i know the tank is to small

and thanks, ill try the blade thing

 

[Buslady]

i have 3 turtles.... and i know the tank is to small

and thanks, ill try the blade thing

Oh I read your turtle list wrong LOL yer not sure if you have false or a missi map and mud or musk...post photos of them if you need to ID them.
Muds/Musks do best in a shallower tank than what a map turtle needs.

 

[BigBeginner]

i have 3 turtles.... and i know the tank is to small

and thanks, ill try the blade thing

Oh I read your turtle list wrong LOL yer not sure if you have false or a missi map and mud or musk...post photos of them if you need to ID them.
Muds/Musks do best in a shallower tank than what a map turtle needs.

well my tank's water is pretty shallow, i want to put more but (lik eu said) im not sure if the mud/musk turtle likes deeper water, cause the mud/musk turtle was given to me by a friend who found it, ill try to put a picture when i get a good 1

 

[Buslady]

i have 3 turtles.... and i know the tank is to small

and thanks, ill try the blade thing

Oh I read your turtle list wrong LOL yer not sure if you have false or a missi map and mud or musk...post photos of them if you need to ID them.
Muds/Musks do best in a shallower tank than what a map turtle needs.

well my tank's water is pretty shallow, i want to put more but (lik eu said) im not sure if the mud/musk turtle likes deeper water, cause the mud/musk turtle was given to me by a friend who found it, ill try to put a picture when i get a good 1

Okay.
And if you can, it's best to house them separate since maps and musks have different requirements. Maps are pond turtles who can do deep water fine when Muds/Musks are shallow water turtles.
He found the turtle? If youre in the east side of the US, he's probably a wild animal and should be returned to where he was taken. Im sure no harm was meant but wild turtles dont do well in captivity some times.

 

[BigBeginner]

i have 3 turtles.... and i know the tank is to small

and thanks, ill try the blade thing

Oh I read your turtle list wrong LOL yer not sure if you have false or a missi map and mud or musk...post photos of them if you need to ID them.
Muds/Musks do best in a shallower tank than what a map turtle needs.

well my tank's water is pretty shallow, i want to put more but (lik eu said) im not sure if the mud/musk turtle likes deeper water, cause the mud/musk turtle was given to me by a friend who found it, ill try to put a picture when i get a good 1

Okay.
And if you can, it's best to house them separate since maps and musks have different requirements. Maps are pond turtles who can do deep water fine when Muds/Musks are shallow water turtles.
He found the turtle? If youre in the east side of the US, he's probably a wild animal and should be returned to where he was taken. Im sure no harm was meant but wild turtles dont do well in captivity some times.

i was planning on releasing him, but by the time i thought of it, i already moved to the west side =( i could, when i get a new tank for my turtles just leave the musk in the take its in now (its shallow) and make the new take a deep water 1 with the yellow belly in it

 

[Buslady]

i was planning on releasing him, but by the time i thought of it, i already moved to the west side =( i could, when i get a new tank for my turtles just leave the musk in the take its in now (its shallow) and make the new take a deep water 1 with the yellow belly in it

sounds like you got it planned up well then!

 

[BigBeginner]

yeap, thanks for ur help, how shallow do u think the water should be for the musk?

im thinking of doing a indoor pond type thing for my turtles since i have some fish that are geting VERY big in my turtle tank, almsot the size of my turtles, and their just gold fish. would that work? how deep should the water be?

 

[Buslady]

yeap, thanks for ur help, how shallow do u think the water should be for the musk?

im thinking of doing a indoor pond type thing for my turtles since i have some fish that are geting VERY big in my turtle tank, almsot the size of my turtles, and their just gold fish. would that work? how deep should the water be?

If you can get a hold of a large stock tank, like what they use to water horses with - You could create a habitat safe for all of them if it's big enough and the muskie has stuff to climb on to get up & breathe. Make something like this

that is cool.

 

[BigBeginner]

hmm ok, i can get one of those plastic black preformed ponds thingys, wil those work?
i think itll be fine if i just seperate them, just to be safe and itl be easier, and yea i planned to make one of those

what type of filtration will i need? my dad wants a waterfall and wants to put big fish in it (he wants a pond) but i think thats a little to much... i will stil need my uva light right? should i bult a platform for the turtles can get on and put the light on that?

 

[Buslady]

hmm ok, i can get one of those plastic black preformed ponds thingys, wil those work?
i think itll be fine if i just seperate them, just to be safe and itl be easier, and yea i planned to make one of those

what type of filtration will i need? my dad wants a waterfall and wants to put big fish in it (he wants a pond) but i think thats a little to much... i will stil need my uva light right? should i bult a platform for the turtles can get on and put the light on that?

Well, do you have a big back yard? You could just dig a pond if he wants big fish. I think they'd do better in a outdoors pond. But in the winter ( i assume you are in the UK since this is a UK forum) have a tank available for the turtles so they dont freeze. Maps will hibernate but why take the chance. muds & musks dont really hibernate like that, they just kinda brumate i guess you can call it- short naps under the mud but it doesnt get cold where they are. so have something avail to them in winter but when it's nice and hot, they can go out and bask. you wont needs a UVB/A light that way except when they're in.

 

[BigBeginner]

well i do but my dad doesnt want to make a pond cause were are movign in 3 years so yea.. were making and indoor 1, my dad can live with little goldfish. do mud/musk turtles need mud? and accually im in the us =\

 

[Buslady]

well i do but my dad doesnt want to make a pond cause were are movign in 3 years so yea.. were making and indoor 1, my dad can live with little goldfish. do mud/musk turtles need mud? and accually im in the us =\

oh ok hehe, mostly here everyone is UK - I'm in SoCal...
..so yeah you can do an indoor deal, look for one of those tubs. Muds don't need mud, hiding places yes. you can get creative with hides. You wnat ot make them feel safe & secure so when they feel threatened they can run & hide. head over to turtleforum.com, there's alot of folks who can also give you tons of ideas for indoor ponds.

 

[BigBeginner]

hmm ok, well i did a tempory set up with what i have for now, would u like a picture?

That makes a lot of sense because it would always hide in the littlest knicks and crannys it could find.

Alright ill go check it out