Cleaning Your Turtle Tank Properly

A pet turtle is an interesting addition to any home, but its tank needs to be cleaned frequently and properly so that your home doesn't smell. Turtles are messy eaters that produce a lot of waste, which means that your tank may need to be cleaned weekly. Feeding your turtle in one area and removing the waste regularly may help to reduce waste and cut down on cleaning time. You may have a land turtle or aquatic turtle. Aquatic turtles require a tank full of water to swim in, but the basics of cleaning the tank are about the same.

Things You'll Need

  • Clean container
  • Colander
  • Dish detergent
  • Bleach
  • Cleaning sponge
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove the turtles from the soiled tank and place them into a clean container that provides sufficient room and sufficient water for your type of turtle. Tap water is fine, but you should add a dechlorinator to remove chlorine from treated water and add the appropriate amount of sea salt to fulfill your turtle's salt requirement, if necessary.

    • 2

      Drain dirty water from the tank, catching all gravel and decorations in a colander.

    • 3

      Clean gravel and decorations by rinsing repeatedly with warm or hot running water. If needed, add a small amount of dish detergent or diluted bleach to remove stubborn algae.

    • 4

      Rinse soap or bleach from the gravel and decorations if you had to use these agents to remove algae. Be sure they are completely rinsed because even residual bleach or soap can harm turtles.

    • 5

      Clean the inside of the tank with a sponge, warm water, diluted bleach and a small amount of soap. Rinse the tank thoroughly to remove all cleaning agents.

    • 6

      Replace gravel and decorations in the clean tank and fill with clean, chlorine-free water if you have aquatic turtles. Check the salt requirements for your type of turtle and use aquarium-grade sea salt to adjust the salinity of the water.

    • 7

      Place turtles back into their tank environment.