Habitat - Indoor

Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2016 9:33 pm **RES tank suddenly much dirtier, smellier?**

So Ive had my RES since she was about 1.5 inches long, and she's grown to about 6-7 inches. Throughout having her, she's always been a little dirty with her tank, but nothing like this. I bought a house and put her tank in our spare bedroom. I changed the filter packets (the filter is a fish one, terra whisper something?) and cleaned the whole filter, but her tank still smells like pure fecal waste. She's never had this much 'output', and Ive never had this much difficulty keeping the tank clean. Its smelling up the entire room. Is this natural for RES to just get.....dirtier as they get older? Is this something I should worry about? Any help is greatly appreciated!

You're looking at a hefty upgrade. Has her diet changed?

No, same diet as usual. I forgot to mention, the tank I have is 60 gal, the filter says it covers 70 gal.

The filter area still needs an upgrade. You're looking a canister type filter or the very least, a hang on style.

What brands do you recommend? My fiancé and I are planning on making her an outdoor pond, is there a filter that works for indoor and outdoor, so I can just move the filter once the pond is finished?

Can you throw in some more details... how much water is in there, do you have substrate, decorations, fish, etc ?

No fish, no substrate, tank is full to top with basking area built above with ramp. She always eats the plants and fish, so theres not much in there

Is she being fed more than usual? Does the filter have any carbon?

No, she eats the usual amount Ive been giving her, mainly pellets with additional greens (Ive looked on the care guide of this website, so I stick to the veggies that are ok for her). Im not sure about the carbon, Im pretty positive it does. It has 2 packs of filter carbon pack thingies and 2 flat tray things with bristles that catch larger debris

How long have the carbon packs been in there? They might need replacement; they tend to leach contaminants back into the water after a certain age.

Steve is correct, you need a serious upgrade. Those Tetra filters are fine for something like a musk turtle, but are underpowered (in my opinion) for larger turtles like RES. Additionally, don't purchase filters unless the tank rating is for a volume 2-3 times your turtle's water space (in your case, you should be looking for a filter rated for 120-180 gallons).

RES turtles get dirtier with age, because they consume (and therefore, "put out") more.

Habitat - Indoor :: RES tank suddenly much dirtier, smellier?

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