what's this in turtle water??

[CheeriO]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...s/RIMG0689.jpg

http://www.turtletimes.com/forums/to...TOPIC_ID=19069

the forum she went to ^

my friend has these ugly things in her turtle's water.....

she said they are 5-7mm long

she asked some other turtle forums and she said some said it was a mosquito larvae...but i don't think so....

she said they are acting normal, blowing bubble, basking lots, and eating normal amounts.

she also said their water quality was degrading.

please and thank you for helping. =)

[labpup]

Mosquito's are a possibility. If she is running a filter they should not be larvae. Ask what she is feeding the turtles and definatley have her change the water, and scrub the plants and rocks with hot water. Turtles are very succeptable to disease. It would be interesting to see what the critters grow into (in a seperate container) and remind her to generously wash her hands when handleing the matter.

[CheeriO]

i quoted my friend when we were having a conversation through msn.

k um... I feed them gammarus pellets, freeze dried white river shrimp, a bit of cuttlebone, and occasional random fruits and green leaves

I don't have a filter

I did the changing and the hot water-ing already.

I um.. already flushed all the worms away..

and yea, I washed my hands with soap and warm water. ^^

and I'm soaking the whole aquarium (turtle-less) with uh.... 1/4 vinegar and 3/4 water

[labpup]

your freeze dried shrimp are a possibility of the culprit. There is a slight possibility that they could be live even after being dried. Without a filter the mosquito's are the next best guess. Think about introducing a filter and that should illiminate the larvae possibility. The acidity of the vinegar may not be enough to "de-germ" the tank. If the problem reoccurs go to petsmart and get a turtle doctor set or other marine bacteria-cide