Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi,

i am looking into setting up a 40 gal breeder tank for a juvenile alligator snapping turtle.

i am well aware that snappers need a hell of a filtration system. Though up until now i have always used waterfall style over the tank filters (like Whisper, etc), but am looking into something new for this set up.

any suggestions on makes of cannister or internal filters? and are both cannister and internal filters the type of filter that need an external air pump? I have heard that Fluva is a good company, but i dont know much more than that.

thanks for all the help,
matthew

hello Matthew, i wouldn't say you need a hell of a filter. just get a whisper that is sized for a 40gal. they're really not that messy. you'll just have to clean the filter every week(maybe sooner) depending on how much you feed. they do have a habit of biting the suction tube when they get a little bigger but you can always partition off the suction tube and the heater if you use one. Steve

>>hello Matthew, i wouldn't say you need a hell of a filter. just get a whisper that is sized for a 40gal. they're really not that messy. you'll just have to clean the filter every week(maybe sooner) depending on how much you feed. they do have a habit of biting the suction tube when they get a little bigger but you can always partition off the suction tube and the heater if you use one. Steve

Even better, get one that is sized for an 80 gallon. Stick a piece of PVC pipe over the suction intake to prevent biting.

Dont spend too much, you need to start saving up for that much larger tank youre gonna need really soon.
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iturnrocks.com

and for that large cage lol..........nah, for my 300 gallon stock tank i use a pond filter. i just cover it up with rocks so he cant get at it. for the heaters in there ( been thinking of going to a pond heater, but use two 300 watt aquarium heaters)i cut out the appropriate size tubes then drilled holes in the pipes for ventelation, slide heaters in and cap them off. so he cant get a bite at them either.(tubes are made out of pvc also.)

>>for my 300 gallon stock tank i use a pond filter. i just cover it up with rocks so he cant get at it.

Sounds like a lot of fun disassembling all that to change filter media.
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iturnrocks.com

nah, its actually just a couple of large rocks/bricks on top of it. with a few more around it so he cant move it around. all i got to do is move two rocks and its out. no probs at all.

any updated pics of your ally? that has to be one of the best looking snappers i've seen.

wow, thanks. he is hella cool! lol no the most recent pics were from last spring/ early summer. once the weather turns warm i will take him outside and get some new ones. seems like the best pics i take of him are outside. not actually sure its a him, i'll have to take some pics of the tail and let all you ally snapper pros voice your opinions. thanks for the compliments. hopefully the weather will get warm soon.......

(im in wisconsin)