We are keeping Gunther

[DAC8671]

Well we decided this morning that our rescue has now become an adoption. Gunther will be staying with us.

So I'm looking for some 40-55 gal tanks. Obviously the filter I have for the 29gal tank isn't what I need and I need bigger (even though it says for up to a 30 gal turtle aquarium). I know I will definately need a bigger filter for a bigger tank, but what should I be looking for size wise?

I'm hoping to have his new digs set up this weekend. Maybe he'll even come out and start basking!

Right now his shell is about 5-5 1/2 inches long. Still not sure on the sex. I'm calling him a "him" for now but will wait to see. Can the vet tell how old it is?

Thanks for all the help in my "help rescue" post.

 

[evin]

im pretty sure gunther is a she looking at your other pictures, so i would buy the biggest tank i possibly could because females grwo much larger than males

 

[Crazy1]

congratulations on your new family member
Ever think of an outside Pond? they have the preformed ones that you just dig a hole and drop them in. A large canister filter should do it. If you get one for an aquarium it won't be big enough.

 

[DAC8671]

We can't dig or make any renovations at our house. We live in military housing. We aren't allowed the stand alone ponds, either. No pools bigger than toddler pools, and those must be emptied every night.

 

[DAC8671]

Robyn...
"If you get one for an aquarium it won't be big enough"

Are you talking about the canister?

We've actually found a 55 gal tank that we are going to pick up tomorrow. So what filter would work best? When I asked the petstore about filters last night, they said the one I bought would work fine (the one for the 30 gal, that does not work).

 

[evin]

you want something rated atleast 2 times bigger than the tank so look for one rated for 110 gallon or more, can we see pictures when its setup? i love aquatic tank pics

 

[DAC8671]

Okay, so we have the 55 gal set up, filled with about 40 gal (?) of water. No rocks, yet. We have 2 subermsable filters, each for 57 gal (so a total of 114 gal). After a day, the water is already starting to cloud. What am I doing wrong? Do we need a bigger filter still? Maybe I'm feeding him too much? But I watch him eat, and he eats everything I put in. I'm only feeding pellets right now. 15 yrs ago we had 2 res in a 40 gal tank, undergravel filter and it was crystal clear. I don't remember much else about those two, though, other than we had some goldfish in there for them to munch on. What else can I do?

you want something rated atleast 2 times bigger than the tank so look for one rated for 110 gallon or more, can we see pictures when its setup? i love aquatic tank pics

 

[evin]

tanks are known to cloud when first setup, benificial bacteria will grow eventually and the tank should clear up

 

[evin]

you can also take the turtle out when feeding and put in a smaller tuperware or rubbermaid full of water to keep your tank cleaner

 

[DAC8671]

Okay, so I'm beating a dead horse here. I'm just stressing over the tank water being cloudy all the time. How long does it usually take for the beneficial bacteria to develop? Here are some pics of Gunther's tank (which by the way Gunther is a girl and we are having trouble finding a suitable name for her, as we really like Gunther). The first one was taken on 8/19. The rest were taken this morning 8/21. It's becoming more and more cloudy instead of clearing up. We added some air stones, but that was it. How come I can't get clean water?

you can also take the turtle out when feeding and put in a smaller tuperware or rubbermaid full of water to keep your tank cleaner

 

[Crazy1]

Why can't a girl be named Gunther? or Ms Gunther. I really like the name also. Sorry can't be much help with the water issue.

 

[evin]

f you test your water, the Ammonia levels are probly not going to be where you want them to be ammonia will spike up in a new tank. A partial water change might help (no more than a 30 to 50% change if you take all the water out the bacteria that has formed will be removed) and adding a product like Seachems "Stability" will work this is the only brand ive used and it has worked well everytime

 

[DAC8671]

Will a test kit tell me what the ammonia should be? If not, what should it be? I've done a water change and it's back to cloudy again. I will be getting some "stability" tonight. Will I ever had clear water?

f you test your water, the Ammonia levels are probly not going to be where you want them to be ammonia will spike up in a new tank. A partial water change might help (no more than a 30 to 50% change if you take all the water out the bacteria that has formed will be removed) and adding a product like Seachems "Stability" will work this is the only brand ive used and it has worked well everytime

 

[Itort]

Debbie, how many gallons per hour does your filter turn ? I ran a 100 gallon with 50 gallons of water in it for a pair of ouachata maps ( female of six inches and male of 4 inches) with canister filter/spray bar combo turning 400 gallons an hour. I filtered thru zeolite to remove ammonia, charcoal to sweeten the water, and balls for biologic culture. It worked well but I would change charcoal and zeolite on alternate weeks.

 

[evin]

are your filters also biological? the bacteria grows best on something it can attatch easily to, you can fit a few small pieces of lava rock in your filter. did you get the stabilizer?

 

[Itort]

are your filters also biological? the bacteria grows best on something it can attatch easily to, you can fit a few small pieces of lava rock in your filter. did you get the stabilizer?

That what I balls. They look small whiffle balls and as such have large surface area.

 

[DAC8671]

I did a water change today. I put in the stabilizer. I also bought new sponges for the filters, along with carbon and water polishing pads for inside the filters.

I am using 2 Fluval 4plus filters. 57 gal each (114 gal total) and each filters 260 gph (total 520 gal). I have a 55 gal tank filled with approx 40 gal of water.

We also did an ammonia test and it said everything was fine.

SO with all the new stuff, let's see what it does.

I also have a question.....

I previously bought and was using ZooMed Reptisafe water conditioner. Is that the same thing as stability? I didn't put both in the tank this time, just the stability. I didn't want to over-do it if it was the same thing.

 

[evin]

i dont think the water conditioner is the same thing, i think it just eliminates clorine but let us know what happens this time, the stabilizer should do the job

 

[DAC8671]

Okay, it's only day 2 and the water is already cloudy enough that I can't see the back of the tank. I'm almost at the point of adopting her out because it's stressing me out that I can't get the water clean.

 

[evin]

ive never heard of a tank being so resistant, can you fill the tank again and keep the turtle out for a few and see what happens? or is that not a possibility