Habitat - Indoor :: Please Help with Turtle Water!

[Kyleeharrell]

Hello,
thank you for viewing my post. I just received a 3 + year old red-eared slider turtle as an early Christmas present. Someone my friend knew she was getting rid of it and I had wanted one since I was a child.
She gave me the 10 gallon tank and the Tetra 10 gallon filter. For some reason, I cannot figure out a way to keep the water clear for more than a few days.
I take the turtle out, clean and scrub his tank thoroughly. I changed the filter, and I even bought a 20-gallon filter just to see if it helped. I used gallon jugs of water instead of trying to use my home water and add conditioner. But after cleaning the tank 5 times, it was getting to be expensive. So I bought Turtle Water Conditioner, and I also purchased a turtle dissolving thing that is supposed to help keep the water clean for the turtle also. But once again, Less Than 3 days after cleaning it, the water is once again murky and my turtle is hardly visible through it. I don't know what to do and I can't find anything online to help me with it. Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated what are conditioner

[PokePony]

10 gallons is just not enough water and space for an adult turtle. Keeping a 3+ yo RES in that is... pretty terrible. :s
How big is your turtle ? Is it a male or a female ?

You should have 10 gallons of water per inch of shell
OR
Your water space should be:
L: five times the length of its shell
W: three times the length of its shell
H: two times the length of its shell (this is very important in case your turtle falls on its back, it should be able to flip itself easily and not get stuck)

I personally follow the second rule of thumb and I've never had a problem. The more water you have for your turtle, the easier it will be to maintain a clean water. You should use conditioner if your tap water has a lot of chlorine in it.

Do you have the rest of the supplies ? (Basking area, lights, heater)

[Kyleeharrell]

Yes, I do have the basking area, lights and heater. He is about, 4 inches in diameter, and is a male. So I need to start looking for a 40 gallon tank then? I do use the conditioner for the water, even though we have a well with very little chlorine in it. Thank you for your help

[litefoot]

Hello and welcome

I agree with PokePony. The 10 gallons of water for every inch of shell is not just for more swimming room But for you to be able to control the waters parameters for a cycled tank which will help you keep it clean so your filter can do it's job. Filters are sold as fish gallons and turtles are messy so need 2-5x's the flow of fish so : a baby needs 2x's flow of fish , juveniles need 3-4x's flow and adults 4-5x's flow with the needed amount of water to maintain a cycle. Much info out there on cycling here's just one : https://aquariuminfo.org/cycling.html Media that comes with filters are mostly for fish adjust for a turtle read here : viewtopic.php?f=9&t=30145
Turtle's get big and live a long time , the initial startup cost can cost a lot. Males can get 9" depending on it's DNA needing 90 gallons water alone. Female's 12" needing a larger setup. A glass tank for an adult alone can run several hundred dollars , myself on a retied man's budget so I use stock tanks 1/4th the cost and last forever. I use the saved money for a good filter.
Your turtle is not a baby anymore and creating lots of waste needing a larger water volume and a filter that can handle the waste. Even if you fill the new 20 gallon full of water and make an "ATBA" you will still be cleaning it every 3-5 days ! Today a 4" turtle would need 40 gallon full of water with an "ATBA" but even that has no room to grow. If you can't build a "ATBA" you could get a 90 gallon tank fill half way and place basking area in tank so it can't escape. Then as it grows fill all the way with an "ATBA" . That will buy you some time until an other upgrade is needed ! Or if you can swing just setup an adult size tank and save on all those upgrades.
Small water volumes are almost impossible for some to achieve a cycled tank , the large water volume's can hold a cycle easier which is you best friend on a cleaner tank so a proper sized filter can do it's job. This will make maintenance much easier ! See some of my videos on my water , I believe my setup has clean / healthy water and is matched for it's size . This is achieved with weekly water changes ( no way out of water changes) and with my setup I only have to clean filter once a month.
Most think changing larger water volumes will clear up a tank but that Kills all your good bacteria needed for a cycle. Never do 50% or larger water changes unless a health problem. One must find correct % for there tank being all setups are just a little different. 10-20% changes are much better not killing off you good bacteria alone with proper water volume and filter.
Being an old timer I do not use "any" chemicals for my water but I use carbon to remove any toxins. Most long time turtle keepers try to keep chemicals out our tanks so we have control ! Well water is good but watch out for high mineral's in the water depending on what part of the world you live in.

[PokePony]

I would go for minimum 60 gallon so you don't have to change your tank as soon, because chances are your turtle will keep growing. It's a male so he can either stay around 5" or grow to 7"-8", and a 60 gal with a good filter would be fine. Usually people buy the largest tank they can afford to save up on money (big tank soon = less tank to buy in the long run). As long as you make sure your turtle has enough swimming space. You can check the Photo Gallery to get an idea

Right now I have two 4" turtles in a 45 gallon (not completely filled tho) and they are doing great, water is clear, I change 1/3 of the water either every week. It really depends on how much you know about tanks, the set up, and your water quality, but since you are new to this turtle thing I would suggest a bigger tank than mine so it's easier for you.