Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 55 gal display tank in my office. several years ago I raised razorback musk turtles in it, recently it has had fish. I would like to do turtles again. My biggest problem was keeping water clean. I would like some specific filter recomendations. I picture the tank about 2/3 full with flourescent lighting and a basking area with an incadescent bulb. I want easy to clean/maintain. I realize I still need to do frequent water changes. I am willing to pay more for an efficient filter that maintains easier and cheaper. Must keep in mind this tank is a display, it can't be overyly noisy or unsightly. The turtles will go in as hatchlings and move to an outdoor pond when they outgrow the tank.

Hey there,

I would stick to canister filters. You are going to want the water turned over several times an hour. I would recommend any of the Marineland, Rena FilStar, or even the Fluval canister filters. They all will do a great job. Just be sure to get one thats rated for about double the capacity of your aquarium. The common power filters that hang on the back dont usually work because of the water level. Although, Marineland makes a hang on the back canister filter, the Magnum 250, which I have used. It works great, and has lasted me several years. For a 55gal, 2 the of Magnum 250's would definitely get the job done. I'd also recommend you buy online. You will find them much cheaper online, then at any pet store. A few places I'd look would be www.thatpetplace.com and www.drsfostersmith.com

-Chris
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I am currently in the US Navy, so unfortunetly I have sold off my collection of herps. But over the years have kept many different species of turtles, geckos, lizards, amphibs, and even fish. Looking forward to getting back in the hobby once im out though!

Cannister is what I was thinking. the hang on the back ones I was familiar with didn't have enough lift and if they did the "waterfall" would be plenty noisy for a lobby display. Anyone with specific brand, model recomendations? Online ordering is about my only option as the nearest pet store that might carry anything like that is over 100 miles away. I hate buying online sight unseen without recomendations. Thanks for your input and thank you for your service to our country, giving up your reptiles alone shows sacrifice.

Thank you! If you do not want any kind of HOB filter, then Id say the FilStar or the Marineland... You really cant go wrong! I have used the Filstars personally and they worked great. But, the new Marineland canisters look awesome! And, Marineland from prevoius experience has always built quality items! I am tempted towards the Marineland myself...

-Chris
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I am currently in the US Navy, so unfortunetly I have sold off my collection of herps. But over the years have kept many different species of turtles, geckos, lizards, amphibs, and even fish. Looking forward to getting back in the hobby once im out though!

Canister filters are a great way to go b/c most have three stages or compartments so you can do a prefilter, which cuts down on the large debris, a media, to promote a balanced tank, and in the third I would do carbon, which is a purifier. Stay away from hang on the backs and undergravel filters. Also, when looking at canister filters, look at the newer ones that have a self-primer. The nicer ones have these now and it's basically a button you push to siphon water into the unit, instead of having to fill the unit up with water and siphon with your mouth or pump until the filter starts. Trust me, I need a new one, and it's a beating with no automatic primer. Good luck.

Not sure how many gallons my tank is but it's 6 feet long and about 2 feet wide. It's filled half way for my 2 false maps and 1 painted. A few years back I got a pond filter. It's a huge square box that has trays for media and etc. I didn't buy the pump they sold for it b/c it was too expensive and instead got a high water output pump from Dr's Foster and Smith for maybe 30 bucks. Tell you what I have the cleanest turtle tank and they get feed in the tank too. I also have two foot long Plecos that live with them. My water always test prefect and is crystal clear. Unfortunately I don't remember the brand of the filter box and can't find a name on it but it's awesome!!!

Hey there,
I would reccomend the fluval FX5. It is large, but small enough to fit under the aquarium if you have the aqaurium on a proper stand. It is powerful and you may have issues with strong current, some things you can do to alleviate this is to put the intake and output at the bottom of the aquarium half covered in large rocks (it says not to put them this far under the water, but as long as the filter itself is below the tank you are fine). The filter is almost completely silent and I have a hard time telling it is on unless I hold my hand to it. The filter is rated for like 400 gallon tanks so it is more than adequate and provides for a more hassle free upkeep with fewer water changes. It is self primed, but I still recommend priming it by adding as much water to the canister before re-attaching the hoses. I have been using this filter now for about 9 months, and my dbt's started as 1-1.5" babies and have not had any problems with current and are actually better swimmers for it. All in all I rarely ever have to deal with water quality and if I do it is usually as simple as adding a different kind of filter media to the middle basket (clearmax,peat,zeo-carb,lab series opti-carb). I do 25% water changes about once a month, and like I said for the most part my chem and water quality levels are perfect. The filter is dead quiet and my system is very maintenance free.

Thanks, I had already bought a rena filstar XP3 it is very quiet and seems to have a very adequete flow rate, I believe 360 gallons per hour. so far I am very happy with it.