If you love pets, you understand that these creatures can make a mess and leave their habitats with a foul-smelling odor. However, for those who are used to cats and dogs, you might think that turtles don’t have this problem since they live in water. However, this is further from the truth.
Although their tanks don’t smell anything like a dog kennel, they may start to produce a foul odor, especially if they’re not cleaned well or have a lot of stale or rotting food. If you’ve had to deal with a stinking turtle tank, this piece will help you understand why a turtle aquarium can become stinky and how to eradicate this foul smell.
Reasons a Turtle Tank May Start to Smell
Even though turtles are calm and docile, they can be very messy, especially during feeding. For this reason, it can be daunting to keep their tanks clean and odor-free. However, before you think of getting rid of the foul smell from a turtle tank, you need to understand the source of this problem.
So, here are some of the most typical reasons why your turtle tank may be stinking:
The Presence of Excess Food Particles
The main reason for a stinky turtle tank is the presence of food particles in the water. When you give turtles food, they don’t use their flippers or hands to hold the food as they eat. Instead, they hastily charge at the food, take sizeable bites and try to break the food into ingestible particles. During this process, hundreds of food particles fall into the water. When left in the water for some time, these particles rot and cause the tank to have a foul odor.
Conversely, m. The food decomposes and attracts both fungus and bacteria, which are the significant contributors to the foul smell.
Whether your turtle feeds on meat, vegetables, fruits, pellets, or fish, the excess of any food is what will cause your turtle tank to be stinky.
Turtle’s Dead Skin
Like other reptiles, turtles will frequently shed their skin, releasing a massive amount of paper-like exoskeleton into the tank. Although this is a natural process that repeatedly occurs during a turtle’s life, it can create problems for turtles in the tank.
In the wild, several creatures enjoy feasting on the turtle’s dead skin and thus don’t cause any problems. Additionally, there’s plenty of water in the natural habitat, and there’s no way that the turtle’s skin peels will accumulate in a massive water body, such as a pond or sea. More importantly, multiple helpful bacteria are present in natural habitats and effectively decompose the dead skin.
However, when a turtle sheds its skin in an aquarium or tank, the thread of skin will accumulate and, like food particles, start decomposing and produce an awful smell. Conversely, they can clog the water filters rendering them ineffective hence the stinky smell.
Numerous Algae in Tank
Algae are renowned for popping up in areas where there’s enough water. Since they don’t require much to blossom, they are even be found in awkward places such as aquariums and ponds. While algae are an essential source of dietary fiber for turtles, not all types of algae can be savored by these reptiles.
When these types of algae begin to flourish, they can grow to the extent that they coat the entire tank instantly. Additionally, they may even embed themselves on the turtle shell, and before you realize it, the aquarium will be stinking from every edge.
The situation will be worse if the type of algae growing in the tank are those that turtles deter. Besides being a nuisance, algae can attach themselves to the turtle’s carapace and harbor bacteria and fungi that attack its shell, causing it to rot and produce a foul smell.
Inadequate Filtration
Filtration is one of the most crucial processes if you want your turtle tank to be clean and healthy. Since turtles are known to make a mess, they can clog the filters with decayed food particles, excretory waste, and skin peels, leading to a foul smell.
Additionally, using an inferior or ineffective filter can also lead to poor filtration and hence a stinking smell from the tank. Since turtles have a lot of waste, their tanks should be fitted with more robust filters that match the size of the tank or aquarium.
Small Tank Size
The tiny turtles you see being sold in pet stores can overgrow to twice their size in a short period. And as we all know, the more sizeable the turtle is, the more mess it will make with its poop, molt, and food. Often, pet owners are tempted to go for smaller tanks to match the size of their young turtle pets.
However, after a few months or years, their pet turtles overgrow exponentially, and their needs start to overwhelm the small tank. Sooner than later, the tank begins producing an awful smell. Additionally, if you keep multiple turtles in a smaller tank, the odor increases significantly since there will be dead skin and more waste.
When you keep your turtles in a small tank, sludge will build up quickly and become challenging to disperse. This leads to waste buildup that ultimately causes your tank to stink.
Infrequent Cleaning
When you have a turtle as a pet, it’s your responsibility to maintain its tank clean and healthy at all times. Although nobody cleans their habitat in the wild, there’s a natural mechanism that ensures that pools, rivers, and seas stay clean.
Failure to change the water, remove excess food particles, and clean the tank can immensely contribute to a stinky tank. Turtle owners should clean the turtle tanks frequently to avoid foul odor.
Now that we know what makes the turtle tank stink let’s switch gears and look at how turtle owners can eliminate the foul smell from the turtle’s habitat.
What to Do If Your Turtle Tank is Stinky?
If you’ve been grappling with a stinky turtle tank, here is how you can get rid of the smell permanently.
Change How You Feed Your Turtle
Since food particles and excess food contribute immensely to a stinky turtle tank, changing how you feed your turtle can help eradicate this problem once and for all. You need to provide your turtle with another feeding container besides its aquarium.
Pick a separate container and fill it with water. Ensure that the water is up to the point that turtles can dive in since these creatures love to eat their food when submerged in water. Conversely, make sure that you use the same water in the main tank so that the turtle doesn’t feel like it has been moved to a new environment.
Once everything is ready, put the food into the container and move the turtle from the main aquarium to this new container. Once the turtle finishes eating, let it stay in the container for 10 minutes and put it back in the main tank. Once the turtle is out of the new container, drain the water with excess food particles, rinse the container, and keep it dry.
Please don’t use the container for any other activity since it might contain Salmonella, a bacteria that turtles carry on their skin. You can take advantage of the moment when the turtle is out of the aquarium to change the water.
Using another container as a feeding area will ensure that the main tank is not contaminated by excess food particles that decompose and start stinking.
Invest in a Bigger Tank
When you adopt a turtle as a juvenile, you won’t need too much space. However, after several months, the reptile will grow bigger and need a larger tank. A congested tank will quickly accumulate waste and produce a foul smell.
As a rule of thumb, pet owners should put 10 gallons of water for an inch of the turtle’s body. Therefore, if your turtle is 8 inches long, you should invest in an aquarium with 80 gallons capacity. If your turtle is 6 inches and you buy a 40-gallon turtle tank, this would be too small, and it would most definitely get clogged with waste and start stinking.
Although the growth rate of turtles begins to slow down as they age, the best thing when adopting a turtle is to invest in the largest turtle tank. This will ensure that you don’t keep changing the tank every 2 to 3 years. Also, be sure to increase the size of the tank if you’re keeping multiple turtles.
Install the Right Water Filters and, if Possible, Go for the Biological Filters
Turtles make a mess when they eat and when they defecate. Therefore, you need to invest in powerful filters for your turtle tank to get rid of these wastes. Switch ineffective filters with bigger and more efficient ones to increase filtration and reduce smells.
More importantly, make sure that the filters are regularly cleaned and replaced. Turtles will clog filters with their skin when they molt, food particles when eating, and debris from plants. A clogged filter will not function properly, making the turtle tank smell awful. Turtle pet owners should check their filters regularly and clean them at least once a month.
You can also opt for biological filters fitted with a compound that transforms ammonia into nitrate. Ammonia is one of the compounds that accelerate the smell in the turtle tank. The substrate in the biological filters creates an ample habitat for nitrifying bacteria to thrive. These bacteria then convert ammonia into an odorous and safe compound.
Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait for 4-6 weeks for the bacteria to grow. However, you can hasten the growth of bacteria in your biological filter using bacteria supplements sold in pet stores and online shops.
No matter which direction you choose to go, using the most robust filters can help you get rid of that foul smell from your turtle’s habitat.
Maintain Optimal Temperature
Being cold-blooded, turtles require a specific temperature range to thrive. Most survive in waters with temperatures ranging from 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. When you fail to provide your turtles with the ideal temperature, their shells become weak, and they become easy hosts to bacteria and fungus, which are often the source of the foul odor.
Therefore, you should provide heating in the turtle tank to maintain an optimal temperature range. Moreover, the shell-carrying reptiles should be allowed to bask for a few hours every day. If there’s no natural sunlight, you can provide artificial lighting and basking. This will enable turtles to dry their shells periodically, reducing their affinity for fungus and bacteria.
Maintain a Cleaning Routine
Cleanliness is also essential if you want your turtle tank not to stink. Pet turtle owners should ensure that they clean the aquarium or tank regularly. The turtle tank should be cleaned at least once a month, and a partial water change should be done at least once a week.
Ensure you keep a solid cleaning routine. It should involve getting excess food from the tank daily, partial water change after a week, thorough cleaning every three to four weeks, and complete water change once every month. Ensure that you unclog water filters and clean the skin shed by turtles.
It is also recommended that you get rid of algae using a magnetic sponge. This sponge not only makes cleaning easier and manageable but also helps you clear most of the algae from the tank.
Additionally, you should also clean your turtle as well. Algae, leftovers, and debris may attach to the turtle’s shell, and if they stay for a long time, they can decompose and attract bacteria. Turtles are not washed with soap and water; but instead, they are placed in lukewarm water for 15 minutes and brushed using an old soft-bristled toothbrush. Cleaning should be done with chlorinated water since chlorine has adverse effects on turtles.
Avoid Commercial Cleansers
Some people recommend the use of deodorizing or scented products to mask the turtle tank smell. However, turtle owners should avoid these products since they may contain lethal compounds that may harm your turtle.
You should also avoid using fragrant soaps or air fresheners. The only chemical compound you should use to clean the turtle tank is a reptile-recommended disinfectant. And more importantly, the tank should be rinsed and dried once cleaned.
The Wrap-up on How to Deal With a Stinky Turtle Tank
A smelly turtle tank is not new, especially for first-time turtle owners. With turtles being some of the messiest reptiles, they can make their habitat stinky. We have highlighted some things that might cause your tank to have a foul stench and how you can get rid of it.
The baseline is that you can get rid of the stinky smell in several ways. This includes feeding your turtle in a separate container, getting a sizeable tank, cleaning the dead skin and algae, installing clean filters, and maintaining the right temperature.