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Hi. So, I've read through other people's posts about cloudy water and new tank syndrome but am still not sure if my situation qualifies as such.

I've had my tank for over 3 weeks now (I think) and up until about 4 days ago the water was completely clear. I did a complete water change last Sunday and now I'm wondering if I really screwed it up by doing that.

http://picasaweb.google.com/windowsforeyes/CloudyWater

Here are pictures of what the water looks like now. I have a TetraFauna Reptofilter and I put a new cartridge in it at the same time of the water change because it looked so dirty. I've noticed mention of bio stuff and I'm not sure if this filter has that, and therefore not sure if the cloudy water could be a product of "new tank syndrome" or not.

What should I do? Is this harmful to my turtles? They both are chipper and happy so I'm not seeing any change in their mood/activity level based on the cloudiness of the water.

Thanks in advance!

When you changed out all the water AND changed the filter cartridge you removed all traces of benefical bacteria from your tank and what you are now seeing is a bacterial bloom. Just give it a few days and it'll clear out.

I always thought that bacterial bloom might seem more like cloudy or hazy film on the surface of the water, that seems more like murky water, or maybe I'm wrong.

You could raise the water in your tank some more though.....

The tank water looks exactly like it's experiencing a bacterial bloom. A bacterial bloom (when a tank is cycling) makes the water milky white or cloudy white. I agree with Tenodera, give it a few days (or maybe a week) and the good bacteria should re-establish themselves and clear the water again.

One way you can help put beneficial bacteria back into your tank is by using a "Waste Degrader" or "Biotize" product. This has helped me a lot.

I don't see the filter you said you have, but if it's the one I'm thinking of, it's not a very good one. You had the tank for 3 weeks and did a complete water change and cleaning for the first time last Sunday? When you set up the tank initially, did you get the cloudiness/murkiness as well?

I'd try a partial water change for a few days (10-20%) and see if that doesn't help.

From the pic, the lighting looks rather dark. Does you turtle have both a UVB light and a heat light?

marisa wrote:I don't see the filter you said you have, but if it's the one I'm thinking of, it's not a very good one. You had the tank for 3 weeks and did a complete water change and cleaning for the first time last Sunday? When you set up the tank initially, did you get the cloudiness/murkiness as well?

I'd try a partial water change for a few days (10-20%) and see if that doesn't help.

From the pic, the lighting looks rather dark. Does you turtle have both a UVB light and a heat light?

Yeah, I know I need a new filter (I have the TetraFauna ReptoFilter--I feel for the whole "great for turtles" packaging) -- I was looking around on the forum last night to find a new one. Right now I have a 10 gallon tank (yes, I know I'll need to upgrade soon), but what would be a good one to get for the time being? Do you think the filter could be causing this/should I try putting in a new cartridge (after rinsing it with tank water) to see if it makes a difference?

I was wrong in terms of the dates of things -- I have had the turtles for 3 weeks as of this Friday, so it had only been just over 1 week when I did the change and cleaning. When I initially got the tank it didn't get murky at all, it was after 2 weeks (roughly 4 days or so after the cleaning) that the murkiness began. One thing that I did differently when I put in new water was I used the Reptisafe water conditioner -- would that have made a difference/was that a bad idea?

With regard to lighting, I have a 40W incandescent bulb for heating and a ReptiGlo 5.0 compact fluorescent for UVB. Do you think I should be using a higher watt incandescent?

I did a partial water change a couple days ago and again tonight. I'll continue doing it for the next few days and see how it goes...

Well, given the new time frame you've given, I'd say the murkiness is because the filter is inadequate. Since you have two turtles in a 10-gallon tank, they're most likely producing more waste than that filter can handle. I've used Reptisafe, and have never had any problems with it, so I don't think that's your problem, especially if you followed directions.

It's good you realize you need a bigger tank for them. How big are they (shell lengths without the curves)? Their size will determine how big a tank you need (10 gallons of tank per inch of shell length, ideally) and the tank size would determine what kind of filter would be good. It's hard to recommend a "temporary" filter for that 10-gallon when you're thinking of upgrading the tank. I'd do an upgrade soon (or decide what to upgrade to) and get a filter for the new tank/container. It will save you money in the long run.

Depending on the basking area temp (you need to check it to make sure it's OK--- 88-90F is a good range) you could go with a higher wattage. Check the temp, though. If it's as dark as it appears in the pick, you could add a light nearby. It would increase the ambient lighting, but wouldn't add to the temp in the tank. You might increase your chances of getting some green algae with the increase in lighting, but you could limit the amount of time the light is on.

There is a type of algae that thrives on low lighting too---in addition to the murkiness, are you noticing any brownish film on any of the objects in the tank?

Whats wrong with the Repto-Filter? I have one for a 20 gal and it works great!

How big is/are your turtle/s? You're using one in a tank that's twice the size of the one windowsforeyes has two turtles in. The filter will suffice for small turtles, but as they grow and produce more waste, a better filter is needed.

hi all,

just wanted to give an update on the condition of the tank: it has completely cleared up. i've been doing partial water changes for the past week which was gradually making it better, then i put some algae control drops in on sunday and it made all the difference!

turtles are happy and i'm happy!

-sba