Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just set up my 50 gal tank and my Fluval 404 and I have some questions for anyone who uses a Fluval.
1) I have the foam, carbon packs, and the white macaroni looking things. Is this good media for my turtles? Is there anything else I should add to my water?

2) How often should I cange the media and how do I even know if it needs to be changed?

3) Do I just wait for the water to get cloudy and gross looking before I clean the whole tank?

4) My dad is on my case about the filter running all the time and bring up the electricity bill (we didn't get a bill yet). Is this going to be a problem or is my dad just trying to drive me insane... as always.

Anyones advice would be greatly appreciated.

I use the same medium in my fluval filter, it seems to get the job done. Personally, I clean the filter twice a year, when I notice the return flow back into the tank slowing down. I haven't changed the water itself in a year. The water is very clean, and my turtles have never had a health problem. I don't think the filter uses that much electricity, it seems to use less than the lights do. Anyway, the filter must run all the time.
-----

Oh, and I change the carbon pack when I clean the filter after 6 months, but leave the bio things in, just rinse them off with water. They hold good bacteria which breaks down waste, so if you replace them your tank would have to cycle all over again. I have been using the same ones for about 3 years. The foam parts last about a year, washing them really well works for awhile, but they get discolored and gross eventually.
-----

The fluval barely uses that much electricity. All it contains is a little motor and a a water vane to move the water... The oven uses more in half an hour...

As far as media changes go, the carbon should be changed every six months or so, the foam just rinsed off in hot water and the bio material, just rinse the gunk off.

Water changes should be done every few months.. do about a half to quarter change, and you should be good.
-----
Coastal Carpet Python 0.1 (Lillith)
Albino Burm 0.1 (Kimba)
Columbian RedTail 0.1 (Squishy)
Kenyan Sand Boa 1.0 (Shai'hulud)
Common Snapping Turtle 0.1 (Sherman) (RIP Abrahms)
RES 1.0 (speedy)

now i feel as though i'm doing something wrong. i have 1 res and a 46 gal tank. the only things in there are the 20 rocks on the bottom, a turtle shell that someone here made for me, and a piece of cork bark.

i clean the whole tank and the whole filter every 3 weeks. theres a bunch of food and poo stuck on the foam that i have to change that everytime i clean the filter. i leave the carbon and the white ceramic stuff.

i have a 304. i give her 10 pieces of small round pellets 2 times a day. am i feeding her too much. i'm planning on buying elodea today and putting a bunch of that in the aquarium. she likes to eat it and touch it. i usually dont have plants in there. anyway, please help me!
-----
0.0.1 Red Eared Slider

Your tank will stay a lot cleaner if you feed her in a different container. Also, they should only get pellets every other day, not twice a day. Your tank probably gets dirty because you are over feeding.
-----

dsgngrl,
Do you have any fish in with your turtles?

Thanks for the help guys.

LOL, sometimes I have feeder fish but not for very long. I do have 2 snails and ghost shrimp, for some reason my guys ignore them.
-----

If you are cleaning everything in your tank every 3 weeks you are not allowing your tank to cycle. If you allow the "good" bacteria to grow in your filter your tank will stay clear and clean with little effort, don't do a 100% water change and never wash everything in your filter at the same time. Also, if you rinse out the sponges in your filter do it in tank water, the chlorine in the tap water can kill the beneficial bacteria. I just make sure that I leave something untouched when I am cleaning. If I rinse out the sponge, I don't do anything to the carbon. It is difficult to resist dumping everything and cleaning when the water is cloudy but you will be rewarded for your patience.

so after the cloudy---the tank will look clear? or will it always be cloudy?

thanks for the replies.
-----
0.0.1 Red Eared Slider

I will get clear.