Habitat - Indoor :: Help with cloudy/smell water

[hartelje]

Hello,

I desperately need help!. I have 2 red-ear sliders. 1 is about 6 inches the other about 4. At the moment they are in a 30g tank (I know this is to small and I am getting a proper one soon from a friend who is moving) but the turtles are healthy and non aggressive to each other. I have the tank about 80% full and have a fulval406 in it (made for 100g knowing I will be getting a new tank) and use tap water. I have not added anything to the water, and use the media the filter came with. The only thing I have in the tank is a basking platform. I get about a week out of the water before it becomes super cloudy and brown after 2 weeks it smells. I have had the filter for about 5 weeks. In that time I have done about a 20% water change weekly, 1 full change (because of the smell) and a 75% change. Last week I did the 75% change and changed 3 out of 4 of the carbon bags (cleaned everything else in the tank water). I got 5 days out of the water before it was really cloudy and brown; now on day 8 and it reeks. I feed them once a day in the tank and they eat everything I put in there within a min of me putting it in there.
Up until I got this filter I had a terta filter in there for a 30g tank. I would get 2 weeks out of the water before it became brown (never cloudy) and it never smelled.....what am I doing wrong that a less extreme filter was working better.
Thank you,
Jen

[AlexisAwesome]

Looks like your filter is not doing its job. How many times do you feed them?

[devilduck]

Sounds like either your filter is not up to the task, or some how lost the beneficial bacteria (re-starting it's cycle). Only a water test will let you know the latter.

I think it's going to be the former and your going to need a larger filter for 2 turtles. Most often recommended is the Fluval FX5/FX6 or a Rena L/XP3, if money is tight you can also try the largest sized ebay SunSun/Perfect brand filter.

[hartelje]

I feed them once a day, and they consume everything within the minute I put it in there. I am very careful not to leave any uneaten food in the tank.
If a 100gallon filter with 2 bio-foams, 4 carbons, 2 polishing pads and 2 biomax in a 30gallon tank isn't going to cut it what do I need my filter to have?

[steve]

Do you know their sexes?

[hartelje]

They are both female

[steve]

It's likely there isn't enough water to help break down the waste. The filter and media might be OK, but it can't compensate from the small amount of water.

[PridgNYC]

I feed them once a day, and they consume everything within the minute I put it in there. I am very careful not to leave any uneaten food in the tank.
If a 100gallon filter with 2 bio-foams, 4 carbons, 2 polishing pads and 2 biomax in a 30gallon tank isn't going to cut it what do I need my filter to have?

Try changing your media set up first. You should be using this setup viewtopic.php?f=9&t=30145#p288904 for a turtle tank. The polishing pads are just going to clog up very quickly and shouldn't be used except for a polishing cycle. The manufacturer setup is designed for a fish tank. Turtles have much different waste recycling requirements than fish.

[hartelje]

Thanks for all the advice....I got a 100gallon tank for my 2 turtles. all set up with the fluval 406. I started completely over and so far so good. The filter instruction guide tells you how often you should change the media but I am sure that is set up for fish. Any advice on changing media and should I do water changes? 10% weekly? less more etc? I don't want to do more then I have to and mess up the cycle process.

THANKS

[VeipaCray]

This thread has a bunch of info about filters and media. viewtopic.php?f=9&t=30145

I'd encourage you to search the forum for posts about media, cleaning, water changes etc. There's a wealth of information on this forum that contains answers to all of your questions.

Here's the abridged version of what you're going to find:
1> The 406 is probably too small for 80 gallons of water with 2 turtles. Read the link I posted for why.
2> Bio media needs to be rinsed, never replaced. Mechanical media like sponges needs to be rinsed and only replaced every few years when they begin falling apart. Chemical media (carbon) needs to be changed monthly.
3> Water change frequency depends on your filter and your water parameters. With properly sized filtration you're only doing water changes to keep the nitrate levels in check. You need to measure your water with a test kit to find out how much and how often.
4> Don't do anything during the cycle process... any changes you make to the water just prolongs the cycle from completing.