General Care Discussion :: Water Quality

[julie373]

So, I just tested my water (and I just did a water change sunday) and this is what I got
Nitrite 5.0
pH 7.2-7.6
Ammonia 0-0.25

Why are they off if I did a water change sunday? And how do I correct them?

Also, I have been buying spring water for my tank. And it's getting a bit costly. I have well water, is there something that I can use to make the water safe, and use the well water instead?

[SpotsMama]

Do you drink the well water? If so, it will be fine for your turtle. If it's chlorinated then you can use a water conditioner to remove the chlorine. Reptisafe by zoo med is a conditioner a lot of people use that's very good. You might check the ph of your well water in case it's very high or very low.

The ph of 7.2 to 7.6 for the current water is fine.

A nitrite reading of 5.0 is really high. Are you sure it's nitrite and not nitrate?

When you changed the water did you change all of it or just some of it?

How big is your tank? About how much water is in it?

How big is your turtle?

What kind of filter do you have (make and model)?

[marisa]

I've been using well water for my turtles this summer and haven't had any problem with it.

There's no need to double post.

[julie373]

I double posted because no one had been answering my other post, and I figured people wouldn't look at it anymore because there was other replies. Sorry. =) Im positive it was nitrite, I triple checked just to make sure I was looking at the right one. I changed most of my water. I have a 37 gallon tank, and I have 20 gallons of water in it at the moment. I changed at least 18 gallons of the water. My turtle is almost an inch and a half. I use a whisper 40 filter.

[julie373]

It's been awhile, and no one has responded, and I don't know what to do. Is there anyone else that knows how I can fix this problem?

[SpotsMama]

Your tank size and amount of water sound good. I'm not familiar with that filter - maybe someone else can comment on it.

It's been a few days - could you check the readings again - ammonia and nitrite - and let us know what they are now?

The pattern when a tank is cycling (ie, when beneficial bacteria are getting established) is that first ammonia spikes up, then in a few days it goes down. As ammonia is on the way down, nitrite spikes up. After a few more days, nitrite also goes down, then both ammonia and nitrite stay at zero as long as the bio filter is doing it's job. Since your ammonia was low and your nitrite high it almost sounds like a tank in the second phase of a cycle. If that's what was happening, after a few days then both readings should decline to zero. Hopefully that's what you'll see when you take the new readings today.

[julie373]

The nitrite is 1.0-2.0 and the ammonia is still a 0-0.25

[SpotsMama]

Have you done any more water changes since you first reported the readings?

Assuming no more water changes then I'd interpret the readings to mean your filter isn't quite able to keep up with the level of waste in the tank. Do you have a lot of fish in the tank along with the turtle? Do you feed your turtle in the tank? Does he eat all his food or are there leftovers in the tank?

[julie373]

My filter is a Tetra Whisper 40i, and its meant for up to 40 gallons. I don't have any fish in the tank, I do feed my turtle in the tank, but he always eats all of his food.

[julie373]

And I haven't done any water changed after the first readings.

[grey goose]

I'm struggling with a water quality issue also. With your ammonia levels lower than the nitrite levels, it probably means your filter is working. Just try to keep the water clean by removing any poop and uneaten food everyday, and change out about 10% of the water every other day until things even out. In your case it's only about 3 gallons. Remember to use a water conditioner with the fresh water.

[untsmurf]

Those aren't great filters. You need a filter that is rated for 2-3 times the size of the tank in order to cope with the mess that turtles make.

[marisa]

I think Whispers are decent filters for smaller tanks, but size of the tank is too much for the filter to handle (filters are pretty much made for fish, which aren't as messy as turtles). Try to get a filter rated for about 3X the size of your tank.