oO SKIPPY Oo

not sure if it "needs" a cure but best to check with the expert its the one my skinny finger is pointing to in this photo - note that the boy on the left is looking MUCH better than this picture that was taken when i got them

thanks Donna - i will try all this and see how they get on.. whats the best cure for a really dark shell ?

oh right ok - so just go out and spend more time with them just looking

they (mona lisa, murtle, and rocky) can see us from the pond when were inside so they shouldnt be getting a huge fright from us. i will try the handling thing a bit more - on sunny days i have been getting them out for a walk on the grass - one has managed to find his way back into the pond twice and our cat comes to have a look - in fact if a turtle walks up to her she jumps out of the way. i find that when the 3 are out on the grass having a walk they are quite happy to clamber over my feet and hands so maybe i just need to do more of that... mona lisa's shell is a little dark i think - she seems to be the most nervous when on the log sunning herself so she might need more care and attention than the others

our local garden center has pond liner - its less than a mm think but seems quite durable - im using that on my 3m x 2m x .4m pond that's dug into the ground

yeah i know food works with most other animals maybe i just need to put my hand in the water some more till they all get use to me :0 silly turtles just need to get use to us already

when we took a look at the wellington SPCA about a 1.5 years ago they were about $250 - so $150 isnt bad...

make my turtles more friendly - ever since i got them they duck for cover as soon as they see movement bigger than a cat... i want to see them more but every time i go to feed them or general work around the garden they dive bomb from the log and duck for cover under it... if im patient enough with some turtle treats one of them will come and eat from my hand but thats a treat and they only get that once a week

no worries Donna you do some good work

took a little longer for me to be able to convert this than i expected but for those that want to actually download the interview its here - http://tinyurl.com/y3dwd4l cheers Skip

i recorded it on my Home Theatre PC - i when i get home this arvo i will trim it down to just the interview etc for anyone that is interested and post a link

what a randy bird you have phoenix44

i think your fine if the bottle is above the tank as the water can back siphon

animal

yeah i have green spot and i dont mind that so much just hate this minty green water !!

i might do a water test - having done one for this tank for a while and see what my params are for nitrate etc

this problem has only started in the last couple of weeks - its been in this spot for about 4 or 5 months now - im only assuming its sunlight cause we have been having some awesome weather over the last few weeks

i had a thick blanket over the tank today but check i looked under the covers i could still see the fish - so now i have doubled it and now its so dark in there i cant even see the fish

well this ones been setup for a year or so - the only difference is the location - i use to be in the lounge and only got morning sun for about an hour then nothing but artificial light for the rest of the day. now its in the kitchen with a good amount of light. im trying the blackout idea for a few days and will see how that goes - does it need to be totally black under the covers or just enough to stop the sunlight etc from getting to the water? i tried a few 40% water changes over several days but the green ness just came back overnight !! so that didnt work. what test kit will cover nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron ? i have filter wool in my fluval 204 but maybe i need to be cleaning that out more often ?

hmm could be worth a shot - i dont have morning sun but more late afternoon and evening sun - by big change how much ? i did a 70% 2 days ago and its already back to hazey !!! will 80% be enough or more ?

talking to DonnaM - shes the turtle guru from what she told me you cant put snake necks and RES together. since you are in CHC you could probably rescue a turtle or 2 from donna as well

my 3 foot tank has gone hazey green (mint green color) like ive got an algae bloom - water changes arent helping - will carbon ? any ideas on how i can get rid of it ? its really annoying me now !!!

autumn

just take that picture into them and say - thats what i want - or just take the sizes into them just one note - your doors - will be 20mm short - i dont think you need that much to be taken off - may 10mm max but close to 6mm i reckon

the small amount of timber is used inside the frame not on top of - i use it to give the stand a bit of strength and something to screw the mdf panels to - i used over 200 screws in my last stand but that was pretty big. i only suggest 610 and 310 so that you had a little bit of overhang but not required on my stands i have that so i could put an edging around to hide the poly and the bottom of the tank