Urgent Care :: Cloudy Water - Slight Smell

[Cain_Dogg]

My RES habitat water has been very cloudy (white - looks like smoke with the filter blowing it) for a few days now following 100% water change. Until today, no odor was noted. First, could this be an imminent threat to my turtle?

Here's the background:

I did not get to cleaning the tank for a few weeks, and algae started building up on and around the filter and on a floating log. What appeared to be a oily- or bio-film was building up on the water surface. So I decided to do a thorough cleaning. Here's how I did it:

1. Filled bathtub ~1/4 with fresh water
2. Added "Reptisafe" water conditioner to bath water (estimated volume)
3. Completely drained tank water (Tank is 20 gal, about 15 gal filled) and added this to the bathtub.
4. Put turtle, floating log, and fake plants from tank into bathtub
5. Rinsed gravel and disposed rinsate
6. Boiled gravel
7. Washed tank with soap & water
8. Wiped tank with clorox wipe
9. Let tank completely dry with no odors in it
10. Cleaned filter (Turtle Clean Filter 318) by removing all filter media, dissassembled and cleaned with soap and water
11. Replaced charcoal in filter
12. (Now, other than the clorox wipe, this is my biggest concern), two sponge like filters were removed, rinsed and boiled (I realize now that I probably should not have boiled the filter sponges - I do not know if one of these is a "Biomedia")
13. Cleaned heater with soap and water
14. Cleaned floating log with soap and water
15. Soaked fake plants in bucket of water with some bleach, and thoroughly rinsed before putting back in tank
16. Reassembled tank, using the water from the bathtub (which was "conditioned" and mixed with the original water)

The tank was very clean at first. In one day, very little cloudiness. Day 2, cloudiness was noticeable. Day 3, about 50% visibility through the tank. Added one of those small blocks shaped like a turtle (I think it has calcium) hoping it would help. Day 4, visibility reduced further such that you cannot see out the back of the tank. Day 5, slight odor noticable.

We have had the turtle since ~ June (First turtle). It is about 5 inches now (was <2 inches when we got it). Water temperature seems to maintain about 78F (external paste on thermometer located at the bottom of the tank, away from the heater). We also have a UVB lamp cycling ~12hrs a day. Typical food is pellets, dried brine/shrimp, feeder fish, bananas, lettuce.

I have read some info on cloudiness, but am rather concerned if this is a danger to the turtle. Should I take it out of the water? How do I correct the issue? Please help!

[Kemul]

Looks like a new tank syndrome because you completely cleaned the tank and
filter. Just keep doing about 10% water change every couple of days. I don't
think the turtle will be harmed. Once the beneficial bacteria colonize the filter,
the cloudiness and smell go away.

One thing surprising for me is that your turtle grew > 3" in about 4 months. That's
really a lot. You may have to reconsider your feeding regime.

According to this page, banana should be a rare treat.

[Cain_Dogg]

Do you know what the cloudiness is?

I was surprised at the growth rate, too. We used to feed it pellets 2x daily with dried shrimp/brine weekly. We thought we were supposed to give enough that it would stop eating, then decided to just give enough we were comfortable with. We have reduced this habit after adding feeder fish (red minnows) and plants to the diet. We put about 20 feeder fish in once every 2-3 weeks when we are away for 3 days. The turtle does not eat all of them, and the remainder don't die off, so he can pick them off if desired. Put feeder plants in for a few weeks straight, adding one every time the last was done. Thanks for the note about Bananas - they were a recent addition to diet.

[marisa]

I'd get rid of the gravel---aside from being a potential health hazard (eating it), it traps odors and makes cleaning much more difficult.

Your RES was being overfed, and depending on what is "comfortable" for you, he still may be. Plant matter is good, fish are an option. For pellets, try not to exceed an amount that would fit into the head (not neck).

Don't use soap when cleaning. Diluted white vinegar works well (with a good rinsing).

[Kemul]

The white cloudiness is bacteria bloom. When too much ammonia is in the water,
that means too much food for bacteria, enabling the bacteria to multiply quickly.
First bacteria kind converts ammonia to nitrite. Second kind converts nitrite to
nitrate, which is much or less harmless for the turtle. When things balance out,
the cloudiness will be gone. However, if you don't take out the nitrate via water
changes, algae will bloom, resulting in green cloudiness. We still need to do
partial water changes weekly or bi-weekly.

Follow marisa's suggestion regarding feeding amount.

[seanwb]

When cleaning filter sponges give them a gently clean in water taken from the tank. Otherwise (even using tap water) you will kill the bacteria and have the issues you have encountered.