Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am having problems with my RES tank. The water smells bad and is cloudy alot. I have tried everything that I know to correct the problem, but nothing works well for long.

I will give you some background info:
Tank : 60 Gal
Filter : Fluval 204
Media : Carbon, Ceramic, Bio, and foam pads
Temp: 78-85 Deg. F
I use medium to large size smooth river rocks for the bottom, I also have a floating turtle dock and a sunning area for the turtle under a heat / UV light. The turtle has 2 UV lights, one is on 24/7 and one is on during day time hours. I have had deago for abut 2 years, and he has grown from hatchling to about 6 - 8 inches.

The tank problem started recently, and I got a new filter, the fluval, but that dont seem to work. I have resorted to doing tank changes every week, and I know that is not good for the turtle. I use clarity chemical to try to reduce the cloudiness, but that often makes the problem worse.

I am thinking about buying a UV sterilzer for the tank, but I dont want to waste my money if it wont do the trick.

Anyone else have this problem, and does any one have any suggestions? I love my turtle, and I dont want him to die or get sick because of water quality issues. Any input is appreciated.

Thanks,

Jim

That rate of growth is really much too fast! Combined with
the fact that you are having trouble with water quality makes
me believe it is from overfeeding. How much and what are
you feeding your turtle. Also, the lighting sounds good but you
need to turn off all the lights at night. Turtles need
a day/night cycle. This is very important. Just imagine
yourself never having darkness in which to sleep. It doesn't
contribute to good overall health.

I would do a few things. First, get a larger tank and
then purchase a much stronger filter. Once we know what and
how much you are feeding we can address this. Also, remove
the river rock. It helps keep the tank cleaner because debris
hides in the rock.

It sounds like you really care about your turtle. A few changes
and I think you spend more time just enjoying his instead of
cleaning the tank

Linda

Just as a guide. You said your turtle was 2 years old and
7-8 inches. Mine are almost 7 years old and 7-8 inches. It
is good to shoot for about and inch per year.

Linda,

I over stated the turtles size. He fills the palm of my hand. He isnt 7-8 inches. MY mistake. I took out most of the river rocks and made a wall on one side of the tank, but left 75% of the tank bare. Its been much easier to maintain the water the last day or two now that the tank has been totally changed, cleaned, and reconfigured.

My turtles diet includes small shrimp, krill, tuna, anchovies, sardeenes, salmon, carrots, cucumber, apple, orange, leafy greens, and other veggies. I also feed him turtle pellets, but not so much these days. I know that I need to have a seperate feeding tank for him, becasue things like anchovies and sardeenes really tear up the tank. I am working on that at the moment. I feed the turtle twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night. Can anyone suggest a better feeding strategy? He is very healthy, dispite all these problems that I have been having lately, and I want to keep him that way.

I have been using a night UV light in his tank at night. It is like a black light, but it emitts some UV rays. During the day I turn on his regular UV lights. Would it be better for me to use a ceramic heat lamp than a night UV light? The night UV light puts out some serious heat, and he has been using that as a basking light too.

The major question is that am I using the right filter media, and what chemicals whould I be using to treat the water? I treat the water with chlorout and also drop in ammonia tablets that are supposed to remove ammonia and other heavy metals from the water. I also use this blue liquid, I cant remember the name, to condition the water for the turtle. I use clarity when the water gets cloudy, but lately that seems to do more harm than good. Would a 9W UV sterilizer be a good addition to the setup, or is that un-necessary? Any suggestions?

I am a veteran with reptiles. I breed reticulated pythons and boas. I just dont have as much experience with the aquatic reptiles, like turtles. I do love all my animals, including my turtle.

Thanks for any suggestions that you may have.'

Eliminate the sardines, canned tuna (especially if it is in oil) and most of all the anchovies. This is what is creating the bulk of you odor problem I can almost quarantee it.

Steve

Also the fluval 204 is for less then a 40 gal tank I belive. I heard that you should double the amount on a filter. I have a fluval 305 on my 55gal works well because its up to a 70gal filter.

The filter is definitely too small for the tank. You should always use a filter thats rated for twice the size of tank you're using. For example if your tank size is 40 gallons, get a filter rated for 80 gallons. Turtles are not fish and produce way more waste. Therefore the need for the bigger filter.

If you have the room you could use the filter
you have now and add a filter of like size or
larger. The reason being is that the water and
the filter media needs to go through a nitrogen
cyle. The process takes about three weeks. This
allows beneficial bacteria to grow. They help
keep the water clean. By having 2 filters you
can clean one while the other is pumpin away
and still has a colony of beneficial bacteria.
Another way of not killing the colony of bateria
is by cleaning the media in clean aged water.
I'm not saying clean your tank every 3 weeks.
It's just that the filter takes that long to
start working biologically and not just mechanically.

Wish more people cared for their turtles as much
you do.... Good luck!

we had cloudy water too, then we moved. Now with the water coming from a different source it is crystal clear!
-----
Tammy, Doug, Skylar, Andrew, Aaron, Lessley
2 cats (azul & chester)
2 parakeets
2 hampsters (oreo and Ritz)
3 RES (Big mama, Quazimoto, Rustus)
Crab, newt, and numerous fish
1 Mini Shnauzer (Nacho)

help reduce algae buildup so I don't think it would be worth
it to purchase it.

There is a lot of good advice from the other posters about
filters and such. I don't know much about these specifically
because I use a 160 gallon pond with a regular pond filter
for mine. I have one indoors for winter and outdoors for
summer. I do change a portion of the water and clean the
filter once a week. I never use chemicals. I would be cautious
about what you are putting in there.

This would help with the water: I would reduce the feedings to
one time a day and alternate what you are feeding if you
aren't already. For instance, one day I give meat or protein
and the next day greens, squash or mixed vegetables and then
third day I give some fruit (mine love rasberries and bananas).
I do include Reptomin pellets in the diet as a staple.

Hope this helps.
Linda