Habitat - Indoor :: Cleaning the Tank

[PeaceOut]

I picked up a Vacuum Cleaner from Pet Smart but it doesn't create enough suction to clean everything.



It barely lifts the gravel. I'm guessing you're suppose to scoop the gravel? On instructions it shows the gravel flowing up and down the cup of the hose. In any case, it doesn't create enough suction to clean everything so I have to pour water back in and do it again multiple times. I have the tank on the bathroom sink counter and the hose pointing into the toilet so I'm creating as much gravity force possible.

Will this python thing make it a one time deal or will it just make putting and creating the intial suction easier?

Oh and also that idea about feeding in a separate tank...does the turtle do it's waste right there after eating or whenever it wants?

[SpotsMama]

Gravel? Is your gravel really big? Any gravel that a turtle could conceivably eat (and they can take a really big bite) can cause a big problem. Turtles eat gravel and get impacted. There are some sad threads on here from people who've had that experience. Most people just choose not to use gravel in a turtle tank. You can use big river rocks - turtle's can't swallow them.

A python is basically just a hose that you attach to a water faucet. It uses the vacuum created by the running water for suction. Some people, like me, just use it as a siphon. As a siphon, it sucks hard enough to pick light stuff up off the bottom but it wouldn't begin to lift gravel. I'm not sure how powerful the suction would be if it were hooked to a sink but probably not strong enough to lift gravel.

The solution that comes to my mind is to ditch the gravel and use just a few big river rocks on the tank bottom for interest. A plain tank bottom is a lot easier to clean.

On feeding in a separate container, some turtles poop right after eating but some don't. However, even if they don't do their business in their separate feeding bowl, it can help because the crumbs from the turtles' messy eating don't contaminate the tank.

[Muirner]

Peace - I use about the same thing... And i use it for both my guppy tank and my turtle tank. In my turtle tank i have big rocks, and this device works great to suck up poop, food, leaves, ect.

As far as when i use it to clean the rocks in my guppy tank, i find that all you need to do is "probe" into the gravel, and move it around, the crap will work it's way out...

It's a bit of an art, cleaning gravel... always has more in it then you want to think about. I talked to a lady at the pet store, and she says just to do a quick cleaning of the gravel..

Non the less - spotsMama is right, no small gravel...

[PeaceOut]

Gravel? Is your gravel really big? Any gravel that a turtle could conceivably eat (and they can take a really big bite) can cause a big problem. Turtles eat gravel and get impacted. There are some sad threads on here from people who've had that experience. Most people just choose not to use gravel in a turtle tank. You can use big river rocks - turtle's can't swallow them.

A python is basically just a hose that you attach to a water faucet. It uses the vacuum created by the running water for suction. Some people, like me, just use it as a siphon. As a siphon, it sucks hard enough to pick light stuff up off the bottom but it wouldn't begin to lift gravel. I'm not sure how powerful the suction would be if it were hooked to a sink but probably not strong enough to lift gravel.

The solution that comes to my mind is to ditch the gravel and use just a few big river rocks on the tank bottom for interest. A plain tank bottom is a lot easier to clean.

On feeding in a separate container, some turtles poop right after eating but some don't. However, even if they don't do their business in their separate feeding bowl, it can help because the crumbs from the turtles' messy eating don't contaminate the tank.

Yeah I should remove the gravel. I see the turtle pick at it quite often but I haven't seen her eat it yet. The gravel makes the tank look so nice though.
I have a 10gal tank and since there isn't much on the bottom...I might as well just dump the whole thing in the toilet or tub then just fill it back up instead of trying to siphon up all the waste up. That might lead to a faster cleaning.
Thanks for the advice.

[Muirner]

You dont want to do complete water changes though. And just so you know, water weighs about 9lbs a gal. So if you wanna be carrying a 90-100lb water filled cube... go for it... but know at some point when you get a bigger tank, you wont be carrying a 50 gal tank to the bathroom to let it flush down the toilet...

[PeaceOut]

You dont want to do complete water changes though. And just so you know, water weighs about 9lbs a gal. So if you wanna be carrying a 90-100lb water filled cube... go for it... but know at some point when you get a bigger tank, you wont be carrying a 50 gal tank to the bathroom to let it flush down the toilet...

Why not do a complete water change? Yeah it's pretty heavy but I dump most of it before carrying it.

[steve]

You wouldn't want to do a complete change because it isn't always necessary. A 50% change every 2 weeks is better than a 100% change monthly.

[WeirdMeta]

I invested in getting a Python. I haven't opened the packaging yet because I want to measure and see how far the tank is from the sink to my bathroom. The Python is 25 foot. I'm thinking it will probably reach because theirs my room and next to it is my bathroom.

[PeaceOut]

You wouldn't want to do a complete change because it isn't always necessary. A 50% change every 2 weeks is better than a 100% change monthly.

I clean the tank every two weeks and in my opinion I don't think a 50% water change would be considered clean. The filter is black by two weeks...I have a 10gal whisper filter for a 10gal tank filled about a third to half way. My turtle isn't all that big either...about 5-6in, top to bottom of shell.

Maybe I'm expecting it to be debris-free, where as it's suppose to be okay.
Changing once a month would be mean. I can smell the odor after about 1.5 weeks.

[Muirner]

You have a 10 gal tank for a 5" turtle? That is what your issue is. You'd need to maintain it every day to not have an issue, and not only that but your turtle needs a much bigger home..

10 gal per inch of shell.

[PeaceOut]

You have a 10 gal tank for a 5" turtle? That is what your issue is. You'd need to maintain it every day to not have an issue, and not only that but your turtle needs a much bigger home..

10 gal per inch of shell.

Are you serious? I guess I over estimated with 5" but it's as big as a rice krispies treat (only thing on my desk to compare it to...haha). But that would mean i need a 30-40gal tank? That's a huge tank for a small turtle.

[Muirner]

i have 2 turtles that i'll be posting pictures of in the photo section soon of, they are no bigger then 2" at absolute max, and they are in a 55 gal tank for now... I know it seems like a lot, while they are small, but when they are bigger they will need the room to be able to turn around easily.

[SpotsMama]

Yeah, that 5" turtle needs a lot more space. I've got my 7" male in a 100 gallon tank. He doesn't look that small in there. He swims all around when he isn't basking, and I can see that he enjoys the space. There's room for some rocks and plants and even a few minnows too.

And yes, Muirner is exactly right. The reason your tank won't stay clean is that it's not near big enough for that turtle. You should expect it to be virtually debris free with no detectable smell at all. Turtles are messy messy messy!! So they have to have a right-sized tank (10 gallons per inch of shell minimum) and a good filter.

With a good filter and plenty of water, keeping the water clean will be surprisingly easy! Your turtle and his habitat will be attractive and fun.

[marisa]

PeaceOut, with smaller tanks (yours is only 10 gallons?) you really can't get away with just partial water changes (the smaller the tank and the less water, the more frequently it needs to be changed). With a 10-gallon tank I've usually done a change and cleaning every week to week and a half. With larger tanks that have adequate biofiltration, you can keep up the water quality with partial water changes. (I change about 30% weekly in my RES's 110-gallon stock tank.)

[PeaceOut]

PeaceOut, with smaller tanks (yours is only 10 gallons?) you really can't get away with just partial water changes (the smaller the tank and the less water, the more frequently it needs to be changed). With a 10-gallon tank I've usually done a change and cleaning every week to week and a half. With larger tanks that have adequate biofiltration, you can keep up the water quality with partial water changes. (I change about 30% weekly in my RES's 110-gallon stock tank.)

Whoa...100-110gallon tank? You don't happen to have a picture of it? I can't image having that big of a tank. So i'm guessing turtles don't grow in by the size of their tank?