Habitat - Indoor :: Museum Turtle Tank

[Heinecken]

so I was at the Natural History Museum in LA and they have like an animal room, anyways the turtle tank they had was huge and there was algae all over the rocks and evrything. On the tank it said the water was so crystal clear because of the algae and beneficial bacteria. Hhow do I apply this to my 135 Gallon tank? also, theres like this Oily FILM over the top of the water, doea anyone know what it is? and is it good or bad? would making my water more acidic help this?

[Starchick]

The oily film is usually a protein slick, which could be from organic matter decaying in the tank. What kind of filter are you using? Does it agitate the surface of the water? Agitation helps, as does feeding in a separate container so that bits of food aren't left in the tank. If none of that helps, consider a stronger filter.

Once a tank is established, it will have a biological cycle like the museum tank you describe. I won't pretend to understand the ins and outs of water quality, but I think the point is that algae and bacteria contribute to the health of a tank by helping process ammonia and other chemicals into less harmful substances. Read up on aquarium water quality and you'll find a much better explanation than I can give

[SpotsMama]

The beneficial bacteria break down the ammonia and the end product is nitrate. The algae and other living plants then consume the nitrate, which is fertilizer for the plants. The healthy plants oxygenate the water. Thus, the water stays very clean.

If there is too much nitrate, then algae will get out of hand and start growing in the water and turn it green. I think that's what happens in most of our tanks, as opposed to the museum tanks because the museum tanks are large relative to the size of the turtles. I have to do periodic partial water changes because the algae that grows in my tank isn't large enough to consume all the nitrate my messy turtle generates.