in a turtle tank is having a piece of drift wood bad for the enviroment?

Question

it turns the water brown and if little pieces break off could it hurt the turtle? and is the drift wood better or worse than having a "rock wall"?

REnate, i am aware of that. they carry it in thier digestive track much like human carry ecoli in thiers. it happens.
no offence offence towards you but in general, its better to be educated on materials before you speak. it can't harm you if you practice good hygene.

oh by the ay it's for an eastern painted turtle in an very aquatic setup

oh by the way it's for an eastern painted turtle in an very aquatic setup

Answer 1

the log won't hurt anything and as for coloring, because of waste and such you should be cleaning the tank about once a week or two anway and that's about how long it tanks to build up. t it still bothers you thenyou can cook and seal it much liike the way others hve described and to repeat it would be redundant. it may be brown faster becsue your water is too warm try turning it down if it is. (like tea dosn't wrok real well in cold water but it does in hot. same concept)

Answer 2

Just change the water Take out the wood and clean it, then once it's clean and let it dry off, keep it indoors :) and then once it's pretty dry just pop it in your oven for about half an hour (yes, your oven) on the hottest temperature. Cook it good to kill any microbes in there and then let it cool WAY WAY down and it can be safely put into your turtles tank, btw if it discolors the water after this i would seriously either drop the idea completely or find a different type Putting it in the oven won't cause a fire, burn it, harm you or your turtle, all it's gonna do is KILL every last mofo germ on it. And then it's safe But to be fair if it is discoloring the water i would get rid, especially if you do what i say and it still does it. :)

Answer 3

If it is staining the water and flaking, it sounds like 'wild' driftwood rather than commercially processed stuff.

'Wild' driftwood needs to be treated before it can be used safely. Some people bake it, some soak it, etc., etc., etc. I like boiling it for a while, then changing the water and boiling again- repeating until the water runs pretty clear.

However... if the leeching is natural tannins, etc.- no problems. It might make the water a little acidic, so you may want to monitor that. Little bits of bark are not a problem, but you may want to put a pre-filter on your water filter to catch them.

Rock walls, if natural, can be wonderful or a major pain. The biggest issues are sheer weight and leeching out chemicals again- in this case, often alkalines.

You can MAKE a rock wall in many different ways. If you google this, you should find several options, mostly for fish tanks.

Answer 4

Drift wood is perfectly harmless and a natural accessory to have in a turtle tank. He shouldn't be able to get injured on it and the color changing color is completely normal, nothing to be concerned about at all. Good question, by the way!

Answer 5

using driftwood is a common practice and questions like yours pop up occasionally. driftwood should be treated to remove microbes which is the hardest to remove therefor killing all else along the way such as insects, bacteria, and algea. easily done soak the wood in a 4 oz bleach to 1 gallon water combo for 4 hours this ensures good penatration of the combo. then the driftwood should be rinsed and set in a window in the sun till it is dry. rinse again with clean water and allowed to dry when you are done there should be no white powdery material nor smell of bleach remaining. I cannot say rinse 3 times etc. as it depends on how porrous the material is. finally let it sit in the sun for a total of 24 hours it must get warm to the touch by the sun to ensure it is completely dry. a second meathod you can also place it in your oven if it will fit for 9-12 hours on low you must keep an eye to ensure no charfing of the wood happens. after each one of these you should get an apoxy spray from home depot or ace hardware and spray the wood down soak it good allowing it to dry in between coats. this seals the pores thus inhibiting new infestation.it also hardens the wood keeping pieces from breaking off. pet store products are done similiar but in a more industrialized way. they dip the wood in epoxy resin and allow it to soak in. then allowed to dry. so its usually thicker. cleaning the wood without sealing is ok but as you stated it will allow pieces to break off and decay therefor making a mess of your water.

Answer 6

You know turtles carry salmonella, right? They do so you have to be really clean with that tank and wash your hands often. I would not sleep in the room with the tank.

Answer 7

Depends on what environment you have!