Habitat - Indoor :: Yellow water...

[Disillusioned]

Hi everyone!
I just bought a new tank, and i also bought a floating cork bark for the turtles rest (the only land they really have). I did not put the turtles in the tank yet as i plan to get a heater for the tank before i do because it gets really cold here. Well The cork bark has been in the tank for a few days, and the water started becoming yellow. now i am afraid to put my turtles in there. I have a fluval 1plus filter, i don't know if that suppose to clear up the water a bit, but can anyone help?

Also for the heater can, i was looking at a visi-therm but what wattage do i get? there's 150, 200, to 350 i think. I have a tank that is around 30 litres full. ( my turtles are really small so i don't want to put too much water in the tank, and i don't want the table to be too heavy).

Thanks a lot

[staman]

Well first of all the yellow water would probably be the cork. Where did u get it? Do you have gravel in your tank? I put Hagen gravel in my tank. Mine was green and the die started coming off my gravel turning my water slightly green. Crappy stuff. Thankfully I have a top of the line Eheim filter. I would change the water immediately, remove the cork, clean the filter etc...Start from scratch and then slowly add stuff to the tank and keep a watchful eye.

As for heaters; I have a 75 gallon tank 3/4 full. I use a Tronic 200 watt and it does the job nicely. You said your water volume was 30 litres: (as in 8 gallons) you wouldnt want anything more than a 50 watt. Maybe a 100 if your going to add water/get a bigger tank.

Sorry to say this but a fluval 1+ isnt adequate to filter anything much less turtle water. Your gonna have to upgrade...

[sonyj]

The yellow is from the cork bark. It does that from what I've read. It releases tannins into the water. Although it isn't pretty it won't hurt the turtles. You may have to live with the color or find something else for them to bask on.

How long are your turtles from tip to tip of shell not including curve? And how many turtles do you have? 30 litres (8gallons) does not seem like enough water for one turtle let alone multiple RES. Recommended tank size is 10 gallons(~38 litres) per inch (~2.5 cm) of turtle. *hope my conversions are right* And fill the tank with water as much as it will hold without giving them a chance to escape. For younger turtles just place plants(real or fake) in the tank for them to rest on. RES are aquatic turtles and love plenty of water to swim in.

[Disillusioned]

is a fluval 2+ good enough??

[jenaero]

I'm going to say no, but it depends on the size of your tank. I have a fluval 4plus in my 50 gal with 2 turts and it's quite crappy.

[staman]

I have a fluval 3+: You can have it

The problem with fluval "plus" models is that they dont do any biological or chemical filtration. Its just an impeller motor sucking water through a sponge. It catches particulate matter but thats about it...

[marisa]

The Fluval 2+ basically just pushes water around (I have one). I'd only use it in small tanks and younger hatchlings. The whole Plus line is lacking as far as being a good filter for turtles...

The tannins being released in the water actually aren't bad for your turtles and the color will improve/lessen with time.

For submersible water heaters, think 5 watts per gallon of water. It sounds like for the water you have, a 50-watt heater would do for now.