Is it really clean?

mumof2

Hi just need an opinion or two please.

Fred and Barney our two musk turtles are with us now since 21st Dec. In that time I have cleaned out their tank twice using the siphoning method.

The first time I didn't get the hang of it until almost all the water was gone, but had to leave enough in with the "good" stuff for the turtles.

The second time today, did a better job, really saw the dirty water coming out, but find there is still alot of dirt left in the gravel which you can still see when you upset the gravel any bit.

I intend to clean the filter unit sponges etc this wknd - should be done monthly according to the enclosed instructions that came with it.

Should I be doing something else? Would it really be all that bad if I changed the water once a month completely and put in fresh again with the products to remove chlorine and the cycle additive?

thanks for reading.

mcdoogle

Not sure bout turtles but for fish I give the gravel a good mix up to get any dirt in amongst it. I imagine its the same for turtles. The aim of the game is to remove the dirt. Then again as turtles don't breath the water in I don't see why you couldn't change all of the water in the tank every now and then but am open to correction.

Senor Willy

Are you using a Gravel Vac. These are great for cleaning the stones.

mumof2

Senor Willy wrote: »

Are you using a Gravel Vac. These are great for cleaning the stones.

Yes I am, using the vac, but find it still leaves a lot of dirt behind, but think I will do it once a week now instead to be sure. Need to get the hang of the vac too! the first time the water was nearly gone out of the tank before I got the hang of it, and the tank is large, so im not getting to all the gravel on time before all the water is gone!

Just got to practice I suppose, and for safety sake Ive taken plants and turtles out but not sure what would stress the turtles out more, putting them into a strange place for a half hour or having this vac disrupting their peaceful environment

Senor Willy

The knack is to suck the stones half way up the tube and then let lift the
it off the bottom so the stones fall back out and the dirt gets sucked away.
Practice makes perfect.

mumof2

Senor Willy wrote: »

The knack is to suck the stones half way up the tube and then let lift the
it off the bottom so the stones fall back out and the dirt gets sucked away.
Practice makes perfect.

Yep am doing that, but wil need to get quicker at it, and as you say, practice makes perfect!! Hope the turtles agree:D

Karma25

mumof2 wrote: »

Hi just need an opinion or two please.

Fred and Barney our two musk turtles are with us now since 21st Dec. In that time I have cleaned out their tank twice using the siphoning method.

The first time I didn't get the hang of it until almost all the water was gone, but had to leave enough in with the "good" stuff for the turtles.

The second time today, did a better job, really saw the dirty water coming out, but find there is still alot of dirt left in the gravel which you can still see when you upset the gravel any bit.

I intend to clean the filter unit sponges etc this wknd - should be done monthly according to the enclosed instructions that came with it.

Should I be doing something else? Would it really be all that bad if I changed the water once a month completely and put in fresh again with the products to remove chlorine and the cycle additive?

thanks for reading.

White sponges in the filter? Don't clean them at all wait till they practically falling apart. They hold the good bacteria needed for your tank and to remove the ammonia in the water. The only filter media you need to clean is the carbon filter pad which is black and not all people use carbon. The carbon filter pad needs to be changed every two months as whatever water toxins it soaked up can be leaked back in.

In relation to changing all the water, that is no problem but keep a small bucket with the dirty water and leave the filter in it. You don't want to clean everything at once. As long as you do the above, your water chemistry should be fine. The good bacteria is in the filter, gravel, water and ornaments. If you clean all that in one sitting, you risk the tank going into a mini cycle again.

mumof2

thanks for your helpful advice. the carbon is a sachet of loose carbon, not a pad but on similar advice from another pet shop, I havn't changed anything yet. have just done the siphoning weekly, down to about an inch or 2 of water left, clean the plants and dock and thats it.

I know if I change filter media, not to do it the same time as water change because of the "good" stuff it contains.

How often should one clean the tank completely ie inside and out and take out gravel etc?

I noticed an odour coming from the tank or water today when I changed it as I missed the last change due to being away, (it was 10 days since last change), was this related? Im also trying to get out any leftover pieces of food before they sink to the bottom - my young fellow thinks if he puts in extra for one he can feed the other in peace:rolleyes:

Senor Willy

If the white sponges are actually filter wool they should be binned or washed
when they get dirty. They will slow down the flow of water from your filter
if they get too dirty.
They are for mechanical filtration and remove solid waste and polish the water.

There should be course sponges in the filter and if so these are for biological
filtration. This is where the Nitrogen cycle takes place.
Never wash these pads in tap water. Always use tank water.

You don`t need a carbon filter pad. These should only be used after a course
of medication or if you have trouble with toxins in your water.
Contrary to popular belief they do not release toxins back into the water once
they become exhausted. They only thing they can add to the water is
Phosphate. Each carbon is different though. Rowa carbon has a very low POI.

POI = Phosphate Omitting Index.