General Care Discussion :: magicly clean water

[cbk]

so, ive had this annoying problem with green tank water ever since the growth of my 2 turtles increased. like...radioactive green. most recently, the water has "magically" cleaned itself, changing from a semi-thick bright green water, to a transparent yellow, to an amazingly clear and clean habitat. me and my gf could not believe it. has our water filter finally kicked in for once and getting used to the habitat? has feeding them every other day helped? i just dont get it. but 1 thing is for certain, i am glad to finally once again SEE my turtles swim around rather than having them be one with the green abyss.....

if anyone can solve this mystery, you rock.

[SpotsMama]

Hi there. You'll need to provide some more information so someone can give you a good answer (not me - I'm pretty new at it myself - but I do know the veterans will need more info). How big is your tank? How big are your turtles? What kind of filter do you have? How long have you had it? How often do you change the water and clean the filter, and what exactly do you do when you clean the filter? What kind of light does the tank get? What kind of chemicals/conditioners have you been putting in the water?

[cbk]

i have a 20 gallon tank using a fluval 104 filter. ive had the filter for 4 months now. i do partial water changes twice a month and full tank and filter cleanings every 2-3 months. cleaning the filter involves replacing half of the biomax filters to maintain the water environment, replacing the carbon, and cleaning out the filter sponges. the only chemicals/conditioners i use are turtle clean(every 7 days or so) and reptisafe conditioner( for every water change/cleaning). i use a uva basking lamp and an 18" reptisun 5.0 uvb light.

my turtles' shells are approx. 3 inches, a little big for the tank theyre in, but they seem happy and look like theyre going to have sex soon, but thats another story.

[Kris]

When you replaced the carbon things may have improved. Carbon is the key to get the yellow-ness and other things out of the water and makes it look crystal clear...Same goes for aquariums, which I have been a hobbyist for a while..

[BullDog]

I think Kris may be right.
Also, is the tank near a window? Sunlight through the window can add to algae growth, and with the shortened days, maybe less sunlight?
I don't think you need to replace the biomax that often... I think fluval instructions say every 6 months? But I've only been using biomax for a short while, so it would be better to get advise from an expert

[Turtleboy]

maybe the tank is finally cycled? i know for ponds, you go through a "green pea soup" phase before the necessary bacterias kick in and you get clear water