I have a slidder turtle and it smells fishy. More to read inside?

Question

I have two small slidder turtles. I just bought a brand new pump. Took the old rocks out. Bought a island for them to climb on and everything and I cant get rid of the fishy smell. It is REALLY BAD. I change the water every 24 hours. Clean the tank and everything. I cant keep cleaning the tank that often any thoughts?

Answer 1

U shouldnt clean the tank every 24 hours. The smell is completely normal. Its also the sign of a healthy turtle.

Answer 2

I am afraid you got some bad advice to start with.

1. The tank should be AT LEAST 10 gallons for 1-2 babies, but they will quickly outgrow that. Figure 10 gallons of water per inch of shell length. Also realize that each turtle will hit about 10". Bigger tanks are better for the turtle in many ways, but they are also easier to keep clean!

2. The filter should be an external filter rated 2-3 times the size of the tank since turtles are so messy. Most reptile filters are not adequate for this.

3. Most of the smell comes from the bottom of the tank and all of the hiding places. Crud gets trapped and lets out gasses as it rots.

Try the advice at a good site like http://www.redearslider.com or better, http://www.austinsturtlepage.com

A properly set-up turtle tank is going to cost you- it takes about $150-300 for a good set-up, mostly the tank and filter, but properly done set-ups take very little work and have almost no smell,

Answer 3

get a pump that is at least double the capacity of the volume of the tank and when you wash it, use table salt. It works