Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I received my RES last year from a neighbor who didn't want it anymore, and since I have turtles, well, she gave it to me. She had it in a bowl, so I first put him in a plastic container and now he is in a JUMBO lagoon (about 2 feet long and 15" wide), complete with a heater and UV light. The water is warm and he is growing like a bean!! There is no filter yet, the water stays pretty clean except for the algae problem,(from the UV light I suppose). I clean his water about once a week. I want to add a filter, but my question is, should I add the filter to the lagoon, or put him in this 20 gallon tank I have, and what kind of filter do I use if I do use that? He is now almost 2" long. Also, are fish filters and turtle filters the same? I have so many filters from the flea markets, (everyone supplies me with tanks and filters cause they know I always need them!) If they are the same, I have to bring them to my local pet shop to decipher their use!

Yes, put him in a tank, those silly lagoons are not deep enough. RES love to swim, you can fill the 20 gallon almost all the way to the top. He just needs a basking area so he can climb out of the water and dry off. Fish filters and turtle filters are the same thing, but you need a much stronger filter for a turtle tank. For a 20 gallon tank you need a filter rated for at least a 80 gallon tank. Canister filters seem to work the best.
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Yeah you really should put him in the 20 gallon tank he will be so much happer. The only diffrence from a fish filter and a turtle filter is most fish filters are not as strong as you need for a turtle tank. I have gotten a fulval 4 and it is doing a great job.