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hi there,

i have two RES that i've had for over 20 years. About 15 years ago they started fighting and cant live together anymore. I have them in a "duplex" which included 2 40 or 45?) gallon tanks on a stand (one below the other). i need to get some better filtration going and want canister filters. my issue is after reading a ton of the reviews, what would work for the lower guy. I cant have a filter that needs to be below the water level as his tank is on the lower part of the stand and sits only about 8 inches off the floor. Both tanks are just over half full with water. i'm assuming that requires a filter rated for over 135 gallons? (3 times 40/45 gallons). Can anyone suggest a good brand of canister? i cant afford more than $160 because i'll need to buy two!! i was looking at the Filstar XP-L and the Ehaim 2217. thoughts?

No on the filstar. They started making them in China and have problems. I like fluval filters but there are cheaper options also like sunsun or Odyssey. I don't know about Eheim.

Do they all need to sit below the water level?

Canisters need to sit below the water, to help with priming and efficiency. You can get it to work when sitting next to a tank but it's tricky to get it going. What about a hang on filter? Are both turtles males?

Sorry I didn't get back sooner. Steve is correct. All though not impossible to get them to work not recommended. You would need only one hang on back filter correct. The other could be a canister. Or you could raise the stand. My fx worked with my tank on the ground but not very well. The waterline of my tank is now about 9" higher than the top of my filter and it works fine.

Yes both are male. One is very active and the bigger ow is very docile. Little one always goes right for big one! Does the fitter have to be below the bottom of the tank? I have a hanging filter that I could extend down a bit for big guy on bottom I guess. Has anyone ever tried splitting the intake /output of one canister to use with two tanks or that's nuts?

I wouldn't recommend dividing one filter's work between the two tanks (if that's what you are referring to). If one of your turtles gets sick, you don't want any contamination.

I think the top of the filter needs to be below the lowest point of the intake tube. If it's not, it would be easy for the filter to lose it's prime and causing air to stop any water movement.

I think someone has split the filter before but it's not worth the trouble. One little mishap and you will have a huge mess.

Bigger tanks with a physical barrier is a better option. It won't prevent possible contamination that Jeremiah mentions, but a hospital tank might be necessary anyway if it ever came to that.

Update.
After some discussion with bigals about the fact that one of my turtle tanks is below the other, I ordered 2 Cobalt EXT canister filters. He decribed a few factors that convinced me that even if its rated lower than say the eheim 2217, the fact that the pump is external makes it the only possible solution because nothing else will rpime enough. also its so low in energy use and price I could run two for the price of a Fluval and still use less energy. I just can't afford the FX6 especially with two tanks to run. Without a motor in the canister there is more room for filter media so we'll see. I'll update once they arrive next week. The price of those other filters are crazy! Also the amount of power they use is something to consider for me. I got the Cobalt for around $120 CDN and well...you american folks could get 4 for the price of the Fluval one. Just something to consider.

I wouldn't trade my fx's but thanks anyway. Pictures when you get them. Never heard of Cobalt! Thanks.