Habitat - Indoor :: Decision on upgrading my filter, PLEASE ADVISE!

[redearcoma]

Hi everyone, I love my turtles.
Currently, I have a Aquaclear 200/50 for my 29 gallon long tank and I have a 6" Red Ear Slider and a 4" Mississippi Map Turtle in there along with 2 snails and 5 Plecos. YES, no murder scene yet.
I am deciding to upgrade to a better filter because I find the the bottom of the tank quite messy, what do you guys advice me to upgrade to?
I heard great things about the Fluvals and the Magnums...but shall I stick to Aquaclear? Thanks in advance!

Also, what do you think about putting the Map and RES together?

Thanks.

[cam722]

well first off, you may want to think about upgrading your tank along with the filter. a 6" RES needs more than 29 gal tank. The guideline for tank size is approximately 10gals for each inch of shell. Not sure on map turtles but most aquatic turtles seem to require the same setup. I like Aquaclear but someone else will have to advise you on the Fluvals etc as I've never used them.

[GouzlanTheAmerican]

29 gallon tank with 5 plecos, 2 snails, 6" and 4" turtles in a 29 gallon tank! that is way too small! i would get a bigger tank. about a 100 gallon tank or pond. or you could get a kiddi pool. as for a filter for a tank that big you should go for a pond filter.

[marisa]

First, upgrade your tank. A turtle with a 6-inch shell length and one with a 4-inch shell length ideally need to be in a 100-gallon tank (10 gallons of tank per inch of shell length); plus, you have other creatures in the tank as well.

If you get a bigger tank, you'll be able to get a good canister filter--Magnums, Fluvals, XP3s all have their pros and cons, but they all have their supporters.

I have an AquaClear 110 (500) in a forty-gallon stock tank with nowhere near the number of inhabitants yours does, and it works well. Your AquaClear is too small for a 29-gallon tank. No matter what you get, though, your turtles and their "friends" need a much bigger tank.