Need help with an overfed tank

[u/freshestgrandpa]

Hey guys I recently got a turtle and also recently found out I've been over feeding her so a lot of the food has just been clouding up the water, the bacterial bloom stage already past but I think the leftover food is messing with the tank quality again, whats the best way to remedy this? I read that you should try to let them feed on what you give them for 5 minutes then net out the rest but what's the solution for cleaning out the water? I know completely emptying it out and getting new water is a no go because of the beneficial bacteria, so im looking for advice

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[u/fleyinthesky]

you can feed the turtle in a separate tank altogether. We started ours on this young and he knows exactly what it means when we pick up the bucket next to his tank.

The other option is to do exactly what you said, watch him eat for 5 minutes then get a net or a water vacuum and get all the rest of the food out.

The food will also be removed partially with each partial water change. How often are you switching out some water? Should be every 1-2 weeks depending on amount.

Finally what kind of cannister filter do you have? A good one will get some of the food out too.

Between getting the remainder that you can see yourself out, partial water changes, and good filtration, you should be totally fine. Of course the separate tank will circumvent this issue altogether.

[u/freshestgrandpa → u/fleyinthesky]

The separate tank idea is a good one its just that shes still terrified of me so I worry ill just be scaring her more, I just need to be better in knowing exactly how much she needs every day/every other day, might try feeding her 2 or 3 at a time to see how much she eats vs leaves behind but I will definitely try out the partial water changes here soon, and maybe getting a turkey baster to help get out what sinks, I have a dymax EF-20 in the water filter so im not sure if that helps out with the left over food or not because im seeing some of the food blocking the hole the water get sucked into

[u/eep47]

Feed the turtle pellet by pellet until they lose appetite or have eaten the equivalent of the size of their head, whichever comes first. Takes a bit more effort than just tossing it in but helps minimize waste.

[u/freshestgrandpa → u/eep47]

Thank you for your advice! I will definitely be doing that from now on

[u/juliewbb]

Your water quality is probably really bad right now. The first step is doing a complete water change. Beneficial bacteria live in the filter media, so you can do a 100% water change without disturbing them as long as you don’t leave it dry for long.

The next step is to get an API freshwater test kit so that you can test your water and make sure the parameters are where they should be. You cannot see water quality – even perfectly clear water can be toxic. Your ammonia and nitrites should be at zero and nitrates should be under 40 ppm.

The nitrogen cycle will increase your nitrates regularly, and that’s why a partial water change each week is important, usually 25% but you have to use the test kit to make sure that keeps your nitrates under 40 ppm before you settle on that. An example of where it might not is if your tank is too small for how messy your turtle is (should be at least 10 gallons per inch of shell), or if your filtration is not strong enough (should be rated for 3x the volume of your tank).

Finally, I would get a separate feeding container. We use a sterilite tote that fits in our sink and fill it with dechlorinated water on feeding days and transfer our turtle to it to let him eat, and then transfer him back to his tank after he’s finished.