Habitat - Indoor :: Murky Water/Bottom Feeders

[Carpet]

Hey Turtle Talk,

I just recently came into possession of two red ear sliders. I've never owned an aquatic animal and i'm having some problems with my current Tank setup.

They're small turtles, about an inch and a half wide each, and I have them in a 20 gallon tank with about 4 gallons of water in it (I know that's not enough water, but I only have a rock for them to bask on so deeper water would remove their only land, but I'll get them a nice turtle dock soon so they can have more room to swim). I'm using a Tetra ReptoFilter on in the tank, which says it is suitable for a twenty gallon tank, so I thought it would be fine for now with the low amount of water I have in the tank. However, the water is getting murky pretty quickly, and there is residue collecting on the bottom.

Should I get an additional filter? Should I get an entirely different kind of filter?

Also, are there any bottom feeding fish or other type of aquatic creature I could put in the tank with them to help keep it clean?

Does anybody have any other tips?

[papoopeepoo]

Welcome to the site!

Check out the main site for tips on caring for your turtles. The information is very in depth, and covers the care of multiple turtles very well. I'm warning you right now, having two turtles is going to be the most stressful part of your experience.

Your tank right now is going to get small very quickly (under a month). You best money saving technique is to plan ahead. Get a filter that will handle a tank that's over 100Gallons (not 100GPH). Get the best filter you can afford, preferably an external canister filter (like a Fluval or Eheim).

Any living thing you put in your tank that the turtle may be able to eat, he will try to. So don't plan on that. The best cleaning strategy we have is a strong filter with a lot of mechanical and biological media.

[adam85491]

I had that filter...it's not very good. Since your tank is way too small and your filter is not that good, it isn't a surprise your water is murky.

Filters should be rated for 3x the size of the tank, but you should get the best you can afford.

[jozzep]

Reptofilter lol
I think everyone got one of those when they first got their turtles.
It's practically a toy.I think i still have mine laying in a stand somewhere.
Just like these other guys said, buy a real filter or just start looking for 75 gal set-ups with everything included on craigslist.

[untsmurf]

With so little water, there's not really anything you can do to keep it filtered. Turtles are incredibly messy animals, adding more water to the tank will dilute the mess so it stays cleaner longer. If you don't have the money for a basking dock right now, just get some bricks or something tall and sturdy to put in there. That will allow you to fill it up now.

Since you have two turtles, you're going to need much larger tanks much faster, so I recommend going straight to stock tanks (commonly used as troughs for large animals to drink out of) or a rubbermaid tub. That will be the cheapest way to get the size you'll need.

When you get your next filter, make sure and check that gph is at least 5x your tank size. Usually, that requires a filter that is rated for twice the size of your tank. So you would need a 40 gallon filter for your 20 gallon tank. But I would recommend upgrading your tank and filter together.