Habitat - Indoor :: oder all over the house

[muderbear]

We have 2 RES. We clean the tank often but the oder is taking over the house! Any suggestions? If I can't get rid of the oder I'm going to get rid of the RES and that will be VERY hard on my son!

[adam85491]

What size is your tank and what kind of filter do you have (exact model)?

[muderbear]

My son says he doesn't know the size of the tank or the model of the filter. The tank is huge!! and the filter is an external one. Not much help huh. But the turtles have been outside all summer and yet the smell still is very strong!

[adam85491]

Tank size is roughly lxwxh divided by 231 I believe.....

The filter should be rated for 3x the size of the tank, and also how big are the turtles?

Also, what is on the bottom? Gravel? Rocks?

If the turtles have been outside, has the filter still been going? Has the media been replaced recently?

[untsmurf]

Is it the turtles that smell or the tank?

[muderbear]

The tank is 48"long, 13"wide, and 19"high
The turtles are rather big- we have had the 4 yrs.
There is nothing on the bottom- we gave up on the gravel rather quickly
The filter is not going as the tank is empty. What do you mean by "media"

[adam85491]

Media is the stuff inside the filter like sponges, carbon, etc...

Don't use gravel, it dirties the tank and if they eat it they can die.

I think you're tank is around 50 gallons, so you would need a filter rated for a 150 gallon tank.

Is it the tank or the turtles that smell? If it is the turtles, you might want to post a picture of them with a dry shell.

[muderbear]

Media ok- was cleaned when he emptied the tank
The turtles are healthy according to our vet.
Maybe our issue is the filter. We have gone through MANY during our time with the turtles.
So even though we dont fill the tank completely with water perhaps we need a bigger filter. Is there a brand you have had succes with?

[untsmurf]

the rena series and the fluval series are both highly recommended. Specifically look for their canister filters.

[theartbook35]

Maybe you just need to change the water. Even with a filter, that water starts to smell like a fish and turtle pee combination. Highly unpleasant.

I've noticed that, whenever water gets really dirty, it takes up some of the most foul oders imaginable.

[bigG]

My Fluval filter is inoperable because a part is broken and I'm using a small "back-up" filter. So, I'm changing the water every week. If you have the right size filter, then you won't have to change the water out as much. It's very true that the filter should be 3-4 times the tank size. Turtles really make a mess. The best types are the external because they filter and move larger amounts of water. I don't have a media in the bottom of the tank. That makes it easier to keep the tank clean. Of course, it's recommended to remove a percentage of the water and refill every so often even with a proper size filter. There are a lot of good tips and forums for the proper filter size, maintenance, and care of the turtles on this website.