What is wrong with the water in my turtle tank?

[MaRkAS]

Like the other guys said, you need to agitate the surface water.
Is the return from the filter below the waters surface? If so then maybe lift it out of the water.
You can also place a small powerhead in the tank and point it towards the water surface, but this might create to much current flow for the turtle
And never use Metho, if you need to use vinegar and water.

 

[derekm]

The fountain idea is a good one but I am not willing to get one because of the fact the tank is right next to my bed and would make me want to go to the toilet all night lol. I try to move the water as much as possible with bubbles and the filter releasing water, but that's as far as I can go...

Consider putting a fountain on a timer so its not running when you are trying to sleep. I'm confident that running it 14-15 hours per day would solve your problem.

An additional benefit is that, when it starts again in the morning, it may be better than an alarm clock in "encouraging" you to get out of bed. Then, when the sound of running water ceases to be effective in getting you out of bed in the morning (as I expect it will over time) then you can run the filter 24/7.

 

[tenacres1100]

get yourself a length of hose that fits over your filter outlet and have it return at the other end of the tank above the water line so that it disturbs the water surface

 

[Kitah]

Also just be aware that the turtle dinners are an incredibly messy food for turtles.... or at least when I used them they were; I fed my boy in a seperate tub so he didn't contaminate the tank. Also freshwater fish and live freshwater vegetation would be a good foodsource for your turtle as well; My boys favourite is the aquatic lillies- he loves both the leaves and the stems/leaf stalks. He has a tub full of these plants and about 15 or so guppies which he can eat whenever he could be bothered catching them lol. I do still use a 'commercially made' food, which is the reptomin turtle pellets- these seem to foul the water the least and have the best ratings for quality.

Sorry I probably just gave you a lot of unwanted information, though you never know sorry for getting sidetracked and all the best for your tank

 

[pdsn99]

Another point for consideration;
Removing a large quantity of water when doing water changes will promote algal blooms. I recommend doing smaller 1/4 - 1/3 tank water changes more frequently - approx. fortnightly.

As previously stated dont buy a protein skimmer for a turtle , you'll be wasting $400. Although I got one for $150 (used) - never miss an opportunity .

You can also use products like turtle clean and seachem clarity.

 

[JAS101]

get yourself a length of hose that fits over your filter outlet and have it return at the other end of the tank above the water line so that it disturbs the water surface

yup should really work well .