My Tank Smells Like Mildew!

by Superman the Turtle
(Lindenwold, NJ)

I have a Red Eared Slider, I have been very proficiant in changing his filter every month. I have the Filstar XP3. My water appears to be clear but I have an awful smell coming from it. The water/tank smells like mildew. I treat the tank for algae almost every week, and I treat the water with Stress Zyme almost every week as well. I am not sure what else I should do. I noticed the tank had a smell about two months ago, I was hoping that changing the filter, and taking out half of the water would eventually solve this problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

A: Turtles are dirty! Could be you have a buildup of stuff growing inside some areas of the filter that you can't see such as the inlet/outlet tubes or under the motor cover. sometimes water will leak into this area and start growing stuff. You can remove the 4 screws on the corners to get to this area if must. Not recommended and hopefully the smell is coming from another area.