PLEASE HELP!Terrapin URGENT,sudden dirty tank, TERRIBLE smell!

[PuppyGirl]

If anyone can advise here I'd be extremely grateful: My partner has 2 terrors (1 male, 1 female) that he's had for 15 years with no probs. Suddenly, yesterday, out of the blue, we noticed that the tank has got dark, murky, almost black water that really smells terrible, sulphorous.

We gave the filter a good clean (which gets done regularly anyway) & let it run overnight to see if it would clear the usually healthy water. It hasn't made any difference.

We thoroughly cleaned the tank 3 or 4 weeks ago.

All equipment (light/heater/filter) seems to be working fine.

This has never happened before & we are at a loss as what to do.

Both terrapins seem ok, though they are keeping their heads out of the water more than usual - who would blame them?!

I am worried. Any pointers/suggestions/solutions gratefully received.

Cheers.

[Andy b 1]

the filter might have broken? or power cut and it didnt turn back on?

[GlasgowGecko]

Does it look like there is a lot of particulate in the water?

It sounds like your filter hasn't been working for a while, I cant see why it could change overnight. Does it have a blockage?

I'd change the water to be safe... You haven't recently moved the tank next to a window or anything?

[blazingtortoise]

Change all the water. Use a water treatment so it can go straight from the tap. Check the filter. If you buy a new one use some of the filter media from the old one. Make sure they have somewhere to climb out of the water to. If the water is bad then they usually want to be out of it entirely not just sticking their heads out.

Had they been fed anything just before this happened? I agree that its unusual for this to happen suddenly. Terrapins can be messy but it would take a serious blockage/failure to get that bad so quick. Obviously don't feed until the water is clear or you will just add to the problem.

Hope things are getting better for them.

[PuppyGirl]

Did think that was a possibility, but it seems to be working ie water is still bubbling through....

[PuppyGirl]

We are going to change the water this evening, but, like I said we only did this a couple of weeks ago - thanks for all the advice thus far, we're taking it all onboard!

[blazingtortoise]

Has there been any improvement at all?

[Graham]

What type of filter is it (make and model), and what is the volume of water? What filter media are you using? Have you done a water test?

[PuppyGirl]

Tank fully cleaned out & re-filled a couple of hours ago, all looking good so far....

[PuppyGirl]

Originally Posted by Graham

What type of filter is it (make and model), and what is the volume of water? What filter media are you using? Have you done a water test?

Hey Graham. We have no idea what make/model the filter is I'm afraid, but it has a sponge-like filter which is cleaned regularly & I'm assured that the filter we have is more than adequate for the volume of water (he bought one that could support an even larger tank should he need to expand).

We've never had this problem before, it's just happened since the tank was last cleaned (3 weeks ago) & that was the same old routine, no differences - it's a mystery!