Habitat - Indoor :: Green Cloudy Tank all of a sudden?!

[Lovegasoline]

Last week I did a 50% water change on my 37 gallon tank...standard tank maintenance.
I did the water change in the evening and by the next day was noticing cloudiness. Then water also became green...so now, a week later it is VERY green and VERY cloudy.
The only thing I did different was I forgot to add Reptisafe when I did the H20 change (but I added it a day later). I live in NYC so that's the water I use to refill my tank.
The temperatures in the city have been hot this week and I wonder if it has had an effect?
I did water tests and ammonia tests and things look pretty normal.
The tank sits on a window sill, but it has been there for almost a year, conditions are constant.
Any clue as to why it turned green and cloudy (it is SO cloudy you almost cannot see anything at the rear of the tank).
I'd appreciate some guidance about how to deal with this and if it is dangerous for Mr. T., a 2 year old RES.
Thanks a bunch.
-Lovegasoline[/url]

[DavidY]

Sounds like an algae bloom. It's probably no danger to your turtle though. Only problem would be in a fish tank with potential oxygen depletion during the night time. But turtles breath air so they don't mind.

There was another post of a similar problem a couple of weeks ago. I think the some people have tried algae killer from the pet store and had success with that. The biggest contributor to algae is light, especially sunlight from a window.

[grey goose]

Also check your filter. Make sure it's not clogged......

[steve]

The amount of light that goes through your window will change over the seasons. Whenever I have an algae problem, I need to do a 100% water change and clean out the filters. Then you need to address the cause of that algae to prevent it.

[DavidY]

...and just to be safe, you can address it again a few more times.

sorry...

[steve]

Yup, I don't pay attention when I write

[Lovegasoline]

Thanks for the advice.
I'll do a 100% water change and also have a look at the filter to make sure everything is functioning correctly.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Thanks for the advice.
I'll do a 100% water change and also have a look at the filter to make sure everything is functioning correctly.

I hear ya on the green water. I get this issue in Sheba's tank too. The good news is that the algae bloom water is not harmful for them since the tiny algae removes ammonia & helps keep the water safer for your turtle. It's just hard for turtle owners to completely get rid of since we have the UVA/UVB lights for basking.

When I do a 100% water change (once a month), I refill the tank with tap water, & let it sit for a coupla hours. Then you can add the reptisafe after that (put turtle in the bathtub while cleaning the tank). Letting the chlorinated water sit for a little while before adding the reptisafe helps get rid of the unwanted microalgae that may still be in your tank & will keep the water marvelously clear for at least a coupla weeks afterwards. Then the green water starts up again as the water sits (it will be green, but clear), but at least it looks non-green for a little while!

I have a 90-gallon tank & it is hard to scrub. I never use any cleaning products in it, just drain & refill with tap water. As I drain the water with my python tube, I scrub any unwanted algae off the walls & rinse the river rocks.