Habitat - Indoor :: Help me save my turtles

[evildemoneye]

I have two RES named max and speedy. They are in a 30 gallon tank with rocks in the bottom. The problem is that they smell so bad that my mom has banished them to the garage and wants me to get rid of them. I was using the ZooMed 501 filter and after one week the entire house smelled real bad. My dad said that he would help me but we need to know what filter we should buy. We are really confused. Please Help me.

[cam722]

Ok, first off in order to help you, we need to know about your full setup. You say you have a 30gallon tank.. how big are the turtles and how much water do you have in the tank?

[sonyj]

Also there was another post on this not too long ago and you might can find some info to help there as well:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1245

[evildemoneye]

Thanks.

Size of turtles:

Max's shell is 4 1/2 inches

Speedy's shell is 3 3/4 inches

I fill the tank up to about the 5 inch mark but the tank is longer and more shallow then a normal 30 gallon tank.

[cam722]

Ok, have you done any reading on this site regarding house of your turtles?? If not, its recommended you have 10 gallons of water for each inch of shell.. so your turtles would need a minimum of a 75 gallon tank. Is the depth of your water only 5" or 5" from the top of the tank. If its only 5" deep that's part of your problem. RES need lots of water as they LOVE to swim. So fill up the tank. I'd also recommend as a filter, the Aquaclear 110 (use to be 500).. a filter should filter water up to 3x's the capacity of your tank. The filters are rated for fish not turtles. They are much dirtier than fish

Do you have a basking area, UVB light and heat light and a heater??

[evildemoneye]

I have been filling it only 5 inches from the bottom. This would allow them to climb on the rocks. I guess I will be looking for a dock. I will fix the water level and purchase the filter you recommended. I have also read about PH balances. Will this filter deal with this issue? Thanks for all your help!

[cam722]

yes it should help.. the problem with that little amount of water is all the waste is concentrated, so unless you clean it daily, your filter can't handle it.

As a side note, you can purchase large rubbermaid storage containers for your turtles or stock tanks which are made to hold water for live stock, they are much less expensive than a glass aquarium. You really should look in to upgrading their tank.. it will reduce the smell issue and make them so much happier

[evildemoneye]

Carol,

Thank you so much for your help. I love my turtles very much and now maybe I can keep them. You are a very good person to help me with this so late at night. Thank you.

[cam722]

Just your luck I couldn't sleep tonight..

Keep us posted on the outcome and what you do to rectify the situation and if it makes Mom happy

You may want to read more of the forum on what else you can do for your turtles to keep them happy and healthy.. so keep on looking and reading!!

Good luck oh and Welcome to the Forum:)

[marisa]

If you get them a bigger tank, you'll have more filter options...

[TexasJagsFan]

How often you do water changes?

Is it possible that a rat or something has died in the walls somewhere?

[Brianthedog18]

Carol, I'm curious, I've heard alot about these rubbermaid containers, where can I find one?

[cam722]

You can find the rubbermaid containers in about any store.. Walmart, Kmart... Target. They are just big plastic storage containers

Rubbermaid also makes stock tanks.. you know the kind Marisa loves

[marisa]

Yes, I like stock tanks, but not necessarily the Rubbermaid ones. (I may break down and get a 50-gallon one, though.)

[Max]

How often you do water changes?

Is it possible that a rat or something has died in the walls somewhere?

Hi,

This is evildemoneye's dad.

Just to give you an update, there was no rat in the wall. The problem really was the lack of water in relation to the size of the turtles and filters not designed to handle the waste (and excess food) in the tank. It appears that Speedy, the male has trained my family (and me) quite well. By moving really fast everytime he saw someone (think begging), they would think that the turtles had not be fed. So they would be fed sometimes three times a day. This coupled with only 5 inches of water in the tank would create a stinky mess.

Right now the turtles are in the garage. They tank has been filled to 5 inches from the top. I have made a basking area using rocks and a light. I have ordered the aquaclean filter from Big Als' (great prices by the way) and will install it this weekend (out of town this week). In order to get through the week, we will be feeding them in a seperate container and when they are "done" we will put them back into the tank. I also ordered a dock for them to bask on.

My plan is for them to have the aquaclean filter all next week and see how they are doing.

Once again, Carol and everyone else, thank you for all of your help.