Habitat - Indoor :: Please help--new turtle owner!

[KinderTeacher]

I recently recieved two turtles from a parent at our school. She was very nice and gave me the tank, filter, etc. However, I just brought the little guys home for summer vacation, cleaned the tank, and now it is gross! I am not sure what kind of filter it has, or even if I am feeding them the proper amounts. I am just following the instructions given by the mom. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

My students in class really enjoyed the turtles before school was out! I am excited about giving them the opportunity to learn more about them next year!

Also, for next year, my class will not be near a sink, so what would be the best way to clean the tank easily?

Thanks!
Kindergarten Teacher in Texas

[jenaero]

We'll need more info to help you. How big are the turtles? How big is the tank? What were her instructions?

Read all the care info on the site (labelled as Stickys) and if you still have questions, we'll help you out

[KinderTeacher]

Okay, there are two turtles. One is 4 in. and the other is 5 in. It is a 15 gal. tank. From the reading, I am guessing this is way too small for the two of them. We have not named them yet!

The filter is very tiny. As far as I can tell, the brand said Dive Power 40. 1PX8 (Does that mean anything to you?) The tank itself has gravel in the bottom and a large rock for basking. It does have the proper heat lighting at the top.

The instructions given were to rinse everything out and add a couple of drops of Reptisafe for the water. I did this when I moved them home and even added Turtle Clean to the water. However, within in a day the water was green and cloudy. What should I do?

Also, I was told to feed them every other day. Is this true? And, how much should I feed them. I am feeding them Wardley Reptile Sticks. Do they need any other special vitamins? I saw somewhere on the site about feeding them in another container to keep the water cleaner. Any suggestions for this?

WOW! I really should have done more turtle homework before agreeing to take the little guys.

Thanks for your help!

[marisa]

Better late than never. Start reading the info on the posts in the forums to learn what your new turtles need.

Is the tank in front of a window? If so, the light encourages algae growth and it would be better to move it (your turtles don't get any UVB rays through the window anyway, and they need a UVB light, especially
if they can't get outside regularly for unfiltered sunlight

You're right, the tank is way too small. If their shell lengths, not including the curve, are what you said, they should be in something like a 90 gallon tank now. Consider a stock tank if you can't get a regular one.

Along with the bigger tank should come a more powerful filter (rated for about 3X the size of the tank).

You can feed them turtle pellets every other day (and amount equal to the size of the head only for each). But it's good to offer plant matter daily (check the posts for what's good). Having cuttlebone in the tank is also good (again, look at the posts).