Hard lesson learned! Turtles and String Algae dont mix!

[Loritx]

The little turtle that has made my pond its home, goes from pond to waterfall stream and back.  Well I have been kind of putting off pulling the String Algae from the Stream area. Last night I went out with my brush and bag to work on it. The poor little Turtle was tangled up in the String Algae!!!!  I Admit it was pretty thick and heavy in the stream.  When I pulled up a handfull, he looked like a strange rock- good thing I didnt just toss him in the bag!!!

Luckly the stream was not deep so he managed to be able to get his head up to breath!!

He was one Very Happy Turtle when I put him back in the pond.  He stayed on the shelf for a few minutes and swam away!!!  WHEW!!!!

So now I am tackling the string algae every day, instead of just ignoring it!!  I have been using barley pellets this spring, but they dont seem to be working as well as the barley straw. So I am going this afternoon to the pond store to get a bale of barley straw.

I also gave the pond a dose of Algae Fix - I hate having to use chemicals to treat it!  But at this point, I worry more about the little turtle!!

[karen J]

Sring algae is like a box of chocolates... sorry, cliche  ... but it's true! I always wonder if I'm killing smaller things, like snails, baby fish, etc. I'm glad you found the little turtle.
Our string algae took off here last week, it's pretty bad. I do Esther's "twirl & hurl" dance.

[LeeAnne151]

Algae Fix can hurt the turtle.

 Get a toilet brush to brush the string algae off the rocks and then twirl it on to it to remove it.

[Julles]

Think of all the animals that die in weird ways, in the wild.  There are so many perils out there, t's a wonder that any live to adulthood.

[Ky Kim]

Glad you saved him.   

 We saved a turtle last year or two ago.  He was trying to cross a busy road.  DH stopped and picked him up, his shell already had a small crack.  He brought him home, I cleaned the crack, duct taped it and started calling rehap places.  Our vet took him, then when he was well he would be released into a big turtle sanctuary with others like him.  My daughter named him Roady and that is what they put on his tag.

Posted on: Today at 05:00:09 PMPosted by: Julles 
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Think of all the animals that die in weird ways, in the wild.  There are so many perils out there, t's a wonder that any live to adulthood.
 

I would say in the wild its mother natures way of population control.  However, there aren't as many wild areas like there use to be  :'(,  so we have to do out part now.     I'm sure there are probably alot of turtles out there, but you know what I mean.

Kim