Habitat - Indoor :: Water quality

[VeipaCray]

It just needs a brief rinse if it's covered in gunk. The idea is to keep the porous material from getting clogged up. If you rinse it too much you can actually disturb the bacteria that grows on the media causing your tank to re-cycle. The media will last indefinitely...no need to replace it.

[Flipps]

Hello ! ok I know I have asked before somewhere on this forum about the "tank cycling" thing and I am so sorry but I just don't get it. I just want to know how to handle it. Ok, i got that the cloudy process is a good thing because its the "bacterial bloom". I just got flips a new tank so I could basically say the tank cycling is about to start. We are currently experiencing the cloudy process and I just want to make sure this is not going to hurt her. Last week it was cloudy I cleaned it and then I realized (after reading and reading) and all I was doing is restarting the cycle , (not what i want because I want crystal clear water >.<) so last week exactly i cleaned her filter 100% and only changed 30% of the water (i know this was not right, but I am just learning now that I have a bigger tank and filter - 50 gal and rena xp3) so ok now she's in super cloudy water and I am suppose to just leave that? if I look through the side i can't see through and if she hides i can't see her! (pretty cloudy) so i just want to make sure this is normal. now while the tank is cycling am i suppose to be cleaning the filter? if so every what? should i be doing water changes? but not clean the filter? if so every what? do i just leave it for another week and not change anything? I am so confused, so sorry but i hope anyone could help me because my goal is crystal clear water.

front:



side view:



of course she had to be in the picture ... haha

thank you so much ! again sorry :/

[VeipaCray]

This is a good thread on tank cycling. viewtopic.php?f=9&t=33031
Dumbork did a great job of measuring water parameters, documenting them for all to see and publishing a timeline of how long it took.

Basically what happens is this..
Your turtle produces waste (ammonia). One type of bacteria consumes ammonia and will keep reproducing at a rate to keep up with it ammonia food source. This first bacteria produces Nitrite as it's waste product. Nitrite is still toxic but not as toxic as ammonia. Luckily a second type of nitrifying bacteria will bloom and consume the Nitrite. The waste product of the second bacteria is Nitrate. Nitrate is much less toxic than the other two but it's a food source for algae. We do water changes to keep the nitrate levels at a normal level.

You don't want to clean your filter or change water until your tank is fully cycled (ammonia and nitrites measuring at 0 and staying at 0). If you don't already have one, you'll need a drop based test kit like the one from API to measure.

[turtlesrmom]

It just needs a brief rinse if it's covered in gunk. The idea is to keep the porous material from getting clogged up. If you rinse it too much you can actually disturb the bacteria that grows on the media causing your tank to re-cycle. The media will last indefinitely...no need to replace it.

Thank you for that info. Still experiencing the cloudy water though. No change at all

[VeipaCray]

Are you using cold water when you change or top off your tank? Using warm or hot water will be very cloudy as it has much lime / rust / calcium and other gunk from your hot water heater. Might not the be the issue, just a thought that popped into my head.

[Flipps]

Thank you guys for all the replies! After the replies, I actually thought let me start from the beginning so I did, I made sure to use COLD water (I think I normally use cool water, but not cold) and it took a while to heat up, but when it did I placed her in her tank. It was not super clear at first, but after the 2nd day the water was CRYSTAL clear !! I was so happy . Now , the water was super clear for about 3-4 days, now it is cloudy (So i am guessing this is the cycling in process). I plan to change a bit (25%-30%) of the water tomorrow (thats a week from when I cleaned her completely) and if I am right I am suppose to just wait until it is super clear again.

I would really appreciate it if someone would please let me know if I am taking the correct steps (changing a bit of water a week after and then simply waiting). I dont want to keep changing the water and stressing her out, even though she never looks stressed out ahaha. Also, is there anything else I should be doing or paying attention to? If I am correct, this cloudiness could take about a month to go away, right?

Lastly, I have an API test water kit (tests pH, pH high range, Ammonia, Nitrate, an Nitrite), when do you guys think would be appropriate to test the water?


Thanks again, you guys are great help!

[devilduck]

Stop changing the water. Don't worry about the cloudiness for now.

Leave it and do the ammonia test every week until it reads 0ppm. This means the first part of the cycle is complete.

Next test for nitrites every week until it also hit 0ppm. This takes a while maybe 3 weeks.

So now if you do a test your should always get 0ppm ammonia and 0ppm nitrites, your nitrate levels will be high.

Start doing your 20-30% weekly water changes. I get lazy and do mine every 2 weeks.

The whole process may take 1.5 to 2 months to complete, have patience.

From now on, when you wash your filter material do it in a bucket full of tankwater to preserve the bacteria.
With my Rena XP3 I clean the filter every 3 months or so.

You can speed the whole process along if you know someone with a freshwater aquarium and a fully cycled filter. Borrow a dirty sponge from them and squeeze the gunk into the water and let your filter suck it up.

[Flipps]

This is very helpful ! Thank you (I am going to print out your response !)

Now, I hope this is the last question (which I have asked before, but I think I am not wording it clearly enough):

- When you say WASH YOUR FILTER and STOP CHANGING THE WATER ------> you mean I should ONLY be doing a 20%-30% water change weekly (starting tomorrow) and at the same time I should be washing like the sponges (filter pads) in the filter (I also have a RENA XP3 and a 50 gal tank), but the water in the tank stays there , just clean the filter parts right? and what do you mean tank water? because the only tank water I have is the one in her tank ... In my filter , aside from the filter pads, I also have a carbon pouch and ceramic rings, do these get rinsed also ? I don't know how else to explain this, but this is what I have been trying to figure out for like month now.

I don't know if this helps, but just to mention I don't feed Flipps in her tank. She eats in a separate tub watching TV with me haha.

Unfortunately, I don't have anyone that has a freshwater aquarium, which would be a great help as well, so I guess I jus have to be patient. I just want to know how the maintanence of the water in the tank and of the filter should be during this cycle.

Thank you once again and I will be doing my testing starting tomorrow as well as my weekly (20%-30%) water changes. Oh, and do I clean the filter media weekly also (in tank water ---> please explain)?

[devilduck]

No don't change the water or wash the filter at all until your cycle completes!

Don't start weekly water changes for at least a month or until your water tests ammonia reads zero and nitrites reads zero

Just leave it alone, you can fish out the larger pieces of poop that the filter doesn't pick up.

Since you don't feed in tank you can probably get more than 3 months between needing to do any filter maintenance on the XP3.

When I say wash your filter sponges and biomedia in tank water:
1. fill 1/2-3/4 of a bucket with water from the turtle tank
2. toss your filter sponge in that water and squeeze out the gunk
3. take your biomedia still in the basket and swish it around to remove the gunk
4. toss out the dirty nasty water, or even better, water your house plants/lawn/garden with it. Plants love it.

[VeipaCray]

...Since you don't feed in tank you can probably get more than 3 months between needing to do any filter maintenance on the XP3.

The carbon will still need to be replaced monthly. It only lasts a few weeks to a month at best.

[MEandYouPhoto]

The carbon will still need to be replaced monthly. It only lasts a few weeks to a month at best.

When working on cycling your tank do you still change the carbon if the filter hasn't cycled within that month?

[VeipaCray]

No. Your tank should cycle within a month or be very close to finishing. It's best to just leave things alone for the duration of the cycle. Only if there's a physical problem (filter clogged) or something should you need to intervene.

[Flipps]

Thank you !!

Ok so I will NOT touch anything and I will just wait about a month.

I do however need to be adding little bits of water weekly, because about an inch of the water evaporates ... (is that ok?)

She is currently in cloudy water and I hope that soon it will just go away because I can not stand seeing her in dirty water ...

What if in about a month nothing has happened? She is also use to me changing the water frequently, so this will definitely be a change for her. Will this affect her (not being used to being in the same water for so long)?

Thanks again !!

[VeipaCray]

Adding top off water is quite normal. your turtle will be fine. Remember they can climb out of the water and breathe air.