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New at this with recently inherited 2 adult RES in a 50 gallon tank. The filter it came with (ExoTerra FX200) is obviously not capable of keeping up with two adults. Currently running about 20 gallons water and having a horrible stink issue. So, I am looking to build my own filter system and wanted recommendations on which system seems to work the best for RES in a 50 gallon tank. I've found three main types - DIY canister style, DIY sand or fluidized sandbed filters, and the all out sump style. There are lots of DIY plans online but was hoping to get some input before settling on one style or plan. Any help appreciated.

For turtles large canisters with lots of mechanical and bio filtration do the best. There are some large generic canisters on ebay or aquatraders.com that can be had cheaper than you can build them if you're basing your decision on price. If you like to build I totally understand the appeal and would focus on a canister type filter that holds a lot of media.

First, I would recommend separating the turtles, especially if they are of different genders. Females will end up needing 125 gallons to themselves, and males at least 70 gallons (75 and up is preferable). I just wanted to bring that up, in case you didn't want to have to build 2 filters.

That being said, though, I have had the most success with filters that somewhat resemble a canister. I call them "DC" filters (Draining Centrifuge), and they have worked really well for me on both my outdoor pond and indoor stock tanks. It has a bottom intake (you can either drill into the side or have a pipe drop straight down into it from your pump), that ends in a "T"-shaped structure whose purpose is to spin the dirty water and send solids to the bottom of the container (you would use a 5 gallon bucket, but I use small HDPE drums). From there, the water just climbs up through filter pads and bio-media and tumbles back into the tank from the top of the filter. The key, though, is to build a little stand for the filter so you can install a bottom drain (basically, just a PVC exit pipe with a valve). That way, to conduct water changes and collect waste from the filter, all you have to do is open the valve, and you've hit two birds with one stone.

Thanks for the advice. The stink was so bad I needed something quick so I got a Cascade 1200 with biorings. Problem solved. I'm still interested in different designs as I'll eventually expand my system and will need greater filtering capacity. Seems like the sump style with a siphon feed into a top-down filter housing with a return pump seems easiest and cheap. I'll try to post anything I create.