common snapper flakey skin

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
cuban jey

cuban jey

"tha movement you bastards"
MFK Member
Aug 11, 2005
1,077
10
68
43
Tampa Bay
i adopted a common snapper from my lil bro he lost interest in it and started neglecting it so i put him in a 20L turtle tank that i use to keep feeders i got him a suction-on island a heatlamp feeding him reptomin sticks and occasional krill,sandeel,silversides he also bangs feeders at night hes bulked up alot about 2in. wide shell but the prob is hes flaking skin and shell i put a turtle shaped med block in can you tell me whats going on with him or any info- thanks jey
 
Snappers put out a lot of waste that promotes high ammonia in their water. How often do you perform water changes on the tank? Anything less than weekly on a 20L tank is not enough. The sulfa blocks is a great idea to cut down on infections/ulcerations. A calcium supplement will help in keeping the shell healthy and peel resistant. Most important is keeping the water clean. I have a foot-long AST in a 60 frag tank (48 x 24 x 12), with a wet/dry filter, and I still have to get those weekly water changes done or his water starts to smell sour.
 
thanks for the info oddball i have been slacking on waterchange for his tank also what do you think of those calcium blocks for turtles do they work well enough?
 
Oddball said:
Snappers put out a lot of waste that promotes high ammonia in their water. How often do you perform water changes on the tank? Anything less than weekly on a 20L tank is not enough. The sulfa blocks is a great idea to cut down on infections/ulcerations. A calcium supplement will help in keeping the shell healthy and peel resistant. Most important is keeping the water clean. I have a foot-long AST in a 60 frag tank (48 x 24 x 12), with a wet/dry filter, and I still have to get those weekly water changes done or his water starts to smell sour.
Click to expand...

hey oldball i thought turtle ( like all reptiles) shed their skin?

i recall when i had my RES they would shed skin fragments.

i would pull it off their armpits as they needed some help in that area :)
 
cool ;) , i like that cuttlebone idea and i thought the calcium block is supposed to dissolve in water not be eaten
 
DeLgAdO said:
hey oldball i thought turtle ( like all reptiles) shed their skin?

i recall when i had my RES they would shed skin fragments.

i would pull it off their armpits as they needed some help in that area :)
Click to expand...

I get minor flakes of the ASTs skin on the sponge prefilter. But not noticeable flakes of skin and shell. I've only seen major peel on turtles kept in less than clean conditions or malnourished. Looking at the feed list, I'd say the turtle was getting enough variety in its diet. Although, I'd switch the krill for raw market shrimp or live crayfish due to the amount of oils in krill. Oil on the water surface reduces the water's ability to exchange O2, CO2, ammonia, etc.

I'd also stop serving feeder goldfish and use bait minnows if live food is desired. The copper levels used in feeder farms will eventually damage the livers of aquatic turtles. Live foods can be gut-loaded with plant material, turtle vitamin supplements, etc if kept in a bucket or bin for a couple of hours before offering them to the turtle. The better the food; the healthier the turtle.

After a snapper is past 6 months old, it's also a good idea to provide 'fasting' days of once a week until it reaches a year old. Then, skip feedings every third day to allow the turtle to purge a bit to prevent obesity. If a snapper's tail looks full and round, it's getting enough to eat. I've seen snappers that can barely bend their legs from being too fat.
 
Oddball said:
I get minor flakes of the ASTs skin on the sponge prefilter. But not noticeable flakes of skin and shell. I've only seen major peel on turtles kept in less than clean conditions or malnourished. Looking at the feed list, I'd say the turtle was getting enough variety in its diet. Although, I'd switch the krill for raw market shrimp or live crayfish due to the amount of oils in krill. Oil on the water surface reduces the water's ability to exchange O2, CO2, ammonia, etc.

I'd also stop serving feeder goldfish and use bait minnows if live food is desired. The copper levels used in feeder farms will eventually damage the livers of aquatic turtles. Live foods can be gut-loaded with plant material, turtle vitamin supplements, etc if kept in a bucket or bin for a couple of hours before offering them to the turtle. The better the food; the healthier the turtle.

After a snapper is past 6 months old, it's also a good idea to provide 'fasting' days of once a week until it reaches a year old. Then, skip feedings every third day to allow the turtle to purge a bit to prevent obesity. If a snapper's tail looks full and round, it's getting enough to eat. I've seen snappers that can barely bend their legs from being too fat.
Click to expand...

oh i didnt know that they can get obese :eek:
 
My common snapper also sheds its skin like that. The process looks as if the whole turtle is covered with flakey skin. Dun worry bro....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom