Habitat - Indoor :: water question

[Jess+skittles]

remember i told u guys about skittles tank water before i moved her to the new set up? well i left some of the water in there with the filter going and its like its still cloudy when i look from the side or as u would say "in to the distance" but from the bird's eye view its clear?? is that normal or is it something else? when i had skittles in my apt, i had the water clear for a good month or 2 before i brought her back and last time i went to check it it is still clear sans skittles. right now the water seems to be clear but from the side i cant really tell cuz its not a exactly completely clear plastic bin. i have a 40 running in 9 gallons of water right now (some is from the tank and very little is from tap-city water cuz the water level dipped after i took the gravel out)

my bf actually has 4 turtles in one set up (including the full grown res and another in a 20 gal as we speak- water is terrible but fixing that tomorrow when they get a chance aka when my bf gets the chance after he gets home from school) they also have a baby res which is like 1/2 of skittle's size in a 5 gallon and its water is still clear besides the alge on the big rocks and only 3 inches of water. they have that green turtles filter with that lid on it. they also have another turtle in like a 1/2 gal.. its not a res cuz its tail is really long and its still really tiny. any ideas?

ps i did tell him about/showed him skittles new set up.. he said i never thought of that so i guess he will look in it. i feel bad for the big one

[SpotsMama]

Let me be sure I understand your question. Are you saying the water looks clear when you look down into it from above, but it looks cloudy when you look through the side? But you're not sure if it's cloudy because the bin isn't clear? And you are wondering if the water shouldn't be clearer?

How large is the tank/bin? What kind of filter are you using? How long has it been since you last changed the water and cleaned the filter?

EDIT: I revisited your photo in the photo gallery. I guess that answers the questions about the size of the bin and the filter. How about the water change - how long has it been?

[Jess+skittles]

so far in the old tank its still cloudy from the side and i even wiped down the tank with some safe cleaner and rinsed it out. i just put in the water when i did her set up thursday night. i also had to use some of the tank water since i didnt have enough gallons to cover the end part of the filter tube. i added more from the tap on friday after removing the gravel just enough for the filter (again) i'm planning on doing some more water soon.

im just asking if its normal the way i described the tank water. hope that helps. (i did mention the filter size just in case u missed it) but i did and still do have a 10 gal one in the old 10 gal tank with 2 inches of water still in it.

[steve]

I'm not sure I'm not on the same page, but are you saying that the view from the plastic container is not as clear as it was before, but it looks clear when you look down on it?

[Jess+skittles]

haha hope this helps

tank water: the tank is clean with a few water spots from splashing. from the side of the tank the water looks foggy but from the top view its clear. someone mentioned before it could be a bacteria bloom but from the top it does not look foggy. but i did let the filter run after i set up skittles in his new home. 10 gal filter running in 2 inches of water

set up: the water still looks clear from what i can tell thats going into the filter but i cannot tell if its getting cloudy again like my tank from the side because the container is not 100% clear like glass or acrylic. i am using a 40 power filter in 9 maybe 10 gallons of water.

im just asking if the tank water is normal. i did add some of the tank water to the set up just enough so that it covers all the holes in the filter tube and to keep it from sputtering. after i took the gravel out of the set up i added some tap... so far it looks clear but i just dont want the same kind of prob like i do with the old tank.

how do u clean the bottom from waste without having to remove all the water?/ i dont think i can use my dad's wet dry shop vac lol and i do not have those fancy tank cleaners

[steve]

It could be hardwater stains or some other stain. A stronger filter will go a long way for you and keep a few fish nets with you, they are very inexpensive.

[DavidY]

The reason why the water looks cloudy when you look through the long side of the tank glass is because you are looking through more water volume. The bacteria (or whatever is causing the cloudiness) appears denser from that view point. When you look straight down over the tank, it looks clearer because you are not looking through as much water volume, you are seeing less bacteria per square inch than you would looking from the side.

It's kind of like looking at a car on a foggy day. If it's only 20 feet away it looks pretty clear, but if it's 200 feet away it will look very fuzzy 'cause of all the fog. If you have a decent filter it should clear itself up within 2 weeks.

[Jess+skittles]

ok... i have a 40 in the set up right now in 8-9 gallons of water so im just waiting.. how do u clean the waste without having to dump it all out?

[DavidY]

You can vacuum the waste off the bottom of a tank using a piece of clear flexible hose that you can buy at any hardware store. Get it long enough that you can easily reach the bottom of the tank, over the side and into a bucket on the floor (or out a nearby window or down a drain if you have one nearby). Pet stores also sell a special product called a Python that is great for vacuuming and refilling your tank from a nearby sink without having to lug a bucket around.

To start the hose siphoning, place the whole thing in the tank water so that it fills up completely with water. Then place your thumb over one end of the hose and pull it out of the water and into the drain/bucket below the water line. Make sure to keep the other end of the hose that's in the tank under water. You don't want to get air into the hose or it will break the siphon. Now release your thumb from the drain/bucket end of the hose and move the other end in the tank over the waste buildup on the tank floor. The siphoning action will drain the waste along with the dirty water into the bucket. You should only need to siphon out about 3 to 5 gallons of water to clean a dirty tank. But it's good to do a partial water change once or twice a month anyway.

[kmichael55]

Wow that's a good idea David, I have one of those cheap aquarium vacuums, which is basically just a long tube with a larger tube attached...I've always just submerged the large tube and had to pump it underwater about 47 times to get the siphon started.... apparently it's really funny to watch...but I'll have to try your method.

[DavidY]

Yea I have one of those too. You can get it to siphon faster if you squeeze the pump and before you release it put your finger over the end that is outside of the tank and over the bucket. Then when you release the pump it will only suck in the water from the tank. Then just as you are about to squeeze the pump again, remove your finger so it pushes the air and water out the drain side. Put your finger of the drain end of the tube again and release the pump. Keep doing this until the water starts to flow on its own. It should only take 4 or 5 pumps at the most (instead of 47 ).

[kmichael55]

oh ok, thanks... any tips to make sure the clamp lamp doesn't slide out of the bracket that holds it.... I just had a horrible disaster, good thing I was messing with the lights earlier so the bulb wasn't hot yet and my turtles weren't underneath it when it fell. I was thinking maybe wrapping it in electrical tape but could that get too hot???