Malaysian Box turtle questions - Adding bacteria to water

[Harpy]

I adopted very large (over 10 inches) Malaysian box turtle. The owners gave me a sample of the healthy bacteria from the filter to add back into the clean tank. I have never heard of ADDING bacteria to a turtle tank. Is this correct? This turtle is super healthy from the normal Ambo's I usually rescue. so am I missing something?

Thanks in advance,

Billie

 

[Markw84]

I adopted very large (over 10 inches) Malaysian box turtle. The owners gave me a sample of the healthy bacteria from the filter to add back into the clean tank. I have never heard of ADDING bacteria to a turtle tank. Is this correct? This turtle is super healthy from the normal Ambo's I usually rescue. so am I missing something?

Thanks in advance,

Billie

Billie

That is correct. The bacteria you are adding is the beneficial bacteria that establishes in a well balanced tank / pond that is natures way of converting ammonia into nitrite, and then bacteria that converts nitrite into nitrate - which is basically benign. That is how a biological filter works. It gives a place for those bacteria to live and thrive. That type bacteria is completely harmless to fish and animals. In fact - its very beneficial.

 

[Harpy]

Okay, do I add it to tank or the filter? Want to make sure I keep this big boy healthy.

 

[Berkeley]

Mark is right- it is a beneficial bacteria 'shot in the arm'. It works best if it has a substrate to develop on: filter pads, gravel on the bottom of the tank, rocks or woodwork. You can put it straight into the water, but it does its job best if it has something to colonize.

How did the other person provide you with the sample? Just a cup of water? Or part of the padding from the filter?

--Berkeley

 

[Harpy]

How did the other person provide you with the sample? Just a cup of water? Or part of the padding from the filter? --Berkeley

They put a tiny bit of brown stuff from the filter into a small cup. And yes, there is gravel and an underwater filter.

 

[Berkeley]

If it is the brown stuff out of the filter, that is actually mostly waste. It will have some of the beneficial bacteria in it, but it is also made up of old feces and old food. If it is the stuff out of the same turtle's old filter, you can put it in the tank/gravel/filter. But it's up to you.
Honestly, I would just get a handful of the gravel from the turtle's previous tank- if you feel like you need to jumpstart the bio- load. Or you could just wait a couple of weeks and it will build on its own.

--Berkeley

 

[Markw84]

Also, if you are going to establish the bacteria (which is good) when you clean the tank or add water, you must be sure not to use chlorinated water without adding the dechlor treatment you can get at any pet or pond store, or online on Amazon.

Chlorinated water is what you will have if you are on a municipal water system as they add that to water to kill bacteria in our drinking water supply. If you are not trying to establish a bacteria filter, and do not have fish, the chlorinated water will not hurt the turtle at all. But it will kill off your bacteria you are establishing and kill fish if you do not treat the water. That also means, if you wash the gravel, or take a filter pad out to wash, you must use dechlorinated water for that or it will kill the bacteria you have established.

Sounds like you are setting things up well. Enjoy your turtle.

 

[Anthony P]

Photos!!!!!???? I wanna see a ten inch amboinensis!