Questions about keeping water clean in Turtle Aquarium?

We inhereted 2 turtles from a family that moved away and could not take them. I think they are red slider turtles, although the family said they were Reeves turtles. In any case they came with a broken light and a cracked cage (nothing is truly free). So, we bought a brand new HUGE aquarium for these little guys with the right light, habbitat and filter system for turtles according to the pet store owner. But the very next day the water is cloudy. WHAT do we do? What did we do wrong? Please help! We want to be GOOD turtle owners!

for your kind of turtle:
Reeves turtle (Chinemys reevesi). This species is known in Southern China,southern Korea, and Japan. It is a small species and reaches maturity at around 5-8 inches. The carapace is parallel-sided, moderately domed, with three strong keels. The carapace scutes are usually brown.The plastron is generally yellow with brown blotches which can cover almost the whole
belly. The head often has yellow or olive stripes which can fade in older specimens.Reeves turtles are susceptible to shell disease. They must be kept in very clean water. When you buy an animal, thoroughly check it for rot.Many imported specimens have the problem. Because of the depletion of Asian turtles, and the big parasite loads many of these turtles carry, look for a captive-bred Reeves turtle. Reeves turtles mostly are carnivorous, but they do take pellet food.Because of the susceptibility to shell problems, it is imperative that a good basking place with plenty of UV light is provided.This is a marvelous turtle, but I wouldn’t recommend it for beginners.
I will try to present here a basic environment setup for water turtles. But keep in mind that this is a general indoor setup for water turtles. The best thing you should do is to find out exactly what kind of turtle you have because turtles’ needs vary from one species to another. The more you know about your turtle the healthier it will be.
First of all any water turtle tank needs two basic areas: the swim area and the land area.
The Swim Area
You MUST have a water level deep enough for the turtle to swim in peace. Therefore the minimum requirement is the water to be at least as deep as the turtle’s shell. If you keep you water turtle indoor i recommend you to heat the water. The temperature is different for specific species.
The Land Area
The land area is an area that is above the water level. It must be well built so the turtle can climb on it when she leaves the water. The land portion should be heated with a lamp for basking purpose. Aquatic turtles don’t need more then a rock ora a piece of wood but semi-aquatic turtles need some more space. They need the space so they can move more and choose different temperatures.
Minimum indoor setup for a small water turtle:
- First of all you will need an aquarium large enough for your turtle. If you have a baby turtle then a 10 gallon aquarium should be enough. But when the turtle grows you will have to think of buying a larger tank. I think that 20 gallon is the minimum volume for a water turtle to live a happy, healthy life in your home.
- The water filtration is esential. You should be very careful when you choose the tank filter because it should be strong enough for the size of your tank.
- The turtle needs to have a specific water temperature in its tank. So you should also buy a water heater.
- The land are needs to be heated for basking purposes. So, you’ll need a lamp with a 40-60W incandescent light bulb.
- The land area is vital. every water turtle needs a land area on which she can climb. You can build the land area from bricks, rocks, wood.
- You’ll also need a thermometer so you can know all the time the exact teperature of your turtle tank.
- An important thing to keep in mind is that the turtle tank must be set up in a place away from natural, direct sunlight.
The substrate of the water turtle tank
The best thing for your turtle, even for you, is not to use any substrate at all. First of all, the glass bottom of the aquarium is much easier to clean. Then you’ll avoid having problems like your turtle swallowing some things it shouldn’t. In many cases turtles eat rocks or sand from the bottom of the tank and you can deal with some unpleasant complications. Your turtles might become constipated or even choke on a small rock.
The land area of the water turtle tank:
As i said before the land area it’s a very important piece in the indoor turtle tank setup. You must be sure that your pet can easily climb on the land area. I suggest you should make it from bricks or wood because this type of material is very easy to clean and gets dry really fast. The land area usually has to be dry.
Decorating your turtle tank:
You shouldn’t use too many decorations in your tank because the turtle won’t have enough space to swim. But you can try adding some plants. My advice to you is to use plastic plants because they are as beautiful as the real ones and they make the aquarium look real nice. The problem with real plants is that the turtles will eat them and you’ll have to buy new ones every week. So it might become really expensive. Plants are very good for your turtle because they make them feel like in the wilderness.
The water filtration:
Water quality is the number one challenge when keeping water turtles.The ideal to strive for, is a lot of very clean water.
*Change the water as often as you can.Imagine, you had to swim in and drink the water!
*Tap water is fine. If you are concerned about chlorine, let the water sit for 24 hours before using it or use a water conditioner for aquariums.
*How often do you need to change the water? Well, it depends on the gallons of water per turtle, and whether you are using a filter. I change the water in the large outdoor tubs once a week, independent of how many turtles there are in it (never that many). Indoors every 10 to 14 days, with a strong filter, depending on how much I have been feeding. Some foods soil the water more than others.While I use a filter on the indoor tank, I simply change the water often outdoors. (It is much easier to dump a tub full of water onto the grass than to pump it into the bathroom sink.)
*Give your turtle as much space as you can possibly afford. In
this case, larger is always better. Custom made glass tanks are
affordable. (Negotiate price and features, when you talk to a sales
rep. Often extra features like screen tops, which you don’t need
for turtles, will make things a lot more expensive.) Plexiglass tanks are nice but a lot more expensive.
*Turtles produce two kinds of waste: visible and invisible.
The visible solids can (and should) be removed with a net
(available at aquarium stores – don’t use the same net for your
fish!), especially larger pieces, before they fall apart. Invisible waste, must be dealt with by frequent water changes and filtration.
*Disintegrating waste produces ammonia. Ammonia (the stuff that is in Ajax!) is bad for people, and it is bad for turtles.It makes them sick, and it can make their skin and shell root.It can be difficult to have no ammonia (it is possible),but you can minimize it. Use an aquarium testing kit to measure levels of ammonia. Note, that letting feeder fish swim (and eliminate) in the turtle tank, raises ammonia level. Also, some dechlorinators also increase ammonia levels unless they include chemicals to break down the ammonia.
*A filter that has settled in, i.e. has been running for 4-6 weeks
will eventually harbor enough bacteria that like ammonia and
the levels will go down. Unfortunately, most filters are dirty
and beyond use, and therefore in need of replacement, before
that equilibrium is ever reached.
Filtering over carbon and other specialized filter media also helps. I use a Fluval 4 submersible with carbon cartridges for about 20 gallons of water. (Rinse your filter with cold water only to preserve as much beneficial bacteria as possible.)
*If you are using a large cannister filter get one about 3-4 times
as powerful as you would for an aquarium the same size. You will still have to clean/rinse the media more often than for a fish tank.
*Feeding your turtles outside the tank also reduces waste.
Many turtles will eliminate shortly after eating. If you
leave them in their feeding tub for a while after feeding,
they will eliminate, and you get less waste in the tank.
Not overfeeding will keep the waste down.
*Adding a teaspoon of salt per gallon of water
will reduce the level of “bad” bacteria and protect the turtles better from shell and skin diseases.
*A filter will not only reduce the frequency of water changes, it
keeps the muck from floating around and being reingested by the animals.
*So, what filter should you use?
1) as powerful as possible
2) filter over mixed media (including carbon)
3) Filter media must not be accessible to turtles
(they *will* eventually eat it).
*Here is a non-exhaustive list of filters. For more information,
refer to an aquarium book or the rec.aquaria newsgroup. The latter.
has an extensive FAQ on Filters and water quality. A lot of what they say applies for turtles, too.
1) Fluval submersible filters come in 4 sizes. The largest size
is big enough for about 35 gallons of water with three turtles.
Water changes every 7-14 days.
Use the carbon cartridges.
The Fluval 3 is ok for one turtle.
2) Fluval Cannister filters. Get the largest size you can afford. Filter over ceramic, carbon, and sponge and rinse frequently.
3) Several brands of Power Filters. They are good, and easy to clean, but often they require a water level that is higher than you have in your turtle tank. They may also not have enough filtration media (but they do a good job at agitating the water).
4) Undergravel filters. Not recommended as I don’t recommend fine gravel, and messy when frequently changing the water completely.
*There is no need to dechlorinate the water. Anything suitable for human drinking is also suitable for turtles. Turtles are quite different from amphibians or fish in this regard.
*Changing the water: It is a good idea to set things up in a way that water changes become quick and simple. Invsting in some hoses and a pump is worth it. I use a powerhead with a hose to pump the water into the bathroom sink or the garden. When I was in an apartment, I pumped it over the balcony into the shrubs. (While the other shrubs dried out during the drought, the one under my balcony grew like crazy.) Then I use a hose with a special adapter to run water from the tab into tank. Adapters are available at hardware of plumming stores. You can then connect a regular garden hose to the tab. Make sure you empty the hose after use and store it in a place where it can dry out at least partially. Otherwise you get a lot of gunk growing in it, if you only use it occasionally.There is a hose system called “Python” that you connect to a sink, then suck off the water and fill in the water, all no trouble. I love it!!!!

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