Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi again, everybody. I just can't seem to stop posting. Thanks to Bob, I now know how big Crumpet's new tank is - about 4 gallons. That may sound teeny, and I guess relatively it is, but it's bigger than the last one and he, being roughly the size of a Pringle, likes it fine. I'm a little bit unsure about filtration, though. I've gotten links to some really good sites but I'm just not sure what kind, or size, filter to get at this point. Submersible seems like it might be the way to go for me, and I was looking at a Fluval 2 Plus Internal Filter, 105 GPH. Is that the right size, and would I need to supplement it with another kind, or sponges or what-have-you? I'm a bit unsure, and would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks in advance,
~Amanda

The fluvals don't need to be supplemented with anything, they've got space inside for sponges and activated carbon. I'm just not sure if a fluval 2 would generate too much current for a tiny turtle in a 4 gallon. Unfortunately I don't have any alternate suggestions either, so hopefully someone else with more experience in this area can post.

When I had a small tank I used the smallest Whisper filter. You can get them at Walmart, and they're not very much. The smallest filter suction cups onto the side of the tank so you can shorten the waterfall if it's too much for the turtle. And it has flow control if the fall is too strong. But your turtle will get used to it regardless. My RES was half dollar size when he first got introduced to the waterfall. He got pushed to the bottom by it once and steared clear of it until he was strong enough to deal with it (I think I may have even caught him playing with it).

If you want to conserve filters, you can feed your turtle outside the tank to keep the water clean. I feed my two RES in tupperware containers. They finish within 15 minutes so it's not a big deal to do.

Walmart has two main brands of filter system: Whisper and Aqua something. I've tried both and had great luck with Whisper and bad luck with Aqua something (broke the first night and scared the crap out of my turtles).

Best of luck with your new baby. Turtles rock!

Devin

yeah but really its not fine.
at that size the water will have to be changed daily, at least. The tank is way too small. You should be looking at something at least 20 - 30 inches long and 10 -20 inches wide for a two inch turtle. And as for the filter, don't bother with the tank you have; it wil only take up more space. Just dump out all the water everyday until you can get a bigger enclosure for him
It doesn't have to be a glass/plastic tank you know. You can get rubbermaid storage boxes at wal mart, k mart, home depot and many other stores which are as big as a 20 or 30 gallon tank for 5 - 15 dollars.
The issue is not just one of cleaniliness, all reptiles need access to a thermal gradient. They need to be able to go from a warm place to a cooler place so they can make their body temperature what it needs to be. A tank as small as your offers almost no possibility for this.
Please don't take this as a criticism. It is just far from ideal for the turtle to keep it in such a small cage. It will sicken and die in such an environment almost assuredly.

Hello amanda i have a fluval 2 and have had great success with it you will need to replace the foam pads every 3 to 4 weeks depending on wether you feed in the habitat or out, the really cool thing about the fluval is that it comes with eather polyester pads for fine filtration and carbon pads for chemical and biological filtration but the most important thing to remember is never change all filter medium at once rinse off a foam pad, (just one half of the two pads) or leave the carbon pad in till the other two pads have had a chance to collect some of the benificial bacteria that keeps thing trucking.
all and all collect as much info on this subject till you can come up with a level and informed decision
Analyze and Interpret