Habitat - Indoor :: Water stinks....

[Wildcoyote]

Hi
I dont understand why does the water in my turtle tank smell like a dirty pond.
The water is crystal clear(i have fluval 304 filter)
Why dose it smell and is it bad for my turtle?

[marisa]

Do you have any substrate (like gravel or small pebbles) on the bottom? If so, it can trap debris (and odors) (and it's potentially dangerous if your turtle ingests it). Cleaning it is difficult and a smell can return quickly even when it is cleaned.

How big is the tank, how big is your turtle and how much water do you have in the tank?

[Wildcoyote]

No i dont have any gravel or pebbles
Not sure how big the tank is my turtle is abou 2.5 inches maybe.
More than half of the tank is filled with water.

[Wildcoyote]

Oh and can algea make that smell?

[marisa]

I've got some green algae in my tanks and it doesn't smell.

OK, how often do you clean the filter?
When you clean the filter, do you rinse out the media well?
Do you use carbon? If so, how often do you change it?
How often do you change the water?

Take measurement of your tank (L x W x H) and plug them into the calculator to find out the size of your tank.

[Wildcoyote]

I clean the filter and change the water once a month
I use carbon. i change carbon the same time i clean out the filter.
Oh and there are about 10 gallons of water in the tank i think.

[marisa]

And how big is the tank? 10 gallons doesn't sound like a lot of water? You change 10 gallons of water once a month? You should be changing 10 gallons of water more like every week or week and a half...

[Tenodera]

hmm what do you have in your tank? Maybe some corroding substance is causing it.

I've never had a stinky tank before...Serra's tank smells slightly fishy, with a slightly sweet smell that I can't explain.

[steve]

You're using a 304 with only 10 gallons of water?

[industrial_girl_2000]

Heck, my smallest tank in my house (for my frog) is 20 gallons & I change the water at least once a week (I don't use a filter for him).

With only 10 gallons of water, I wouldn't use a filter, just empty out the water & refill once a week (or twice a week, if the water gets extra dirty for some reason).

Teeny tiny tanks are so easy to take care of!!!! Just dump the water & refill. It's the BIG tanks that need a fancy filter.