General Care Discussion :: Cloudy water

[Mech Cb]

I bought my wife a slider the other day and I'm trying to get everything set up right for her. We currently have a 15 gal tank for him with nothing in it but large rocks, a piece of thick bark as a basking area, and some fake plants. There's also about 10 feeder guppies swimming around. Anyways, my water is pretty cloudy. Today, I emptied out about 80% of the water, pulled the rocks and rinsed them off, and then put them back in along with refilling it. As soon as I refilled it, it became cloudy again. What's going on? I've heard you guys talk about filters being too small, and I've also heard about some chemical thing. Due to the quickness of the water clouding over, I highly doubt it's the filter(I also replaced the element with the new water). Can someone help me out? If it's a chemical thing, please break it down as far as you can. I'm new to this and can use all the help I can get.

[TheComputerGremlin]

First, how large is your turtle? You want 10 gallons of water per inch of shell, so if you got a baby turtle, it will quickly outgrow that tank; if you got a standard 4-5" turtle from the pet store, you're already past the tank size. Turtles are amazingly dirty and need that much water and a good filter just to keep the yuck to a minimum.

Second, in that small of a tank, your filter won't likely be able to handle it anyways. You probably have a small filter for the small tank. You may read on here about cloudy water due to biological filtration not up and working, but your tank won't likely cycle bacteria because your filter won't be set up for it. It is also possible (because I don't know what filter you are using) that it may be something coming out of the filter. For instance, when I first set up my carbon, I have to rinse it for 10-15 minutes to get the blackness out of it.

Third, it could also be coming off of any of your items in the water. Feeder guppies (which 10, btw, is far too many for a turtle, that will lead to pyramiding, fish are only once in a while treats, and even then, in moderations) cause biological waste. Fake plants and rocks could have something coming off of them that is causing the cloudiness. And the bark definitely can do that. Sometimes those items need extensively washed/soaked/rinsed before use. I would recommend removing anything unnecessary and seeing if the water still clouds up that quickly.

[Mech Cb]

Wow! You definantly taught me a lot! I've been trying to get all these pet store guys to help me and it seems they're mis-guiding me left and right.

First off, the guy that helped me get set up to begin with told me a 5 gal tank would be fine because the turtle didn't need much room or water(5 inch shell). Due to me feeling guilty, I bought a 15 gal. (it has about 8 gallons in it right now which he seems to be fine as far as swimming goes)Then, I get home and I realize I need at least a 30, so on the 1st I plan on upgrading to a 50 gal. In the mean time, I'm just trying to make due.

Secondly, this is the filter- http://www.petco.com/product/14930/Tetra-ReptoFilter-For-Frogs-Newts-and-Turtles.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch. I didn't buy it(or any of th initial setup) at PETCO, but the other store is so small I doubt they have a site. If you don't want to click the link, it's a Tetra Repto Filter. I don't see anything as far as how much water or how big of a tank it's made for. However, I never even thought to rinse the filter before using it, but it makes complete sense now that you mention it. The same with the perch.

However, as far as the fish go. Do you think that 10 little guppies would really make that much of a difference? I've learned now that you have to be carefull of overfeeding, so I was kinda planning on just letting them swim until he finishes them and then taking it easy with them.

And finally, even though I hate to do it due to the water quality, would it help any if I post a pic of the tank, or should I just hold off on that until I get the bigger setup?[/url]

[bover907]

Listening to pet store people wasted me at least $250.00 in two weeks time!

That's why I'm glad I found this site. I'll never end up wasting money again. Don't listen to pet store people unless it's about cats and dogs. (maybe not even for cats and dogs)

[octpusgirl8]

I'm sorry the pet store gave you such lousy advice! The cloudy water is definitely from the massive overcrowding of the tank, it's not a great filter to begin with and a 5 inch turtle and some fish can produce a whole lot of waste.

Have you read over the habitat info on the main site? It does a great job explaining what you need for a healthy turtle, and it has pictures of good set ups. I recommend doing that before you go spend any more money. I know it seems like a lot of stuff to be buying, but once you have the set up right it's not very expensive to keep a turtle.

[tammi]

If its a money issue then a rubbermaid tote will work as well as a larger container until you can get a bigger tank.

[Mech Cb]

I like the rubbermaid idea. I may run to walmart today and see what they have! I'm SLOWLY getting through the articles on here. Theres just so many good ones.

[tammi]

Yes there are it takes a while to get thru them all. Good luck with the new turtle.

[bover907]

Don't forget family dollar if you have one nearbuy. I saw some big ones over there when I was just scoping out alternatives incase I ever need to temporarily house mine in one.

[Mech Cb]

Soooo, quick question...other than it looking dirty, is there anything bad about cloudy water? I have one of those white turtle lookin things in the tank that are supposed to kill bacteria. I don't like him being in dirty water or a small tank, but we had something come up and he may have to just live with it until the 1st.
From how I'm thinking, he's got room to move around and swim, even if it's not as much as I'd like. Also, all the turtles I've ever seen in the wild lived in ponds which are never exactly what I'd call clean. So even though his living conditions aren't ideal, he should be fine just for a couple weeks, right?

[tammi]

How long has the tank been set up? Has it had time to complete the cycle?

[Mech Cb]

We initially got it wed night. Then, last night we changed out 80% of the water trying to get rid of the cloudyness. I guess I was thinking it was the rocks or something. As soon as I refilled it, it got cloudy again.

[Mech Cb]

Hey guys, I just found this about my filter:

Features:
* Powerful 90 gph motor*
* Filters aquatic terrariums up to 20 gallons

http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.ph ... cts_id=622

So that should be fine for my 15 gal tank then, right? This is the first I've found anything saying how much water it can push.

[mikee]

Mech-cb -- There are two general rules you need to stick to when dealing with a turtles tank. You will need 10 gallons per inch of turtle. If it has a carapace (shell) of 4 inches you will need a 40 gallon tank. Secondly, you will need a filter pump that will pump at least five times the water volume you have in the tank. My last comment is to stay away from those chain pet stores. The only know two things. 1- where the bathroom is and 2- when pay day is. Very few pet stroes know anything about aquatic turtles. Most of the folks on this site have turtles and care for them. Good Luck!

[mmanchuso]

hi all.... i too am having cloudy water = after 1 year w/ no problems... i'm pretty sure its due to a change in food( tried zoomed brand pellets) so i put them back on their original diet(wardley's repti-sticks) and changed out the water TOO many times this month. any idea how long it might take to get things out of their system? any suggested treatment for the water rather than changing it out? for your info - 2 4" 1yr olds in a 55gal. tank filled w/ approx. 25 gal. water currently using a whisper-brand bio cartridge filter meant for 40 gal. thanx for sharing! ~m~