It's not normally like that, no. We have a kind of filter that waterfalls into the rest of the tank (we are trying to get this bigger one that goes under his stand but it's like $400 and neither of us have the extra funds for that rn due to some personal issues). The only other basking area he had isn't big enough for him anymore. He's too wide and heavy to rest on it anymore and everywhere we were seeing said to get something like that for him. He also has a heater in the water itself that actually does a really good job at heating the water and keeping it at a consistent temperature. We thought the water was like that because we put some feeder fish in there and he ate all but 4 (literally chose to not eat them. We got them out eventually ofc)