General Care Discussion :: The water in my tank is always cloudy

[JessieBabe]

Ok I change the water in Donatella's tank once a week, and I put Turtle Clean which is suppose to help with the reduction of turtle waste. And I also put in Reptisafe water conditioner but for some reason the water is never clear even when I put new water in it. Is there anything I could do?

[marisa]

How big is your turtle (shell length not including the curve)?
How big is the tank?
How much water do you have in it?
What kind of filter are you using? How often do you clean it? When you do clean it do you change all the media?

Without knowing more about your set-up, it's hard to know for sure. I'd stop the Turtle Clean, though. If your turtle is producing a lot of waste to the point that you need to use it, it sounds like something isn't right---perhaps the filter is to small for the tank and/or your turtle.

[JessieBabe]

She is about 4 and a half, the tank is a 20L and Im hopefully upgrading to a 55 or 60 gallon soon. I fill the tank about half way. Im using Tetra Whisper, I clean it once a week, when you say media you mean all of the water? Shes not really producing that much waste, the people at the petstore told me I should get it so I listened to them but know I know not to listen to them because they dont seem to know what they talking about. The filter might be too small, but hopefully when I upgrade to a bigger tank Im gonna get a bigger filter.

[res08]

Do you have gravel in the tank? If the water is cloudy immediately after adding new water, then it's likely due to debri that got stirred up. If there's no gravel, then it's possible that your tap water has lots of stuff in it like heavy metals and phosphates.

[octpusgirl8]

The media in a filter are things like foam (mechanical media) carbon (chemical media) and ceramic rings (biological media). I think your filter probably uses cartidges that include mechanical and chemical media. 20 gallons halfway full is awfully small for a 4 1/2 inch turtle, that's the biggest reason why your water is always dirty. A bigger tank and better filter will solve the problem.

[JessieBabe]

yea thats what im shooting for is a bigger tank but I gotta save up on it, in the mean time I guess I will just keep cleaning it excessively, oh someone told me that you shouldn't clean all of the water out, is that true?

[JessieBabe]

res08 I use to have gravel but i took it out because she was eatting it so now I have river rocks and marble looking stones in there. My tap probably has stuff in it as well but thats why I bought Reptisafe to get rid of the stuff in the tap water

[Bascomb]

Jes-babe -- When you get a larger tank and filter let us know and we will be glad to help. Turtles should have at least 10 US gallons per inch and at least 5 times the tank volume water exchange with your filter pump. gph.

[JessieBabe]

Ok I sure will and thank you all very much. This has really helped out

[res08]

I'm not familiar with the reptile water conditioners you mentioned so I won't comment on that. I'm coming from a fish background and I stuck with what I know works for fish for my turtle. Sometimes the water from my tap is cloudy due to heavy metals and chemicals. I use Seachem Neutral Regulator to precondition tap water before adding it to the tank. I can literally see the water clearing up as I stir the bucket. That means the heavy metals, chlorine and chloramine has been effectively removed. It's always better to add water conditioner to tap water before it goes in the tank because chlorine and chloramine will instantly kill the beneficial bacteria that's in your tank water and filter media. And if that happens, it can cause an ammonia spike and cloudy water.

[1981camaroz28]

I agree 100% with this person only thing I will add is change your charcoal every 3 weeks this will also cause problem. charcoal only last about 3 weeks tops make sure you get the mixed blend its black and white and will help remove ammonia. There are red drops you can get at any pet store that will clear the water in under 10 minutes.

I'm not familiar with the reptile water conditioners you mentioned so I won't comment on that. I'm coming from a fish background and I stuck with what I know works for fish for my turtle. Sometimes the water from my tap is cloudy due to heavy metals and chemicals. I use Seachem Neutral Regulator to precondition tap water before adding it to the tank. I can literally see the water clearing up as I stir the bucket. That means the heavy metals, chlorine and chloramine has been effectively removed. It's always better to add water conditioner to tap water before it goes in the tank because chlorine and chloramine will instantly kill the beneficial bacteria that's in your tank water and filter media. And if that happens, it can cause an ammonia spike and cloudy water.

[JessieBabe]

Ok thanks so much, I didnt know that the charcoal only lasted three weeks, now I know, I should probably stock up on the filters than, and thanks for telling me to put the conditioner in before I put the water in my tank that helps alot

[1981camaroz28]

Not sure what kind of filter you have but I have the type I can rinse out over and over about 20 times before I replace them. Unless you have the type that the charcoal and filter are combined. I have a emperor 400 which I think is one of the best out even has BIO wheels and the charcoal is in a separate sleeve very easy to use and maintain

[JessieBabe]

yeah I have the one that is combined