Turtles Tank

Question
I just recently bought my turtle and I bought the tank set from Wal-Mart that included the filter. Today is the 4th day of me owning a turtle and the water has already become very cloudy and there is also like white foamy bubbles surrounding the inside of the tank at the water line. Does this mean I need to purchase a new filter or buy a bigger tank? This is also not going to cause my turtle any problems is it? I just want to no what's best for my turtle and finding a solution to my bubble problem would greatly help me do that.

Answer
Hi Hayden,

I can help more if you give me more information (species of turtle, size, size of tank, filter brand, basking and UVB bulbs, etc.), but general speaking, I'm very doubtful that any kind of setup bought at Wal-Mart is going to be adequate for even a hatchling turtle.  Turtles require roomy tanks with excellent filtration--water quality is extremely important.  The cloudiness is relatively normal for a newly established tank, but the foaming is probably due to poor filtration.  

If you have a hatchling turtle, you need a 20-30 gallon tank, with a filter that can handle 2-3 times that capacity.  An adult turtle, depending on the species and sex, will need at least a 60 gallon tank (and that's for the smaller turtles--mud or musk).  An adult female RES will need 125 gallons or more.  

I'll link some information below, but if you could post back with more details I can help you pinpoint the problem.

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/care.htm
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/waterquality.htm
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Articles/filtration.htm
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/housing.htm