Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi. I'm very frustrated with cleaning my RES's 20 gal tank. I have a waterfall-style filter, but I can't seem to keep the bottom clean without stirring up the water. I used to have a fish aquarium, and still have my canister-filter. Is there any use to an undergravel with my RES? or is his waste too big to be picked up. I've tried a cyphon filter, but all that does is take all the water out. The tank is also on the floor of my room right now, on a towel, and kneeling down scooping a party cup's worth of water out at a time is very taxing to the back. If there's anything easier I can do without spending a fortune, can somebody let me know? Thanks.

There is a device called a python that hooks up to your sink and empties then refills your tank. I'm not sure how much they cost but people with lots of turtles LOVE the python. Try looking for it at some online stores.

I use two waterfall filters. I always get ones that are for much larger tanks than what I have, this way it keeps the water circulating around in there. Get rid of any gravel in the tank too, the gravel makes a place for the "junk" to hide. I have marbles in mine, just because I like the looks of them as apposed to a bare bottom. I also use an undergravel filter, it does collect alot of junk but it also keeps the water moving enough for the filters to pick up most of it. A good canister filter would be the best but when you cannot afford it you have to improvise. haha. I agree with the python syphoning thing, it saves alot of work. Also you might try just changing some of the water once or twice a week.. stir up the water so that the junk is off the bottom then clean up half of that water then you have taken out half of the bad stuff. THis helps the filters out some. Good luck!
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Slow and Steady wins the race...

Thanks for your help. How does an undergravel work? Would my RES's nails break it? I also live in CT and the temps here get pretty cold, but my pet store said don't bother putting a heater in, he'll just stay relatively dormant during the winter when his water's cold. He already broke my first heater and when I went to go back to get a new one, they said they're native to cold temps up here..he just won't be as active. Is this a good idea? I mean, he doesn't eat, doesn't excrete... I don't have to clean as much! It sounds too good to be true.

That's pretty much because it is too good to be true. From my experience, turtles need to have heated water and heated basking, unless they are going into a true complete hybernation. What you described isn't hybernation....so I would avoid just letting his tank get cold. When water is between something like 50-65 degrees turtles can enter an "in between" zone where they aren't warm enough to be active and aren't cold enough to hybernate. It can lead to respiratory issues and death. It has an official name, and I can't remember it at this second. I would recommend that you keep your water heated.

I forgot to mention something. Putting your turtle in a separate container for feeding is a huge help! I generally put the turtle in a smaller rubber maid container with about 1 gal of the old water then feed then and let them sit for a half to one hour and then they do all their buisiness in there. I then refill the tank with fresh water. This kills two birds with one stone I figure and replaces a small amount of water daily and keeps most of the junk out of there. I have 18 turtles so this helps drastically.(Yes the house is full of aquariums and rubber maid containers!But once you get hooked you cant stop)(maybe we should start up turtle keepers annonymous? "Hi, my name is Becky and I have 18 turtles and I just cant stop, I am adicted?"hehe.
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Slow and Steady wins the race...

I also have a 20 gallon tank and yes, it's not the easiest to clean out but when I hear what people have to go thru with larger tanks I don't feel so bad.

I have way too many critters in my tank to empty out completely and algae is growing on sides and bottom of the tank. I use one of those glass aquarium sponges, it makes a mess in the water but if you do it before you take the water out its okay. Next, I use one of those inexpensive aquarium vaccuums. Basically a ciphon design. Its not the greatest but it works okay for me. I make sure I have a large bucket (5 gallon painters bucket) for the water and dump it outside when I'm done (biodegradable rationalization here). I can only get 2/3 of the water because I don't want all my critters to die. Then I just fill the tank back up with tap water (temperature controlled of course). It's long work and I do it usually twice a week. It really depends on the state of my turtle tank and the clearity of the water. I use a 40 gallon TopFin filter from Petsmart and change the filter every 2 weeks.

I don't have any gravel in the tank however I do have a few garden rocks, fake plants, anarchis plants, a "Turtle Dock" from Zoo Med, and a "tree stump with cave" in the tank. basically, I just inspect my tank daily when I feed my turtle.

Its not nearly as hard as one would think, just need an hour or so a week.

http://www.pythonproducts.com You can order a Python siphon here - they're well worth the price.

As for filters, some people attach an undergravel filter to a canister filter - results in extra strength biological filtration. I've never done it, so I can't tell you how to attach the tubbing from the undergravel filter to the in-take tube of a canister, but it sounds like a good idea.

Also, there are heater/filter combinations out there, with the heater protected inside of the filter. They don't have the filter power to work with a turtle, usually, but the heater is protected! Be wary of pet store advice - some are good, some aren't.

i have a 40 gallon, for the last year i would scoop water out, until it was empty, then i would fill up buckets and pour water in, not only did it take a long time, but it killed my back, so i ordered the "Python"...i got it off ebay, 25ft long for $35 shipped, it hooks up to your sink, it sucks out all the water out of ur tank, and vis verca, its really the best thing i have ever bought in my life, if it was $100, i would buy it for that price too, its sooo worth it..but it, you wont regret it