All Turtles Message Board

tjjjjm

Hi friends, I hope someone will read this and give me an answer.

I've had these two beautiful and cute red ear sliders since Dec 2004, but the problem is keeping their tank water STAY CLEAN. I have TWO filters running at the same time, but without success. When the water gets dirty, it really stinks up the whole room and the house! People come into my house and they first thing they notice is the horrible smell. What's causing this ? How do I get rid of the smell? I've had to clean the tank one to two times a week and it's wearing me out. I'm not a teenager , I am a 57 year old mother with a torn rotator cuff in my right shouldr. It's getting to the point where I would like to find a new home for them. I just find it hard to part with them because they are so cute and friendly. They grew quite a bit, and think I need a bigger tank as I have a 30 gallon tank now. I have all the equipment, the heating pad, the 2 filters, basking lamp , basking platform, rocks, etc. I shut off the basking light at night so they can hibernate . They love it. As soon as they see me they go crazy and run towards the corner knowing Im going to feed them. Last year I came up with the idea of a kiddie pool and put them outside in the summer months and they enjoy it very much. I don't like leaving them alone for fear that racoons might come and snatch them.

anyway , anyone out there have any advice for me on how to keep the water clean for longer periods of time??

thanks, Mary Ellen Sad

fishandcandy · Level 3 Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 200 Location: Indio, CA

A few questions...
How big are your turtles?
How much water is in your tank?
What kind of filters are you using (brand name/model type if you know)?

Some suggestions...
Fill your tank with as much water as you can. More water dilutes waste.
Use carbon in your filter and replace it regularly.
If you have gravel or rocks in your tank, take them out. They could be trapping debris.

dixieee · Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 8:20 am Post subject:

welcome to the board Smile

this is a very common problem unfortunately. what are the filters' "specifications"?? they should be at least 4x the setup size cz they are intended to be for fish and they're not that messy..and like fishandcandy said, replace the carbon in the filter regularly. if u still face that prob, there are water conditioners they sell at petshops. i would give other things a try b4 getting those.

good luck Smile

_________________
Wed 10/27/2004 is the worst day..i lost my best friend Leo

so now i have a female RES, Green, and a cute stupid male YBS, Mint

5/4/2006 RIP Lemon, u were my first rescue and i'm so proud of u. will never 4get u

tjjjjm · Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 8:02 pm Post subject:

To Dixee, thanks for the welcome sign. Im so glad to be here! Im just sorry I didn't fint this sooner when I first got my hatchlings in 2004 .

fishandcandy, here is the information:
One filter is Fluval 2 plus
the other filter is Aqua Clear? made for 20 gallon tank
I have a Zoo Med BAsking Spot Lamp 75 V
Zoo Med heating stick on pad in bottom
platform and NO gravel in bottom

when I first got my red ear sliders (Michelangelo and Speedy) they measured 1 3/4 " X 1 1/2 " . Now, at age 1 year and a half, they both measure 6 inches long and 4 1/2 " inches wide. They both eat like horses every day , very healthy appetite. I feed them live baby critters once a week, (Michelangeloe gobbles them all ), a variety of different turtle foods like turtle logs, Turtle Treats, Shrimp, aqua treats. I just read last night about feeding them carrots, so today for 1st time I dropped a small carrot stick and boy . you should have seen them attack and peck at it like crazy! I also give them a white turtle calcium thing and they peck at it and eat it as well.

I've been reading that filters should be bigger than it is made for a certain size tank, so I willl either try the fulval 4 plus or the other one I saw on the post called Aqua Clear 300 which is a pretty powerful filter. If look up at "INDOOR WATER TURTLE SETUP" it shows you a picture of how a tank should look like . It ''s right here on the post, Look up "setup / supplies' and click on that , then click on indoor water" and you'll see the pictures.

tjjjjm

Hi again, forget to tell you the tank measures 30 inches long, and 12 inches wide. How many gallons is this tank? It's not high tank , its a low tank and long.

Also should I take my turtles to a vet for a checkup? I' ve had them for 1 year and a half and they were never seen by a Vet. How do I find a turtle doctor? I live in Nassau county , Long Island ,area. thanks!
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Dancing Turtles

fishandcandy · Level 3 Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 200 Location: Indio, CA

Definitely look into getting a more powerful filter. Maybe an Aquaclear 110 or a canister filter. I had a Aquaclear 50 running on my 10 gallon tank. You may want to get a canister filter b/c it'll save you money when you upgrade your tank.
Six inches seems pretty big for a 1 1/2 yr old turtle. At their age they should be eating every other day and a more veggie oriented diet.
A bigger tank with a powerful filter should take care of the smell.

tjjjjm · Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 12:46 pm Post subject: green color

Hi thanks so much for your kind reply.

UMMM I forgot to mention that my water turns green after about a week, and found out it could be caused by ALGAE as the tank does sit near a window in the room.

I've made notes about the types of filters you recommended, the Aqua Clear 50 or the 110. No about the cannister filter, exactly what is that? Name of this brand cannister filter? I read somewhere something being mentioned about a filter called the XP3 filter, which someone claims is better than Flual 4 plus or a aqua plus 300. What's a xp3 filter?

I would appreciate any advice. Thanks !!! You are the best! Rolling Eyes

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Dancing Turtles

fishandcandy · Level 3 Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 200 Location: Indio, CA

The Rena Filstar XP3 is a canister filter. There is also an XP1 and 2.
Instead of being in the water or hanging on the tank, canister filters sit on the floor and have tubes going into the water.
Most sites I've read recommend using a canister filter if you're tank is greater than 40 gallons.

tjjjjm · Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 10:25 am Post subject: Rena Filstar XP3

I suddenly realize my tank is only a 20 gallon tank, not 30 as I thought it was.

Where is the best place to purchase the Rena Filstar XP3?

In the near future I plan to upgrade the tank to perhaps 40 gallons. We'll see. Any particular type of a tank you recommend? There is the low lying tanks and the high ones. which one is best for red eared ?
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Dancing Turtles

turtles1 · Level 3 Joined: 08 Apr 2006 Posts: 196

u want the long 1 rather than the high 1 so ur turtle has more room to go back and forth. y dont u go and get a rubbermaid 50 gal tote from lowes they ahve them there usually all the time i dotn think they have bigger than 50 gal usually but it saves money only about $20.

fishandcandy · Level 3 Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 200 Location: Indio, CA

Two six inch turtle in 20 gallons... No wonder it smells! That's definitely your biggest problem.
Get the biggest tank you can. A 55 gallon is probably going to be easier to find than a smaller one. Tell everyone you know that you're looking for a tank. A lot of people have tanks sitting in their garage.
Order your filter online. Even with shipping, it'll be way cheaper. I got an XP2 for my 60 gallon and with shipping it was about $85 from thatpetplace.com.
Check petsmart.com, petco.com, bigalsonline.com, and thatpetplace.com.

dixieee · Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 3:56 am Post subject:

or go for a rubbermaid. cheaper and comes in bigger sizes, not so fancy to be put in the living room though.. Embarassed

_________________
Wed 10/27/2004 is the worst day..i lost my best friend Leo

so now i have a female RES, Green, and a cute stupid male YBS, Mint

5/4/2006 RIP Lemon, u were my first rescue and i'm so proud of u. will never 4get u

turtleman1 · Level 3 Joined: 18 Jan 2005 Posts: 210 Location: kentucky

u need a filter that is mad for tanks 4x more than the tank is
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your religion is what you live by. paintball is what you live for!

skslover · Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 4:50 pm Post subject:

I have trained my turtles to hide in their floating log outside in their 90 gallon pond i installed myself from raccoons because my second turtle spike the 1st was stolen by a raccoon Crying or Very sad

so i am very careful about my threee sweet couple of months olds and i just found this site yesterday i also run a RES rescue around where i live and i take in turtles people cant care for and i refer them to pet shops they can place adds in i am kind of young and even so many people entrust unwanted and sometimes loved and cared for pets but they cant keep them so if you cant keep yours i would take them in but i hope you are able to keep them.
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