Top 14 How To Clear Cloudy Water In Turtle Tank The 67 Detailed Answer

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If your turtle tank gets cloudy, adding a water conditioner is one of the best things you can do to get your tank balanced. You buy very cheap water conditioners here. These are tablets that dissolve in your tank and remove chlorine, so if you use tap water, these are a must. Some of them also remove ammonia.

Cloudy aquarium! What to do? How did it happen? Tune in and see!! Pt 1

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how to clear cloudy water in turtle tank

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how to clear cloudy water in turtle tank

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Summary of article content: Articles about How To Fix Cloudy Turtle Tank Water | ReptileKnowHow Removing the physical waste will decrease the cloudiness of the water and increase clarity! A water change will remove the chemical components ( … …
Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for How To Fix Cloudy Turtle Tank Water | ReptileKnowHow Removing the physical waste will decrease the cloudiness of the water and increase clarity! A water change will remove the chemical components ( … The water in a turtle’s tank may become cloudy for a variety of reasons. We will discuss the potential causes of a cloudy tank, how to fix cloudiness,
Table of Contents:

What Causes A Cloudy Turtle Tank

How To Fix Cloudy Water In Your Turtle Tank

How To Prevent Cloudy Water In The Future

Aqueon Siphon Vacuum Gravel Cleaner

Why Do Turtle’s Need Clean Tank Water

How Often Should I Clean My Turtle’s Tank

FAQs

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How To Fix Cloudy Turtle Tank Water | ReptileKnowHow

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Table of Contents:

The Truths Behind Cloudy Turtle Tank Water

Top 4 Mistakes That Cause Cloudy Turtle Tank Water

What’s The Best Water Parameter For Turtles

5 Ways To Treat Cloudy Turtle Tank Water

Conclusion On Cloudy Turtle Tank Water

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What causes cloudy turtle tank water

How to prevent cloudy turtle tank water in the future

Wrapping Up

Cloudy turtle tank water (How to fix in 3 easy ways) - Ground Feeders — Cloudy turtle tank water (How to fix in 3 easy ways) – Ground Feeders

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What causes cloudy turtle tank water

How to prevent cloudy turtle tank water in the future

Wrapping Up

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Table of Contents:

What Causes Cloudy Tank Water In A New Aquarium

How Long Does Cloudy Water Last In A New Aquarium

How To Deal With NTS

Ways To Prevent Cloudy Aquarium Water

Summary

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Why is My Turtle Tank Cloudy?

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You have a new filter in a tank with fresh-water and before you know it, the water is already dirty! This is the reason your turtle tank gets cloudy.

Why Is My Turtle Tank Water Cloudy?

Here’s the short answer:

Your turtle tank is cloudy because the water chemistry is unbalanced. This is usually caused by an excess of bacteria in the water.

And here’s the good news:

Unless you have done something wrong, your cloudy water will fix itself.

Now, this will take a little bit of explaining, so you might want to get cozy for the next few minutes because, in order to really understand why this happens, a few things need to be laid out.

When your turtle tank gets cloudy, it means that your water is unbalanced, however, depending on the circumstances, this could be due to different things.

In this article, I’ll spell out the 2 most probable scenarios:

When your new water is cloudy.

If the water isn’t new but becomes cloudy over time.

If you turtle tank has a bad odor, you should check out my article on Why Does My Turtle Tank Stink?

Best Products for a Cloudy Turtle Tank

Can a Cloudy Turtle Tank Cause Respiratory Infection?

Unfortunately, a cloudy tank that has dangerous bacteria can cause a respiratory infection, as you can see in the video below:

However, you should know that it is very common for new tanks to have cloudy water initially.

How Long Does Cloudy Water Last In A New Aquarium?

If you recently changed out your water, or you’ve just got a new tank and it shortly thereafter becomes cloudy, the reason is something called “New Tank Syndrome” or “NTS”.

Regardless of whether you put tap water or distilled or purified water into your tank, that water isn’t coming from an environment full of fish, crayfish and other creatures and plants. You aren’t drinking water straight from a pond or lake. It’s bacteria-free.

Turtles, however, are incredibly messy creatures. This means that they poo. A lot. And make a mess of everything everywhere they go.

Everything begins with the turtle starting to produce waste in the tank’s clean water. This turtle poo will be consumed by beneficial bacteria that cultures and forms inside of your filter.

Like I noted above, however, turtles produce a lot of waste, and in the initial days and weeks, there just aren’t enough beneficial bacteria that have been built up in your filter to rapidly and properly consume all the turtle waste being produced. Your turtle’s waste simply exceeds the growth of the bacteria.

Ammonia and nitrite levels then start to build-up, and voila, you’ve got yourself a very cloudy tank.

So, what is the fix?

The best thing to do is to fix a cloudy turtle tank is to simply wait until the water can properly cycle.

This is going to take some time, however. It will generally take a few days up until a few weeks, depending on how much water you have, the size and power of your filter and other things.

However, if you’ve got everything working right, it will clear up as soon as the bacteria growth reaches a point where it can easily consume all the waste your turtle produces.

You should also know that sometimes having live plants in your turtle tank will make it more cloudy. If you suspect your live plants are causing the problem, you should consider getting fake plants. My favorite plastic turtle plants can be bought from Petco for under $6. You can click the photo below for more details.

How Long Does New Tank Syndrome Last?

By using purified water or any water that isn’t treated with chlorine, such as tap water. Chlorine is wonderful at destroying bacteria. That’s why it is used in swimming pools and put into our water treatment systems. It is terrible for turtles (and especially fish) as it wipes out all bacteria, both beneficial and harmful. If you do use tap water, it will probably take a bit longer to cycle. Aerate your water. A low oxygen level is one of the things that will inhibit the growth of good bacteria in your tank, especially as ammonia and nitrite levels build up. By aerating your water, you can help speed up this process. An easy way to aerate your water is by getting an air pump. You can find some for under $10 here. Properly clean your filter. Make sure you follow the directions to a T when cleaning your filter. By cleaning your filter under a running faucet you are most likely destroying all of the beneficial bacteria that have built-up.

I always have a cloudy turtle tank?

If, on the other hand, your water or tank or filter isn’t new, and your water is continually cloudy, this suggests the problem isn’t NTS but recurring.

The first thing you should do is check your filter :

Is it powerful enough for your tank?

Is it working properly / is anything on it broken?

Are you cleaning it improperly?

If none of these are the problem, the problem may then be that you are performing water changes too frequently.

Here’s what happens.

You notice that the water is cloudy, full of ammonia and nitrites, so you either replace all or some of it. It looks clear and clean briefly, but then shortly goes cloudy again. This is because you are wiping out all of the good, beneficial bacteria that are starting to build up. The less water that you change, at least initially, the better. You need to give the bacteria time to build-up and flourish.

This is because your water’s pH water level probably plunged after your water change. This is why it is important to regularly check the pH level of your turtle tank. You can buy a digital pH tester that you can leave in your turtle tank. The digital tester is great because it also measures the temperature of the water.

When the pH level of your water drops < 6, ammonia is unable to be properly metabolized. And as your turtle keeps producing waste, and you keep changing too much water before the bacteria culture can really grow, the problem recurs. You can verify this by checking the ammonia and nitrite levels. What Should The Levels Be In A Freshwater Tank? If your tank water is properly-cycled, your water chemistry numbers should be as follows: pH >6 <9 Chlorine and ammonia level of 0 Nitrite level of < .5 ppm Nitrate level of < 40 ppm You don’t want a high level of ammonia in your tank. Turtles are fairly hardy creatures and are able to endure quite a bit, but swimming and living in water with high levels of ammonia can burn their eyes and make them uncomfortable. If the level gets really high bad things can eventually start to happen. High ammonia levels are even worse for fish, which are far more sensitive. Whereas turtles may be irritated by it, fish will simply die. Here are a few things you can do to speed up the bacteria cycle and keep your water looking pristine and clear. Use an Aquarium Vacuum An aquarium vacuum is a great way to help keep your water clean. A vacuum actually does 2 things at once; it vacuums up bits of waste on the bottom of the tank and does a partial water change every time you use it. To be honest, these are not really needed unless you have a big tank (as in 75+ gallons) and/or you have a lot going on in your tank. If your tank is rather bare, it’s not really worth it. That being said, they do help to keep the water clean. Add Working Fish Working fish are fish that eat algae and consume leftover bits of food and waste in your tank. Some catfish do this, as do plecos, otos, and ghost fish. These fish are great at KEEPING your water balanced, BUT there are a few caveats here. First, your water needs to be already fairly well-balanced prior to putting them in. Fish are much more sensitive to ammonia levels than turtles. These fish tend to be a bit more hardy than other types, but if your tank is very cloudy, it could lead to their early death. Ghost shrimp are probably not a good choice, as turtles love to eat them. I would highly recommend only using one or two of these at a time, as the more creatures that swim and live in your tank, the more ammonia is produced. Adding a bunch at the same time is not a good idea. If you do decide to add fish, you will need to aerate your tank first. Secondly, you need to be very careful that they don’t end up as turtle food. Turtles will try to eat anything smaller than them, and even if something is bigger, they will probably still get in a nip or two. Thus, you will need to have hideouts, stones or plants in your tank so that your fish can hide. You should also avoid any type of fish that are armored or have defensive mechanisms that can injure your turtle. Add Bacteria Supplements and/or UV Sterilizers Water Conditioners / Bacteria Supplements If your turtle tank gets cloudy, adding a water conditioner is one of the best things you can do to get your tank balanced. You buy very cheap water conditioners here. These are tablets that dissolve in your tank and remove chlorine, so if you use tap water, these are a must. Some of them also remove ammonia. Some of them also contain starter cultures of beneficial bacteria, which can really boost the bacteria balance in your tank. These are good to use immediately after cleaning your tank filter or when doing a complete or half water change. You should use them while your turtle is in the tank, as the bacteria needs to consume your turtle’s waste in order to remain alive. UV Sterilizers Opposite to bacteria supplements and water conditioners, UV sterilizers are better at keeping your water clean, rather than doing the work of the initial tank cycle period. UV Sterilizers are very efficient and are a great way to keep your turtle tank water clean. If you are interested in getting one, I recommend buying this one from amazon. These work by killing and damaging the reproductive ability of bad bacteria, algae, viruses and more than passes through the UV light that is produced, which is usually somewhere around the water flow. A lot of canister filters these days have them, such as the Sun-Sun line. They work well for larger tanks. Summary Often a turtle tank gets cloudy because the water is unbalanced. To combat NTS, you just need to be patient. If the problem is recurring, check your filter, the ammonia levels and the type of water you use consider using UV sterilizers, water conditioners, bacteria supplements, aquarium vacuums and working fish to combat the problem.

How To Fix Cloudy Turtle Tank Water

The water in a turtle’s tank may become cloudy for a variety of reasons. We will discuss the potential causes of a cloudy tank, how to fix cloudiness, and prevent it in the future. In this guide, you’ll learn: What causes a cloudy turtle tank?

How to fix cloudy turtle tank water.

How to prevent cloudy water in the future.

Turtles are generally very messy compared to other reptiles, therefore there can be a variety of different reasons for a cloudy tank. Many assume the sure way to fix a cloudy turtle tank is to replace the water however, this may sometimes hinder rather than help the water quality.

What Causes A Cloudy Turtle Tank?

The three most common causes of a cloudy turtle tank:

Bacteria Poor tank maintenance Dirty tank filter

Bacteria

The number one cause of cloudiness in a turtle’s aquarium is actually fairly simple. The odds are that if your tank is experiencing a haziness in the water, it was recently set up within the past week or two. The water you likely added to the turtle tank is clean, bacteria-free fresh water.

In our turtle tanks, we are attempting to recreate a small piece of nature indoors and try to keep things as natural as possible. In the wild, turtle waste is broken down by millions of bacteria. These beneficial bacteria work to break down the ammonia produced from turtle waste into less harmful nitrite, and finally nitrate. This process is known as the nitrogen cycle. These nitrates are then absorbed by plants and filtered from the water. In captivity, we also rely on using the nitrogen cycle to convert turtle waste from ammonia to nitrates. These nitrates are then removed from the water through water changes or by using live plants in the tank (or better yet, a combination of the two).

In a newly set up turtle tank, bacteria have not had a chance to colonize or begin reproducing yet. After a few days, when your turtle begins to produce waste, the bacteria will begin to reproduce and reach a sustainable number to convert the waste to nitrates. This huge bloom in bacteria will appear as “cloudiness” in the water. Essentially, cloudy water is simply bacteria attempting to break down waste in the water.

Poor Tank Maintenance

If, for some reason, your turtle setup has already been set up for a long period of time and you begin suddenly experiencing cloudy water, there may be something wrong with your maintenance of the tank.

Aquatic turtles are extremely messy creatures that not only produce a huge amount of waste, but they also make a mess while eating. Many people feeding their turtles in the tank risk creating a total mess every time they feed. Even if using pellets, which are less messy than other food items, the turtle may still rip apart, chew, spit out, and generally produce clouds of food that become particulate matter floating around your tank.

📚 Read More >> Best Turtle Food For Red-Eared Sliders

Feeding your turtle inside of its tank is something that can very easily contribute to not only a cloudy tank, but it can also produce a foul-smelling odor and the water may appear to have a film at the surface. This is likely a protein buildup from the uneaten or digested food that you have given to your turtle. The water quality can quickly deteriorate and this cloudy water can irritate your turtle’s eyes and lead to health problems.

Dirty Tank Filter

The final potential cause of cloudy water in your turtle tank is that you may not be cleaning out the filter at all, not enough, or it is possible you are cleaning it too well.

Pro-tip Clean turtle tank filters bi-weekly (twice per month).

Not cleaning your filter at least monthly (but preferably bi-weekly) may cause a buildup of waste and other organic material. This waste will sit in your filter and rot, which can fuel algae and a foul odor, as well as cloudy water.

The filter will begin pushing out waste that it is supposed to contain if it becomes overrun and overcapacity with the waste it can handle. This will most certainly lead to cloudy water and issues in the tank.

If you do clean your turtle filter and still experience cloudy water, consider how often the filter is cleaned. If it is cleaned very infrequently, consider increasing the number of times it is properly flushed out.

Bacteria breaking down ammonia during the nitrogen cycle live inside of your filter. If you take out the substrate or media that is supposed to help the production of these bacteria and wash it with tap water, it could kill these bacteria and wash them away. Bacteria building media will likely look like small pieces of plastic or ceramic rings, but come in a variety of forms. By removing the bacteria your turtle tank has worked and spent so much time to establish, you essentially restart the nitrogen cycle and need to build the bacteria colony back up. The bloom from this will then contribute to cloudy water.

How To Fix Cloudy Water In Your Turtle Tank

Don’t do anything, just wait! If you recently changed your water or set up a new tank, it could be related to bacteria. Prevent messes during feeding by feeding turtles outside of their tank. Clean your tank filter properly and on time.

Solution 1: Did you recently set up your tank? Then just wait!

If you have identified the cause of cloudy water to be bacteria-related and you have a newly set up turtle tank, good news! The fix to this is to simply wait.

Pro-tip Leave the turtle tank to establish. Over the course of a few days, perhaps even weeks, the tank will fix itself and reward your patience with crystal clear water!

You must allow plenty of time for your bacteria colony to establish and build up. It will need time to grow and handle the bioload produced by your turtle.

The tank essentially suffers from “New Tank Syndrome”, in which the biochemical properties of your tank have not been established. There are a variety of different chemical processes, beneficial bacterial colonization, and cycles that your tank needs to undergo before it becomes “established”.

An established turtle tank will have things balanced, with the proper number of bacteria to convert the harmful ammonia and waste into safer to build up nitrate levels. This nitrate can then be removed by water changes once your tank has established and when it registers in dangerous quantities on a water quality test kit.

In the beginning, however, changing the water is the opposite of what you want to do. Changing the water every time it gets cloudy will restart the cycle, and it is guaranteed to get cloudy again within a few days. You must allow proper time for the bacteria to colonize and build-up, likely in your filter and other surfaces it finds habitable.

Once the beneficial bacteria has had sufficient time to establish itself, the water will very quickly, likely overnight, turn clear. Once clear, so long as you keep up with future water changes and filter cleanings, it should stay clear.

Solution 2: Correct Poor Tank Conditions Caused By Feeding

Feeding inside your turtle’s tank can quickly deteriorate the water quality and lead to cloudy and dirty water. Not only is this unsightly and potentially foul-smelling, but this can also lead to fungal issues and infections in your turtle, and quickly lead to a variety of potential health problems.

Most commercial turtle diets are full of nutrients, and can therefore break apart and quickly pollute the water your turtle is swimming in. If you decide to continue feeding in the enclosure, upgrading filters to handle the extra waste and bioload may help to increase water quality and keep the water clear.

Pro-tip Feed turtles outside of their enclosure to keep tank water clean and prevent potential health problems.

There are ways to avoid this and ensure your water stays as clean as possible without upgrading filters though! Feeding outside of the enclosure is a sure way to prevent extra food and waste from entering the habitat your turtle lives in. It will extend the time between water changes and filter cleanings, and will contribute to a cleaner turtle tank overall!

How To Feed Turtles Outside Of Their Tank

1 Take a small container roughly twice the size of your turtle, and fill about halfway with water from your turtle’s tank. Make sure your turtle can’t climb out or they will! 2 Add the food you would normally feed your turtle to the feeding tub. 3 Wait about 10 minutes, or until your turtle is ready to be removed and has eaten its fill. Remove them from the feeding tub. Place them back in the tank. 4 Dispose of the water either outdoors or down a drain, and rinse the feeding tub. Store it wherever you normally keep it.

Solution 3: Clean Your Filter

The solution for not cleaning your filter frequently enough is to clean it more often! Many people go based on a weekly or bi-weekly schedule, which is a good rule of thumb.

Generally, it is safe to clean the filter bi-weekly, or whenever you notice that the media is filled with debris and waste. Filters are only there to catch the material floating in the water and keep the water clear.

Filters also ensure proper flow and assist in biochemical processes to break down waste into less harmful products. Despite this, it is still up to you to physically remove the waste and debris that build up. Removing the physical waste will decrease the cloudiness of the water and increase clarity! A water change will remove the chemical components (nitrates) in the water that you cannot see, but will still help to keep the water clear. The process of cleaning the filter will vary depending on the type of filter you have however, there is a general process to follow.

How to clean your tank filter

1 Remove the filter from the tank if it is submersible (canister filters will have a different media removal process) 2 Take the filter to either a sink or outdoors to be washed. 3 Remove the filter media. Make sure you keep the biological media, acting as biological filtration, in a small bucket of turtle tank water to keep the bacteria alive and avoid having to cycle the tank over again! 4 Rinse freshwater through the filter media to remove a majority of the turtle waste and debris until it begins to run clear. You may also entirely replace the media if you so choose. 5 Return the media to the filter and re-assemble. 6 Return the filter to the tank and power on!

How To Prevent Cloudy Water In The Future

Maintain a filter maintenance schedule

Make sure you clean out your filter regularly to ensure the water quality stays high and to prevent cloudy water in the future! When doing so, make sure you do not rinse your bacteria or media that houses the bacteria with tap water, as it can kill them. This will force the bacteria to restart and have to repopulate the filter, taking time and this could lead to another cloudiness bloom. If you keep the biological media in the tank or in turtle tank water, it will keep them alive while you clean the mechanical filtration designed to remove physical matter from the water.

Feed turtles in a separate container

Feeding your turtle in a separate enclosure and in a designated feeding tub will drastically reduce the amount of maintenance required. It will also ensure that the water quality stays pristine and should not get a chance to become cloudy. With high water quality and good water chemistry, the ecosystem inside of your turtle tank should stay balanced and prevent an imbalance that would cause cloudiness of the water or algae blooms. These bacteria will also effectively break down waste and can handle higher bioloads, which gives you the option to add a few bio-load light fish such as guppies or mollies.

Use a gravel vacuum to clear debris

If you keep gravel in your turtle enclosure, make sure you use a gravel vacuum to suck up any debris that may be trapped underneath them. Gravel and the use of pebbles in a turtle tank can cause waste to build up and be unable to be pulled by the filter. Using a siphon or gravel vacuum will not only change the water in your tank but pull directly from the gravel all of the waste and material that has accumulated underneath it. This waste has the potential to break down and diminish water quality. Not only can it cause cloudy water, but poor water quality can contribute to a variety of health issues in turtles.

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Why Do Turtle’s Need Clean Tank Water?

Turtles need high water quality because a majority of the habitats they come from have high water quality. This means that the water must be free of ammonia, and have limited amounts of nitrates (detectable by a water testing kit).

Using a filter to remove waste from the tank is one of the keys to maintaining high water quality. The more powerful the filter, the better off you will be and less maintenance will be required on the tank.

Poor water quality can lead to a lot of problems in turtles. Puffy eyes are indicative of an eye infection, and respiratory infections can come from cold and particularly unclean water. Shell rot and pits in the shell can also come from bad water quality and a dirty turtle tank.

How Often Should I Clean My Turtle’s Tank?

A turtle’s tank should be cleaned at least monthly, depending on the strength of your filter, but more often for those that may get filled with debris easily.

The turtle tank itself won’t need to be completely drained and cleaned. However, if the sides begin to get algae, use an algae scrubber to rub the algae off.

Then, change 25% of the water or so to remove the algae you’ve sent into the water column. Regular partial water changes and vacuuming of gravel, if you have it, will negate the need to completely empty and clean a turtle or fish tank. Water changes, filter cleanings, and gravel siphoning will be more than sufficient to keep a turtle tank clean, especially if you feed in a separate enclosure!

FAQs

Is cloudy water bad for turtles?

No, cloudy water is not necessarily harmful to turtles. It is most often an indicator of a bacterial bloom that will fix itself over time. The tank is simply balancing and the biochemical processes must work themselves out to process the waste and material produced by your turtle or fish.

How long does it take for a cloudy tank to clear up?

In a turtle tank, it should take anywhere from a few days to a week or two for the tank to clear up from the cloudiness. Patience and not changing the water are key to ensuring the tank becomes clear!

Why does my tank look cloudy?

The cloudiness from your tank comes from waterborne bacteria that are establishing themselves in response to the presence of waste from your turtle. Over time they will colonize your filter and break down waste into less harmful products to be removed during water changes.

Cloudy Turtle Tank Water? Don’t Make These 4 Mistakes!

Your new, expensive filter is up and running. You just performed a water change a couple of days ago.

But the small fog that formed in the corner is now slowly enveloping the tank. And you already know what’s next. So, frustrating, right?

Don’t worry – today, I’ll dissect the reason behind cloudy turtle tanks and tell you exactly how to solve this recurrent problem.

The Truths Behind Cloudy Turtle Tank Water

The unbalanced water level is the number one cause behind cloudy turtle tank water. In a newly established or an upset tank, if the nitrogen cycle isn’t yet formed or is unstable due to ammonia and nitrite, it leads to a spike in the number of harmful bacteria and their by-products – giving the tank a cloudy appearance.

To be honest, turtles aren’t the cleanest reptiles we know. They feed and poop in the water – polluting the tank so very often. And if you fail to take proper cleanliness actions on time, things can go south pretty quickly.

Let’s discuss the leading causes behind the cloudy tank to see which one’s the culprit in your case.

Top 4 Mistakes That Cause Cloudy Turtle Tank Water

As I explained above, the most common causes behind this cloudy ordeal are new tank syndrome, an ineffective filtration system, and a poor tank environment. These 3 events lead to the destruction of good bacteria – leading to a spike of harmful gasses like nitrite and ammonia.

New Tank Syndrome

If your newly set up tank is getting cloudy, most probably you’ve got a case of New Tank Syndrome (NTS). And by newly set tank, I don’t just mean a brand new one. This term also applies to tanks that just had their water changed.

So, this happens when the biochemical properties of the tank haven’t been established yet. Several processes like chemical balance, beneficial bacterial colonization, and natural cycles have to be completed before the tank is finally ‘established.’

And once your tank completes all these processes, substantial growth of good bacteria colony will break down ammonia and nitrite into relatively safer nitrate that can be removed with water changes.

However, this doesn’t mean you should perform another water change. The best thing to do is leave the tank to its own devices. This process can take anywhere between a few days to a couple of weeks. The time duration depends on your filter’s strength, the tank’s size, the tank’s population, and so on.

If you perform water changes every time the tank gets cloudy, you’ll be establishing new cycles again and again. The key here is to wait and just wait.

And once the good bacterial colony is established correctly, the cloudy water can turn crystal clear overnight like magic!

Poor Tank Environment

Unfortunately, cloudy turtle tank water isn’t just exclusive to new tanks. It can be a persistent problem in old setups as well. And the reason behind this is the poor tank environment.

A dirty turtle tank

To begin with, turtles are super messy creatures. They poop only twice or thrice a week, but they do poop in good volumes.

And on top of that, turtles also prefer eating in water. Chewing, spitting, floating bits – the tank will inevitably get dirty in just a few days.

This just doesn’t contribute to cloudy formations but also pungent smell and slimy films at the top.

As you have already guessed by now, this is due to the protein buildup from uneaten and digested food and poop floating around in the water. Next, before you know, nitrite and ammonia levels rise, and your tank will look cloudy once again.

Frequent Water Changes

Performing water changes frequently is an innocent attempt at getting rid of a cloud tank that almost always backfires. Initially, the water will look clean and clear. But within a few hours or so, the clouds will once again start engulfing your tank.

Why?

Because when you are performing frequent water changes, you’re wiping out all the good bacteria colonies. And by now, you already know what that leads to, right?

Inefficient Filtration

The last culprit behind cloudy turtle tank water on our list today is an inefficient filtration mechanism. Since turtle tanks are almost always big in size and these reptiles can get quite messy, any ordinary filter won’t do.

Here’s an excellent value-for-money filter by Penn-Plax that is suitable for tanks ranging from 30 to 200 gallons.

The flow valves that rotate 360 degrees can clean the gunk from even the smallest nook and cranny. And on top of that, there are 3 large media baskets you can customize to meet your tank’s needs precisely.

On the whole, this seems like a great product. If you don’t take my word for it, don’t forget to check the reviews on Amazon!

Now that being said, no filter is the one-stop solution for cloudy and dirty tanks. You need to clean the filter around two times every month.

Otherwise, the buildup of waste and other decayed materials on the filter will promote algae growth, foul odor, and cloudy tank!

Even worse, when overrun, the filter will push out the waste it is supposed to contain and pollute your tank.

So, from my own experience and knowledge, these are the top 4 mistakes responsible for cloudy turtle tank water. What do you think is the case for you?

Since it’s clear that unbalanced water levels, triggered through different mistakes, is the root cause of cloudy turtle tank, let’s find out what the ideal water level look like?

Suggested Readings:

How Do Turtles Breathe? Butt-Breathing to Breathing Without Oxygen: A Turtle’s Unique Respiratory Abilities

Do Turtles Eat Goldfish? What Happens If They Do?

Can Turtles Get High? Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Get High in Your Turtle’s Presence

What’s The Best Water Parameter For Turtles?

When the water’s pH level drops below 6, ammonia cannot metabolize properly. Thus, the ideal pH level for your pet turtle’s tank should be between 6 to 9. Likewise, nitrite level should be below 0.5ppm, and nitrate level should be less than 40 ppm. And you should try to achieve null levels of chlorine and ammonia.

Swimming in water with a high concentration of ammonia will burn your turtle’s eyes. The same is the case for chlorine.

And not just eyes – wrong water parameters can pave the way for other health complications like respiratory and ear infections, shell rot, etc.

That’s why you should build a habit of regularly checking the tank’s pH levels. You can either buy pH test strips or get a digital pH tester for that.

Personally, I love the latter because it also displays the water temperature.

Now let’s look at some practical solutions to treat cloudy tanks.

5 Ways To Treat Cloudy Turtle Tank Water

Although prevention is better than cure, there are many ways to treat cloudy turtle tank water. Using a vacuum, UV sterilizers, and bacteria supplements can treat the water once the damage is done. On flip side, instilling habits like feeding in a different area and cleaning the tank regularly are two key preventive measures.

Sea turtle

Feed Your Turtle In A Different Area

You know how unsightly the tank looks after your turtle’s feeding and pooping session. Thus, one effective way to keep your tank cleaner and cloudless for a long time is to feed your pet reptile in a different watered container.

Turtles prefer eating and excreting in water because it helps them with chewing and digestion. Hence, you shouldn’t deprive them of water during these processes. But what you can do is transfer your pet into another small tub or container and keep them there until they’ve eaten and pooped.

I assume you know the answer to how long does your pet take to poop after eating. It can take anywhere between 5 minutes to an hour.

But if you think it’s a hassle to move them every time, you will need to upgrade to a filter that can tackle extra waste and bio-load. This is because most commercially available turtle foods break apart easily and quickly pollute the water.

Introduce Working Fish

Working fish are a great natural alternative to tackle cloudy turtle tank water. They can eat up algae and leftover bits of food. However, adding fish to a turtle tank is tricky and sometimes taxing work.

First of all, not all fish go well with turtles. Your pet will try to eat anything smaller than them. And even bigger fishes can end up with torn, nipped fins and tails.

Fish like Otos and Plecos can be good options since they excel at eating algae and scavenging leftovers from the tank’s bottom. If there are enough hiding places in the tank, Ghost Shrimps also make a great candidate.

Irrespective of what fish you add, just make sure that there’s plenty of hideouts, stones, and plants to take refuge in.

And just add a couple of fish in one go. If there’s a big school of fish, the tables will turn. Your turtle will be at the receiving end of bullying.

Also, there are a couple of other things you should do before adding fish. Make sure the water is well-aerated and the water parameters are acceptable for the fish. Adding a fish to a highly cloudy tank and expecting it to clean it up won’t work well.

Clean Your Filter Regularly

Everything else you do to get rid of the clouds will go to waste if you don’t clean your tank often. Most people clean their tanks every week or every other week. The frequency depends on the tank’s size, population, and filtration system in place.

Filters assure that there’s a proper flow of biochemical processes to break down the waste into less harmful forms. However, you still need to manually get rid of the debris that gets collected. Doing this regularly will undoubtedly help to reduce the appearance of a cloudy turtle tank.

Here’s a quick 5-step explainer on how to clean your filter:

Remove the filter from your tank. The processes are different for submersible and canister filters.

Wash the filter thoroughly outdoors or in the sink.

Take out the filter media. But make sure you don’t forget to keep the biological media in a small bucket of the tank water, so the good bacteria don’t get destroyed.

Wash the filter media thoroughly to remove waste, gunk, and debris until water begins to run clear. If the media is too old or torn, you can simply replace it with a new one.

Keep the media back in the filter and assemble.

Use An Aquarium Vacuum

If you use gravel substrate in your turtle’s enclosure, you might want to invest in a gravel vacuum that will suck up all the debris trapped underneath the surface. However, vacuums also perform partial water changes every time you use them. So, make sure you don’t overuse it.

These vacuums are particularly well suited for tanks above 70 gallons.

I don’t personally use one as I don’t have gravel substrate, but here’s one I picked from Amazon for those of you who do.

An excellent value for money, this vacuum by Luigi offers a 100% moneyback guarantee and has some rave reviews by real customers.

Add Bacteria Supplements And UV Sterilizers

If there’s a recurrent cloudy turtle tank water problem, maybe it’s time to explore other avenues like bacterial supplements and UV sterilizers.

Bacterial supplements usually come in tablet form and dissolve in the tank. And they work by removing chlorine and ammonia to some extent. These are very cheap yet super trustworthy.

These tablets by Tetra last for up to 60 days.

Another great option is a UV sterilizer.

I bought one a couple of years back, and I must say, it was quite worth it.

These sophisticated machines work by eliminating and damaging the reproductive potential of algae, viruses, and bacteria through the UV light that passes through the water.

They’re best suited for bigger tanks.

These compact, ready-to-install sterilizers from SunSun don’t need any additional tubing or the circulation pump. Moreover, the built-in pump directs waterborne organisms past the UV-C lamp for pristine results.

Conclusion On Cloudy Turtle Tank Water

That was quite a long article, wasn’t it? But I wanted to make sure that you don’t consume only half the information.

Here’s the final recap of all the essential bits:

Cloudy turtle tank water is a common occurrence all turtle owners face from time to time. The main reason behind this is water unbalance in the tank.

And the reason behind this water imbalance can be many. For instance, in a newly established tank, good bacteria aren’t well-formed and flourishing. Thus, they can’t get rid of ammonia and nitrites.

Likewise, constant water changes, incapable filtration systems, and poor tank environments are also to blame for this.

While cloudy tanks aren’t right away harmful to your pet, long-term exposure can lead to complicated infections and rots.

Thus, make sure that you keep the tank clean, the filtration system is fine, and be patient. If cloudy tanks are recurring problems for you, you can upgrade your filter or buy a suitable UV sterilizer to help you out!

Relevant Readings:

Do Turtles Need a Heat Lamp? This is What Happens if They Don’t Have One

How Often Do Turtles Poop? Everything You Need to Know About Turtle’s Poop

What Do Box Turtles Do in the Winter? Here’s How You Can Help

So you have finished reading the how to clear cloudy water in turtle tank topic article, if you find this article useful, please share it. Thank you very much. See more: can a dirty turtle tank make you sick, turtle tank white cloudy water, why is my turtle tank water red, is cloudy water bad for turtles, new turtle tank cloudy water, turtle tank water is cloudy and smells, turtle tank water conditioner, why is my turtle tank water brown

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