Habitat - Indoor :: Murky Water?

[incurve]

Hi there,

I recently purchased a 55 gallon tank for my approximately 2.5 turtle, so along with the tank upgrade, came following the filter. I purchased a used Fluval 404 unit, and tested to make sure that the intake was working, and that it was spitting out water properly. It was, though as soon as I used it, I noticed the water was starting to get a little murky. I figured it was because the filter media was so old (as I had purchased from an individual who hadn't used it for about a year), and about a week later, got some new media.

I thoroughly cleaned the inside of all the tubing, purchased brand new foam, bio-max media, and charcoal, and even installed a surface skimmer. After doing a water change, the water appeared crystal clear for several days. But now it's back to being murky.

There's practically nothing in the tank, and no other fish other than a tiny algae eater. I feed my turtle outside of his tank everytime in a feeding container... so there's really nothing else that's hitting the water. I do use algae/water conditioner when I do my partial water changes as well.

Any ideas?

[jenaero]

Sounds to me like the problem is all the new media. The tank needs to cycle. Keep running everything as you have and it should clear up again in a few days. The water is murky because the beneficial bacteria need to colonize. It won't harm the turtles

[Ace]

There's practically nothing in the tank, and no other fish other than a tiny algae eater. I feed my turtle outside of his tank everytime in a feeding container... so there's really nothing else that's hitting the water. I do use algae/water conditioner when I do my partial water changes as well.

Just wondering, what kind of food do you use to feed your algae eater? in my experience some brand of algae eaters food can cloud a lot your water.....

[SpotsMama]

Here's a thread with lots of info and links regarding "new tank syndrome" which is what Jenearo indicated. Does this sound like what you're experiencing? If so, it's a temporary phase all new filters must go through.

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... t=syndrome

[PeaceOut]

not to steal this thread...

but I just recently purchashed a 20gal long tank and xp2 filter. I put it together and had the filter running for a day in an empty (no turtle) tank and the water was crystal clean. The next day I decided to add the water heater and some turtle clean. Then after about 1/2 hour, I dropped my turtle in. It took her some time to get adjusted so I threw in a piece of lettuce and called it a night. The next day I wake up to find the tank very cloudy.

I don't get it. It shouldn't be like this after one day. The filter is by majority of consumers, the best filter out there. Why is the tank so cloudy? I should have taken some before and after pictures. If it's a "new tank syndrome" shouldn't it be cloudy from the beginning?

[SpotsMama]

PeaceOut, it really sounds like you've got new tank syndrome. With new tank syndrome, the water isn't cloudy from the very beginning - it gets that way as the turtle "fertilizes" the water and bacteria grow. What you're seeing is a bacterial "bloom". After awhile, a different set of bacteria - good ones - will grow in the bio filter and they will neutralize the turtle ammonia and the bad bacteria won't have anything to grow in any longer and the water will be beautiful again.

This will probably take a couple of weeks. Once your bio filter media are good and seasoned, be sure and protect them so they will always be there to keep the water clean. Only rinsing the bio media in tank water will keep them working even when you clean the filter.

[PeaceOut]

Thanks for the quick reply spotsmama.

I bought the bigger tank and filter to reduce the amount of cleaning I had to do and was really disappointed after paying so much and finding it still cloudy.

[SpotsMama]

Your time will come!

[PeaceOut]

The water is getting cleaner by the day...looks good

But I have another question.

Currently, I don't have any chemical stars or rings in my xp2. Is it absolutely necessary and if so which ones should i get. i went to petsmart yesterday and they only had the rings which were going for like 11 bucks for 20 pieces. I looked online and the stars were going for $8 bucks and the rings were $16. i did see a box of rings for the fluva setup at $10, i think, can i just use those?

[SpotsMama]

Stars or rings - either type works fine. Some say stars are superior but others say it's a draw.

Either type is very very helpful because they can hold a lot of bacteria and they don't collect a lot of crude. And it doesn't matter what brand you use. It's a one time expense - you can use the same ones forever. When you clean your filter don't wash the stars or rings in tap water - instead use some of the clear water from the tank to gently rinse them off, then just put them back in the filter. This will preserve the established "good" bacterial colonies so you can keep your tank clear without interruption.

One package of stars or rings is sufficient for an XP2 and a 20 gallon tank.

You mentioned "chemical" stars. I assume you mean "ceramic"? Actually, the ones I've seen, the rings are ceramic and the stars are some sort of plastic-like material.

[PeaceOut]

Thanks so much for the information.
I just assumed that from the picture, we were suppose to put both in. Silly me.

Thanks again.

[marisa]

Some people do use both the stars and ceramic rings. You can use both if you want to.

[SpotsMama]

I'm using one package of rings and one of stars. the XP3 has a big space for bio filter media and I'm just trying to fill it up.