Slider turtle has weird film in tank...?

Question

I have a pet (very small) red ear slider turtle in an aquarium, and recently (we just put 2 mystery snails in the tank) a weird oily / slimy film that has a rainbow effect in light has developed on the surface of the water. It is obviously affecting the turtle because he avoids it and freaks out if he swims into it. Any idea what the film is and/or its cause?

Answer 1

Usually, that film is a result of high nitrates. To remove the current film, set a paper towel on the surface of the water. This will keep appearing if you don't fix the real problem: dirty water. Turtles are very messy and need strong filtration (best provided by a canister filter or very strong HOB) and frequent water changes. You should be changing about 35% of the water in the tank each week with a siphon (which will get all the crap out of the substrate). Email me if you have any questions.

Soop Nazi

EDIT: Those drops are scams. They may make your water look "clean", but it really just hides the real issue. This tricks you into putting off water changes, resulting in poisoning your pets with ammonia. There is no substitute for cleaning your tank, plain and simple.

Answer 2

This oil can come from all sorts of places such as....

Fish food – Most fish foods have some fat in them.

Your hands - Everyone has oils in their skin, not to mention that hand lotion you slapped on.

The air - Cooking oils aerosolize into the air, which is why kitchen surfaces get greasy. If your aquarium is in the next room, the tiny droplets of oil in the air can easily be carried to the tank.

Equipment - Filters and pumps can have small amounts of oils to lubricate them.

Fish waste - Fecal material from the fish contains some fat.

So what can you do about it??
Most tanks have this oily substance in it but the filters and pumps usually mix it all in with the water....I know I know ....oil and water don't mix but in this case it usually does.
I would try feeding less and handling the food less.....try tipping it onto the lid of the container before dropping it in the tank. To get rid of the film that is already there place a piece of kitchen paper on the surface and leave it for a while then lift off.....if you do have filters and pumps running turn them off first.
The oil won't hurt your turtle but it will disrupt the natural gas exchange that occurs at the surface of the water which in turn will lessen the oxygen in the water.
Good luck

Answer 3

It could be alot of things.

It could be oil from your hands, waste from the Turtle or the Snails.

Have you recently cleaned the tank with any kind of chemicals?

I would take your pets out and scrub the tank clean with some mild dish soap. Make sure you rinse it very clean and see if you keep getting the film.

Answer 4

Clean the tank, get a filter and buy drops to keep the water clean. The drops keep the bad stuff out of the water. I have gold fish and the drops work great i don't have to clean the tank that offen and my tank doesn't smell.