Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 29 gallon tank for two hatchlings. I use a duetto filter and have tons of live plants. How often should I clean the tank? Also should I empty it completely or like a fish tank, syphining the rocks and empting it half way? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

just a couple ideas........ try feeding the turds in a different container. Some will, some won't...kinda depends on your patience level. I clean my tank THOUROUGHLY about every 3 weeks. I empty all water, rinse all rocks and other tank items under HOT water, and clean the inside and outside glass with reptile safe glass cleaner. In between, I clean the tank PARTIALLY about every other day, but I'm not too anal about it (sometimes it will go a week). By partial cleaning I mean just emptying half to most of the water and refreshing it with new. Just remember that even if your tank looks clean there is a lot of bacteria that is invisible to your eyes. Try your best, but RES are extemely hardy... so don't worry too much.
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crazyjgrl82

I never empty my tank all the way, I let the good bacteria colonize in my filter and let it cycle. If you empty and clean everything your tank has to start over every time. I haven't emptied my tank since I moved here last June. I clean the filter every 3-4 months, but I just rinse out the foam panels with water. I leave the bio material alone, I don't want to kill the bacteria. My turtles have never had a single health problem, or turned down a feeding, and the water is always crystal clear and doesn't smell at all.
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Question- What kind of filter are you using and how big are your sliders? I have two 8 inchers in a 47 gallon tank and my filter just quit working after 6 months.