Yellow Belly Slider Question

parris08

Hi all,

I'm looking for some help. I bought two yellow belly sliders about 4 months ago.

Over the past week their water has gotten really cloudy twice, both these occasions were only one day after me cleaning the tank.

I have bought a new filter as the old one wasn't good enough and I thought this may have been contributing to the problem. But the water is still getting very cloudy and smelling quite bad within one day of cleaning the tank.

Does anyone have any idea why? Could there be a problem with the turtles themselves?

I'm a tad worried now.

Thanks,

Fionna

flynnc

can ask what size tank and what size filter ,do you use a water conditioner
and what way do you feed them and do you have a hotspot for them to bask under and a uv light and water heater

parris08

Hiya,


It's a 54ltr tank and have just bought a new bigger filter which I was advised is the right size for the tank.


No I didn't put any water conditioner in, will this help? I put calcium tablets in.


What do you mean, what way do I feed them? I'm feeding the Nutrafin Max Turtle Gammarus Pellets.


Yes I have a dock for them to bask, also yes I have a uv light and a water heater.


Any advice would be great


Thanks,


Fionna

2qk4u

I find that if you over feed or dont feed them incorrectly this happens.Do you feed them live fish ? Are they in the same tank ? do they fight ?

parris08

Hiya,

I'm feeding the Nutrafin Max Turtle Gammarus Pellets at the mo.

They're in the same tank, nope they don't fight really.

It's strange as it's only started happening over the past week or so.

Fionna

Rancid

parris08 wrote: »

Over the past week their water has gotten really cloudy twice, both these occasions were only one day after me cleaning the tank.

Ok, maybe this is related to the filter. If your filter has those spongy parts inside, it's recommended that you wash them in old tank water, never in tap water so that you maintain the good bacteria build-up in them. And from scratch, it can take a few weeks for these good bacteria to build up.
The same will probably apply to the new filter you got, too.

The water conditioner is recommended unless you can let the water stand overnight before refilling your tank. Something like Supa Tonic Salts will do the job nicely for you.

Have a look at www.tortoisetrust.org
There's a lot of info specific to sliders in both the care sheets and the articles sections.

2qk4u

I think its to do with feeding(I had the same problem),after you clean out the tank and refill it,put in some water condidioners in.What you need to do now is cut back on the food.Dont feed them as much or as often.They will be ok going hungry for a while.
If the problem goes away its a good idea to vary their diet.If they are still small get some small live fish,about 4 of them and put them in the water.They serve as excersise as the sliders will chase them around the tank,it helps stimulate them.they will catch them and eat them.If they are a bit bigger use small goldfish. They will eat some greens too,watercress and dandelion leaves ect..I give mine crickets and worms too,small bits of cooked chicken,ham ect...
In the summer let them out in the garden,they need direct sunlight.Make sure to cover them with some type of cage so birds dont attack them.
Hope this helps.

Shelli

As regards feeding, when you put in the pellets, give them about 10 mins to eat their fill or if they seem to lose interest in them before that, scoop out the left over pellets, this will help keep water fresh and clean.

Goldfish are never recomended for turtles, they are much too fatty. Guppies are a good source of nutrients for sliders.

Its definitely the food. I fed my guys the food in another bowl. Had no problems after that .

parris08

Thanks so much for all the advice, I really appreciate :-) I was worried they may have been ill!

Is it safe to let them out in the garden?

And Shelli, how many guppies would you put in the tank? And how often would you need to give them these?

Thanks again!

2qk4u

Dont put too many in coz they will just eat them all at once if they can catch them.
Yes they are safe in the garden,either cover them with a cage or stay with them.

parris08

How often would you put fish into the tank would you say?

Shelli

I out about 10 in mine every second week or so, I have 3 YBS biggest is about 6 inches. Depends on how many and what size your turtles are. 2-3 tiny fish per turtle if they are very small. I found neons to be good for baby turtles, they are tasty little treats, not fattening and good for excercise, cheap enough too. You can go for slightly bigger fish like guppies as your turts grow.

In the summer I used to spend many a relaxing afternoon out beside a cheap blow up paddling pool letting the little guys catch some rays, I had a cheap netting thing to put over it if I had something to do, the kind used to cover stawberry beds and the like.

Jimkel

Forgive me for being rude but you really should of researched all of this before considering purchasing a turtle:

When you clean the tank you remove all the bacteria responsible for breaking down the Turtle waste this is causing the ammonia spike/bacterial bloom the next day after cleaning the tank and this is could be why you are having cloudy water. Read up about the Nitrogen cycle on Wikipedia and you will understand the process of how a biological filter really works and not how most people think it works. The most common cause of cloudy water is cheap food and overfeeding.

The physical act of an internal power filter removing waste particles in the sponge is only the tip of the Iceberg, Its the Ammonia converting bacteria and Nitrite converting bacteria you need to work on cultivating if you want clean water. Remember Chlorine in tap water is a disinfectant that kills this benificial bacteria so a water change is a step backward.

You must use Dechlorinator like Turtle water conditioner or Reptile water conditioner, and you must only do partial water changes, (Around 20% at a time), and never wash your sponge under the tap, wash it in water from the tank that has been previously dechlorinated.

I have 4 large (15 ") Turtles in a 30 gallon tank and always have clean clear and healthy water, I do a partial water change about once a month, although in the initial stages of cycling a tank (Look up cycling an aquarium) more fequent water changes are required. In my opinion zoo med's "reptisafe" water conditioner is the best product out there for turtles.

I hope your including a Calcium supplementaion program in the turtles diet so they don't end up with metabolic bone disease and I hope your aware of how large these will grow, I myself am upgrading to an indoor pond this year to accomodate my turtles, Which I have ordered from a company in Germany. Feeding guppies is high protein so dont over do it, In fact it's cruel and unecessary, Crickets make an excellent, cheaper option. King British mixed food with calcium supplementation, Veg and Crickets is a healthy diet. remember they are Omnivores and require veg aswell, Spinach, courgette, Kale, Chickery, Rocket, Dadylion greens, Collard greens are all great for them. Avoid Cabbage, fruit, lettuce, peas, corn, carrots etc

They are safe in the backgarden only in the summer on a warm day and only under supervision. Make sure they don't dry out and have access to a swimming area (Dechlorinated water).

parris08

I had researched and visited two vets and asked the pet shop where I purchased them advise also before I bought the turtles. When this problem arised, I firstly called the pet shop and they told me they didn't know why that would happen.

Hence my post here. Thank you for posting your information.

Jimkel

parris08 wrote: »

I had researched and visited two vets and asked the pet shop where I purchased them advise also before I bought the turtles. When this problem arised, I firstly called the pet shop and they told me they didn't know why that would happen.

Hence my post here. Thank you for posting your information.

You researched aquatic turtles and didnt learn anything about the Nitrogen cycle the single most important aspect of keeping aquatic animals? Two vets and a pet shop didn't tell you this? Im not getting at ya, quite the opposite I'm trying to help. It's not your fault that the pet shop did't tell you this, or that 2 vets didn't tell you either. The fact is that most vets Don't deal with aquatics or reptiles ver often and have little or no knowledge of the improtant factors. In my opinion pet shops shouldnt stock turtles at all as There is a far greater ratio of dieng/dead, unwanted, rehomed, sold, neglected or abandoned turtles to well kept turtles in Ireland.