Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 20 gallon tank and I'm looking to buy either a Fluval 3 Plus or a Aquaclear 300 for my RES. I've read a lot of great reviews about how well Aquaclears work in fish aquariums, but I haven't gotten any opinions on how they work in turtle tanks? Does anyone have any experience with them?

Also, I know that the hang-on-the-side waterfall filters are really loud and annoying. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to mute the sound? I was thinking of siliconing some acrylic underneathe the waterfall or maybe stacking rocks around it to make it look like an actual waterfall.

And last, does anyone have any suggestions on filter media? How often does the filter need to be changed?

THanks!
Payley

When I first got my turtles I started with a system like that.. If you can, pickup a canister filter instead.. It's all I've used in the past 12 years of my turtles lives.. and I found it's way easier to keep the water clean.

I'd like to but it's too expensive. They're just babies right now but I don't plan on keeping them in a tank for too long. When they get a little bigger I'll probably build them a pond (which is where the real moola will be spent).

Ah, ok.. well the combination should be ok.. the water flowing out of the tank mounted filter will be loud.. What I didn was attach a piece of plastic to provide something for the water to follow.. it made it a lot quieter

I have been using the Fluval 3 plus for 6 months now and I just HATE it! It does not clean the water at all. It gets the big particles but it leaves the little stuff and it does not get the chemical waste like amonia.

I just converted to a canister filter becuase I upgraded to a larger tank. The one thing I knew to look for was activated carbon. It takes care of that chemical waste and helps maintain a balanced pH.

For your purposes with a 20 gal. tank I would recomend a small power filter (the hang on the tank ones). The TetraTec power filter is by far the best in my opinion. It has two gradients of debris filtering and also has activated carbon pouches, all in an easy to change cartrige (no measuring carbon or buying separate filter media; it's all in 1). It also has a biofilter chamber to cultivate "good bacteria" to further clean the water in the long run and to increase oxigenation of the water. For the cost I think it's well worth it especially for a smaller tank; the cost is really not that much more than the fluval 3 plus.

The drawback of the power filters is that like you said they are not designed for turtle tanks which carry less water volume than a full fish tank. The intake of most power filters is very short compared to a canister or internal filter so your water level in the tank must thus be higher. For a large turtle like mine (10.5 inches long) the water level will be too high for a proper basking area. However, for smaller turtles like yours (i assume they are small given the 20gal. tank) this most likely will not be an issue.

As for the splashing, your ideas sound just about right. The rocks are a natural alternative and would provide a nice hideout or a psudo basking area. But the plexiglass sounds like a much more effective plan although less pleasing to the eye. My hunch is that either way you will be able to significantly reduce the splashing.

I really like my Aquaclear 300. It keeps the water clear and the media is very inexpensive to replace. I just ordered foam and carbon (self-contained) from Big Al's online and it was very reasonable. I have a piece of plexiglass taped to the front of the filter so the water hits the plexiglass and flows down quietly and I also have some large rocks stacked under the waterfall and my turtles like to sit on the rocks and get a massage. I would get one again.

what size tank do you have?

If you dont want the splashing from the power filter, fill the tank all the way up. You can build a simple canopy hood that will prevent escape and cut out a spot for the filter.

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