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I'm new to turtle world and trying to provide optimum care for my turtles. Steve previously told me that a partial water change should be done once per month minimum. The vet yesterday told me to drain the tank completely every week and scrub everything with bleach and rinse until it doesn't smell like bleach anymore.

She was the first source I've come across with that advice. I just wanted to get feedback from all of you. I've read that compete water changes aren't good because it takes the good bacteria out of the aquarium.

The reason for vet visit was YBS was acting sluggish but has perked up a little. Vet said that since she perked up by herself, she may have had a viral infection that was clearing up. She said her eyes/nose/shell looked perfectly healthy. She's very skinny though...so maybe she just needs to fatten up a bit to act like a normal turtle. I'm feeding her up to 3 times per day or whenever she seems receptive to eating. I took the RES with me. RES looks great, perfect weight but the vet said he has redness on his belly but it's not an open sore. She said that it's nothing I have done, that it occurred from his previous environment. Maybe the 100% water change is because of his redness?

I must also note that her office fish aquarium was dark and murky with a visibly moldy filter. Her fish had gravel and nothing else...looked rather depressing and strange in a vet's office.

TIA for any input.

The frequency and amount of the water change depends on what's in the tank, what filter (and media) you have and how much water is in the tank. I've never used bleach in the tank. I think you risk over feeding her... if she's missed a few feedings, do not over feed to make up for it. Start right and go from there.

As a possible one time reaction to an infection, maybe. But weekly scrub downs with bleach seems a bad idea. You're unlikely to clear all the chlorine from the bleach out, and Loy's of your good bacteria is growing on every surface. Combine wiping out all the bacterial colony except the filter with the chlorine, and you won't have a bacterial colony.

Of course, if you're doing 100% water changes weekly, you also won't have much time for ammonia to build up.

Sounds like a ton of work and something no other turtle keeper is doing.

Personally, I'd ignore this advice.