Welcome to the Turtle-tech review of the primary causes for water clouding in Aquatic Turtle aquariums, an issue all turtle keepers deal with from time to time.  Certainly, there is nothing more disappointing then to create a beautiful environment for your turtles only to have the aquarium quickly cloud up and make everything a murky mess. The fact is, most all beginning, and even experienced turtle hobbyist go through periods where the water clarity of their aquariums is less than they would like it to be. But if you understand the basic reasons why this clouding happens, you are better prepared to address the situation correctly. So, let’s take a look at what these various forms of clouding are, and how to deal with them.

First, there are 4 basic causes of water clouding in Aquatic Turtle aquariums. Understanding the difference between them, their causes, and their cures can go a long way in correcting some of the procedures and actions that helps create them to begin with. Let’s look at them one by one.

• Brown Water: Most commonly, Brown water is caused by suspended dirt and silt left over from incomplete gravel washing, or other aquarium gear that might have been dirty and has simply deposited physical matter into the aquarium water. Brown water normally has no real odor to it and it will normally clear up on its own by regular filtration processes. Gravel vacuuming to remove any silt particles that may have settled back into the substrate will also help the clearing. A 25% water change will help to dilute the particles and make clearing time quicker. Another, more uncommon cause of brown cloudy water comes from the leaching of brown colored tannins associated with the use of uncured driftwood. These tannins tint the water brown or sometimes even reddish. Other than the foggy mess, they pose no threat to the turtles. Periodic water changes of 25% will eventually clear the tannins, and the use of high grade activated carbon within the filter system can also assist to speed up the clearing.

• Grey Water: Grey water is most commonly caused by actual spoilage and decay within the aquarium. It is usually accompanied by an unpleasant smell and/or an oily film or “bubble mat” resting on the surface of the water. The most common causes of grey water are the overfeeding of food products that are left in the aquarium to spoil, or animals that may have died (feeder fish, snails, blood worms etc.) and left to decompose within the aquarium. Grocery store vegetables are also common contributors to smelly grey water, as uneaten pieces settle in the aquarium and decay. Water changes and waste removal are suggested at this point to clear the water and depending on the extent of the contamination a complete break down and cleaning of the aquarium may be required. Of course, feeding only the prescribed amounts of a high-quality pelleted food product (and not over feeding) is recommended going forward.

• Green Water: Green water is almost always a sure sign of microscopic algae blooms. It is a much more complex issue then it is usually given credit for. These single celled plants are always present and in certain situations, such as an uncycled aquarium with a high lighting situation (like a new turtle tank), can “bloom” into a green soup.  In well-established aquariums, these algae blooms are far less common as the bacterial balance needed to combat these algae are more stable. In newly established aquariums however, algae blooms are much more common. One way to help during the initial break-in period of your turtle’s aquarium and the resulting algae bloom is the following: first, reduce the lighting output of your lighting system, this would include temporarily shutting off all florescent lighting (which is helping to fuel the algae’s advancement).  Maintain a regular 6-hour daytime period for the basking light. This will provide light and basking heat for the turtles and should allow enough light to keep the existing algae’s producing oxygen (not consuming it). Next is to do 25% water changes every three days. Preferably with regular chlorinated tap water (not water treated with chloramines). The small trace amounts of chlorine (now diluted 75% and at about .1ppm) should help kill off some of the free-floating algae while putting the least amount of stress on your aquariums developing bacterial bed. This small amount of chlorine will dissipate within 12-16 hours, the tank can then progress two more days, and then another 25% water change. This can be continued until the tank fully cycles and the algae are in check.  There are other options that can help while the aquarium is stabilizing, there are specific filters that can actually pull a lot of the free-floating algae’s out of the water (as they can filter down to 1 micron), and other assistance can be gained from the use of Ultraviolet sterilizing units commonly used for ponds. Whatever approach you take, it’s likely that algae blooms will be a temporary issue for you.

• White Water: White cloudy water almost always signifies a bacterial bloom within the aquarium. These are not disease producing bacteria, but generally a form of heterothropic bacteria which will begin to start the process of establishing the biological filtration of your aquarium (which will process the turtles waste products). After these initial bacteria begin to break down organic waste within the aquarium, the nitrifying forms of bacteria will follow and complete the cycling of the aquarium. White water clouding in a newly set up aquarium is a very normal occurrence and will clear as the tank reaches the completion of its cycling process. The most effective way of clearing this cloudy condition is to help quicken the bacterial cycling. This is done by providing the three essentials needed by the bacteria to establish a good presence within you turtles aquarium:  One- a supply of organic waste to feed on. Since your turtles are in the aquarium and the water is starting to cloud, it’s a given that you’ve got organic waste. Two- an abundant supply of oxygen. This is the time to provide extra water movement in your aquarium, anytime you can break the surface tension of the water, oxygen levels are increased. Nitrifying bacteria can only survive with good levels of oxygen present.  Three – a sufficient area where the Nitrifying bacteria can colonize and live within the aquarium. These bacteria require a physical space to adhere onto, they are not permanently free floating. Commonly these beneficial bacteria will colonize any surface that has water movement with an adequate supply of oxygen. Most good filtration units will be designed with areas suitable for bacteria to colonize. Inside the aquarium, a one inch layer of medium grade aquarium gravel is an excellent media for this bacterial colonization, and turtle setups lacking a gravel bed for this purpose tend to be more unstable, with a much more chance of recurring clouding.