Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is there some sort of chemical balance i'm supposed to be keeping track of for my Eastern Painted?

Turtles are not as sensitive as fish are to chemical balance of the water. However you do not want to have high ammonia, nitrites or nitrates or every organic waste in the tank as this can lead the shell and skin problems. Generally if you have good filtration (a good canister filter) and do lots of water changes you shouldn't have a problem.

Could you steer me in the right direction for a decent filter. See the water doesn't go to the top of the tank so I have to have a filter that has two parts, the part that goes into the water and the actual pump. If you understand my drift. I don't know how else to explain it. The filter I have now is just too small and I have to do water changes weekly becasue I feel bad for the little guy.

Check out the "filtration" posts below. It'll be tough for you with a small painted turtle. They can't handle a whole lot of current, but you need a good filter. I really enjoy having these cannister filters. Fluval makes a 204, and maybe even a 104. They may be gentle enough for you. Or, you could always just put a lot of structure in front of the outflow to reduce current.

So I went out and spent the money on a fluval. It works great!! His water stays so clean and i can tell he's much happier! I just had to hit up a different pet store because the one I was going to didn't have anything!! Thanks again!