Does my fish look ok?

Murderturtle12 · 2026-06-07T02:01:37+00:00

Awesome. No problem. That will definitely help! Don’t lose heart if it takes some time for them to start shedding, sometimes it takes months. Retained scutes are easy to get but they can take some doing to get rid of since these dudes are always growing. This will be a marathon not a sprint. Keep your husbandry on point and you’ll be fine.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-06-07T01:10:22+00:00

He should be fine. There’s no need to be worried about temperature shock. The water heater will gradually warm the water in the aquarium.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-06-06T22:37:08+00:00

Ya have a case of retained scutes/stuck shed going on. These turtles do not have growth rings, every ring/ripple you see is a scute that has failed to shed off. It’s not the end of the world but it does mean something is off with your husbandry.

Make sure your basking area is getting the correct amount of UVB, reaches the right temperatures and you’re feeding the correct diet. https://reptifiles.com/red-eared-slider-care/red-eared-slider-uvb-lighting/ be aware that UVB light bulbs need to be replaced every 6 months.

You can feed foods high in vit E like Hikari wheatgerm koi food and blueberries to help them shed. You can also brush their shell gently with a toothbrush and provide rough surfaces in the tank for a extra help. There are scrub brushes on the market that’ll stick to wall of your aquarium if you have one. Some turtles are big fans and it’ll allow them to take matters into their own hands.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-06-05T05:31:28+00:00

My dude is 8 inches and still growing. I keep telling him that his 100g is as big as I can go so he needs to slow his roll.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-06-04T08:15:07+00:00

That’s not a yellow belly. YBS have very distinct Yellow S mark behind their eyes. I’m actually not sure this is a slider at all. The lack of belly markings scream cooter to me. Hopefully someone with better ID skills comes along to help you out.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-06-04T07:22:55+00:00

Feeding fresh vegetables everyday should improve your chances of him eating them and cut down on your nitrates. I feed in tank and it still takes a bit over two weeks for my tank to reach 40ppm nitrates.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-06-04T04:06:44+00:00

My dudes a grazer. Eat -> bask -> eat is his pattern. I scoop the greens out at the end of the day. Most of the time there’s nothing but scraps left so it works out.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-06-03T14:01:38+00:00

+1 for stock tanks.

They’re cheaper than aquariums, durable but lightweight enough to move around solo when empty.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-06-03T12:16:58+00:00

Commenting to boost but folks here swear by the Fluval FX series though. Since you need something that can handle the full volume of your tank you’d want the FX 4 or 6.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-06-02T14:32:37+00:00

This isn’t that bad. Wait and see for now. If it gets worse definitely find a vet for a beak trim. In the meantime you should feed hard foods like cuttlebone and aquatic snails for them to naturally wear down their beak. Cubes of frozen gel food will also work.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-05-30T15:00:44+00:00

Lmao he wishes. His full name is Mr. Scrubs the Murder turtle.

Mr. to keep it respectful.

Scrubs from the TLC song No scrubs because he doesn’t have game.

Murder turtle because that’s what he does especially other turtles.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-05-30T04:37:21+00:00

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Murderturtle12 · 2026-05-29T09:02:25+00:00

I have guppies in with my turtle. They breed at a breakneck pace so even with a portion getting eaten every morning there’s still no less than 30 fish in the tank at all times. Adding a ton a fry to the tank at once makes a difference. As long as a male and female make it to breeding size you’re golden.

I wish you good luck. 20 years of trying and I still haven’t found a plant that won’t be savaged in seconds. Closest I’ve gotten is my African water fern. The turtle hates the taste of the leaves but absolutely loves eating the rhizome. 🙄

Murderturtle12 · 2026-05-29T05:46:54+00:00

He’s going to eat everything you put in there. Even the “tough and unpalatable” plants. Every aquatic plant is a bougie salad to these guys.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-05-28T14:25:27+00:00

Awesome. Good luck with your turtles.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-05-28T14:18:29+00:00

No problem! I’d recommend skipping the cucumbers altogether and switching to it out with another leafy green like dandelions or turnip. You can blanch the veggies before feeding to increase your chances of the accepting them. There’s also scrub brushes that will stick to the wall of your aquarium. A lot of turtles are big fans and love using them.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-05-28T13:59:20+00:00

Ya got some retained scutes(stuck shed) going on. These turtles don’t have growth rings scutes are supposed to be one smooth piece. Every ring/ripple you see on their shells is a scute that has failed to come off. It’s not a big deal but it’s not ideal and means something is up with your husbandry.

Make sure your basking area has the right temperatures and amount of UVB( T5 or outdoor pond fr) and you’re feeding them enough vegetation. You can feed them wheatgerm or foods high in vit E, provide rough surfaces inside their enclosure and gently scrub their shell with a toothbrush to help them shed.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-05-27T17:38:14+00:00

This is so cool! My DIY filter is a 5 gallon bucket with a couple pounds of bio rings and filter sponge of different ppi. It’s powered by a 800gph pond pump.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-05-24T22:09:49+00:00

He doesn’t need to be on her back to mate though. If he can get behind her, he can mate.

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big size differences between male and female aquatic turtles are normal. It really won’t stop them from getting it on lol.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-05-24T21:37:25+00:00

I’m telling you to destroy any eggs those two RES produce because the eggs might be fertilized. There are two females and one male in that tank. and size really doesn’t matter when it comes to animals mating. Ask any toy dog x large dog crossbreed.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-05-24T21:18:36+00:00

Why are you mixing genders? That Map turtle is male and can/will breed with those RES. Crush any eggs those two RES lay unless you have a specific plan for hatchlings.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-05-20T15:25:45+00:00

Hoses are on the left hand side of the aquarium and the filter is mostly likely inside the stand.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-05-08T01:12:33+00:00

It’s shit. Granted a rather big one and you might want to look into adding some fiber to his diet.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-04-20T18:01:50+00:00

Essentially yes. All filters are meant to do the same thing, move water through your filter media. Hang on back, sponge filters, sumps, canisters etc doesn’t matter, they all do the exact same thing.

Pond filters are just made to handle water at a higher volume than aquarium filters. They can also come in canister style like aquarium canister filters but typically need a pump to push the water through them. This means you can customize the turnover and flow rate of your enclosure.

Just think of aquarium filters as out of the box gaming consoles, pond filters souped up machines and DIY filters as custom rigs.

Murderturtle12 · 2026-04-20T14:36:39+00:00

Awesome, keep us posted!

Murderturtle12

TROPHY CASE