Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had my turtle for about 6 months now. She is outgrowing her current aquarium (in my opinion anyway, she's still quite small) so i'm upgrading.

1. Filter: Would a Fluval 203 canister be fine for a 20 gal long? How exactly do these work? They are external, correct? So they wont take up space in the tank?

2. Plants: Water Hyacinth, Water lilies, Elodia, and Duckweed. Are these fine? Also, i dont want to use gravel. How can i secure the plants? Just let them float? What about the stone gravel? How does the stone affect the water? Can i use it to hold down the plants? Do you even know the stone type gravel i'm talking about?

3. Turtle Dock: Is it worth 20 bucks?

Thank you, your help is appreciated.

i can't help you on your filter because i have a pond and i have a big filter for it but your plants seem fine. just know red ear sliders eat duckweed. don't use gravel. i found out the hard way that turtles eat it and i had one die, it also makes it harder to clean. and yes a baking area is worth $20. thats how much they ar here
hope it helps,
nathan

So do you just let your plants float?

Thank you for your help

The turtle dock is great, I love mine. The Fluvals have an intake and output tube that go in the tank. The rest of the filter sits outside of the tank. The whole operation is whisper quiet. I wouldn't bother with a 20 gallon tank, why not just get a real big tank so you never have to buy another one? Your turtle will outgrow the 20 gallon very quickly. I have been able to use my 55 gallon tank for several years, and it should be fine until next summer when we put a pond in the backyard.
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