I persistently have a problem with the water in my turtle tank being cloudy. It's about 150 gallons and I have four 2inch wide red ear sliders. I put zoo med Reptisafe in the water daily as well as exo biotine. I have two filters as well. I clean up any uneaten food and my water is still foggy! What should I do?
By Bell
I found this video, although I am not an expert on turtles at all, he says not to feed the turtles in the tank they stay in but to feed them in a seperate tank and he mentions two products: Aquatic Turtle Banquet Block and also Flukers and it said something I could not make out. It is a cleaner I suppose?
Here is the video. youtu.be/
He also said that rocks on the bottom cause cloudy water also.
Hi i have a female red eared slider who is about 5 inches and in a 55 gallon tank. I have a filter and clean out any excess food and waste.
Problem with constently cloudy water .1 turtle in 40 gallon tank
I have a very small turtle tank,I've clean it two days ago and now it's really cloudy.
Mine was the same till i started using aquapure capsules now water stays clear.
I feed my turtles in a separate small bin everyday and then return them to their home this keeps the tank so much cleaner
Where do you get them? My water is cloudy and I got rid of my rocks that I had at the bottom of my tank.
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My turtle's water is very cloudy (to the point of not being able to see him though the water) and stinks very badly! I am changing the water every single say and have a very good (and expensive) filter. What is causing the cloudiness and what do I do to stop it?
By Bryan from Vancouver, BC
Are there rocks, pebbles, etc on the floor of the tank? Turtle tanks do tend to get much smellier than regular fish tanks. We used to keep alligator snapping turtles that the kids would find, until they got too big for me to clean the tanks out safely, then we would return them to the creek behind our house.
I have two Red Eared slider turtles, and I had to learn the hard way too, but now my tank stays clear. Here's what works for me: I bought a very large tank (55 gallon) and I use two filters; I use "Prime" (purchased from Pet Smart for about $6) to remove the chlorine and keep water clear. It is safe for fresh and salt water, and it only takes about 1/2 a cap full every time I change the water (about once every other week); Don't overfeed, this creates unnecessary waste; to keep the white buildup off the inside glass, I use a 50/50 mixture of water/white vinegar in a spray bottle every few days.
I have had my Red Ear Slider for about 9 years. I have 125 gallon tank for him. I also worked at a pet store for a few years. Cloudiness is usually caused by a build up of ammonia in the water. You might have spent a lot of money on a filter but it could be a crap filter if it doesn't have the right media in it. For turtles you need a carbon zeolite mix (it is black and white).
Keeping rocks in your tank can help but makes sure you don't buy aquarium gravel that your turtle can swallow. Also there is a product called Zoo Med ReptiSafe Conditioner it is blue; I would use this as a water conditioner.
Let me know if you have any other questions about your turtle or filter
I have two small red ear sliders ,,I had same problem with cloudy tank ,until I started feeding them in seperate container leaving them in that water for awhile than they go to the bathroom in that container and the ammonia from them going to bathroom doesn't cloud their tank
I have two small red ear sliders ,,I had same problem with cloudy tank ,until I started feeding them in seperate container leaving them in that water for awhile than they go to the bathroom in that container and the ammonia from them going to bathroom doesn't cloud their tank
Will long term use of zeolite harm my turtle? Ive been using it and it works great but Im worried it may harm him?
In most times it hurts the Turtles water to change it out completely you want to leave half of the dirty water in the tank because there is good bacteria in the dirty water that you need for the new water you put in there. There Is Never Enough good bacteria and clean fresh water for our Turtles
Half of a water change so you don't empty out all the good bacteria... And add a little splash of this
What happens when my medium sized turtle tank gets foggy? I don't know what to do.
Please help.
This is turtle waste. Clean the tank frequently.
humidity this time of the year, along with a filter or filter plant helps!
Your tank is could be too small for the turtle and that is why it is clouding up so quickly.
Most turtle parents use a 30-gallon tank for turtle 4 and 6 inches. I can't tell by the photo the size of your tank or baby. The bigger the turtle, the bigger the tank needs to be.
If the tank is the right size, you may be over feeding the turtle. Clean up any uneaten food quickly and that may help.
Regular water changes are important. You also may want to check your filtering system.
Hope this helps solve the issue. Post back with an update!
I had turtles for a time and you really need a good pump and filter system in the tank. Other than this you will be cleaning the water every other day to get rid of the poop and pee in the water. If your tank is cloudy it is time to change the water and put in fresh water.
We have a red ear slider turtle in a 40 gal tank. We keep the tank cleaned out and change 1/2 of the water every week. We have a good carbon filter along with a fan blower to keep the water moving. A few days ago our fan and heater stopped working so we bought a new one. We replaced the carbon and sponges in our filter, changed out the water, put in a new fan and heater, and also installed a larger bridge for him to bask on. We also use the Repti-safe in our water. After changing things our water turned cloudy, which it usually does at first. But 3 days later it is still cloudy and starting to smell! The tank is clean and we've changed more of the water, but it is still cloudy! We are not sure what else to do. Can anyone help us out? Btw, we do not have any rocks in the tank. The only thing in the tank is the heater, fan circulator, and bridge hanging on the side of the tank.
Thanks.
You might need to get a larger tank
Is it possible that you are over feeding?
My friend had a very similar problem. She found out that she had too much circulation in her tank. She turned off the circulation for 8 hours and the water cleared and stayed that way after she restarted the pumps.
No. We are not over feeding. We are giving him the recommended amount that the pet store gave us.
I would talk to the place where you got the new equipment since that seems to be the tipping point to changes. It is possible it is faulty or has settings not calibrated correctly. Post back what they tell you! Good luck! Hope the shell child is ok!!!
Thanks. We will try that. We did get a more powerful fan than we originally had and so that could be the problem.
I've had my 2 baby red ear sliders for about 7 months. I've never had issues with my water, but recently I added in some guppies, and suddenly now my water is all murky and cloudy. I already have a filter, and I just bought turtle water cleaner today.
My thoughts are the fish cleaner may be causing problems with the water chemicals, but I'm not sure. Anyone have similar issues? And know how to fix it?If you have rocks on the bottom it makes the water cloudy
I dont have rocks on the bottom, I have a few plastic plants but thats it
While there are zillions of reasons, I think I used to have the most common issue back in the day with turtles and fish, which was overcrowding--too many creatures in too small a space.
More mouths, more food, more poop and the filter can't keep up.
Everyone needs their space and that helps keep the water clearer.
This site seems to explain it better than I can about the ratios of water to creature:
animals.mom.me/
i think it is clear that the guppies are contributing to the problem since their coming in caused it - maybe they just defecate more than the others. Maybe you have to increase your filter's function or put the guppies in a new tank
I have a 2 inch long male red eared turtle. His tank is 5.5 gallons. I use about 2 ml of a water conditioner that removes chlorine and chloramines. I changed his water last night and when I got home from work this afternoon it's cloudy again.
This is my first turtle and I'm still learning. I was told not to get a filter until he got bigger. Should I go ahead and get one? What is making his water so cloudy?You can try aquapure capsules
How close to a window is your tank? The sun can be causing algae to grow quickly.
is it a big enough tank for the turtle? possibly his producing wastes can cloud up the tank quickly if it is not ana dequate size
Congrats on your new pet!!!
I strongly recommend that you establish your new shelled friend with a local vet and get his/her advice for care, feeding, sheltering, hygiene, etc.
A good vet will get you and your turtle off on the right flipper for a long, happy life together. Vets know best. I am sure you wouldn't want to learn something from a website or non expert that could potentially be harmful to your pet.
A vet can give you pamphlets or websites that are reputable and specific to your particular breed. Call your local humane society or animal shelter to find out who specializes in turtles in your area, if you have trouble finding a vet on your own!
If money is an issue, ask if the vet will work with you on a sliding scale or payment plan. Many will!
Wishing you always get along swimmingly!
I have two red-eared slider turtles. I sent them to a friend's house while I moved. I have a 150 gal tank with a filtration system. When I had time I brought the turtle tank to my new place I bought new insides for the filter, black and white pouches, new foam thingies, and gave them all fresh water.
This is from turtle waste. When you clean out the tank, wipe the inside with an algae pad.
It could be the water from your new place is different than your old place. Talk to a pet store in your area and ask what they recommend.
I had a similar issue with fish when I lived in Virginia. The new house had water with more minerals or something than than the old house. They recommended a different filter and some kind of tablets and that fixed my situation.
Hope yours is that easy!
I ran out of water conditioner for my turtle. I was at the store looking for more and they only had 2 different conditioners. 1 was Marina Betta Pure and the other was Jungle Start Right.
Are either of these products safe for my turtle? I have not applied any to the tank yet.You need a conditioner that is safe for reptiles. If it is good for reptiles it will say so on the package.
Hi - I hope you found water conditioner for your turtle but maybe you would like to read what some of the experts say about conditioning the water. Here is one comment:
"This is a more expensive, but safer option for a sensitive turtle. Conditioner isn't necessary for distilled and filtered water since it shouldn't contain chlorine or any other additives found in tap water. Also, PH will be at the neutral 7.0. You can buy distilled water at any grocery store."
PetSmart carries water conditioners if you are using tap water but other pet stores and some larger grocery stores also carry conditioners. The label on the bottle should tell if it safe for turtles.
I would like to mention that it is critical for anyone handling turtles to be VERY sure to wash their hands thoroughly after handling the turtle as almost all turtles have salmonella. Here is a link telling all about this:
www.thesprucepets.com/
Here are a couple of links if you would like to read more about water treatments.
aquaticturtles.net/
www.thesprucepets.com/
I have had several turtles and they were always healthy and very smart but keeping the water clean is a job that cannot be ignored so I hope you enjoy having your turtle for a long time.
I have a 40 gallon tank with 2 red ear sliders and some fish and algae eaters. I change the filter every week and a half to two weeks and do water changes every week, but my water is still cloudy.
I haven't had this kind of water for a while, but now I cannot get rid of the cloudiness. Anyone know why?
I have had so many problems with my turtles and really need help! My water is consistently either yellow or cloudy. When it's yellow, I use turtle conditioner, but it didn't really work so I cleaned the whole tank again. Now my water is really cloudy to the point it's hard to see right through, I have only had these two turtles for 3 months.
Their shells are also starting to go a little white, perhaps shedding? I've been trying to get them in the sun more in case that was the problem. Please help I just want a clean tank with healthy turtles. Should I feed them in separate water to stop the tank from going cloudy and dirty? Help would be greatly appreciated!
By SMP
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We were given a fresh water turtle a few weeks ago. The day after I set up his tank it began getting cloudy. Then it turned nasty and green.
