Equipment Review and Discussion :: Filter Media Thread

Various accessories and equipment discussed here.

Post Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 5:25 pm   Filter Media Thread

INTRO

The "Filter Media Thread" serves as a reference for filtration best practices derived from Turtle Talk community experience. Recommendations here are specific to aquatic turtle keeping and may differ from your filter manufacturer's documentation. It is ultimately the decision of the individual turtle keeper to choose what to do with any information presented on this forum. There is an ongoing effort to continuously edit and improve this thread, so please send me a message if you spot an error or would like the addition of a particular filter.

FILTER SIZE

We must first know what size environment for our turtle. From the main portion of the website: "A guideline to determine this size used by many keepers, as a minimum, is 10 gallons of tank per each inch of shell length (refer to SCL for correct shell measurement). Therefore, a single adult RES will require anywhere between a 90 to a 120 gallon tank."

Advertised filter specifications are assumedly based on filtration needs for an appropriately stocked community fish tank. A single aquatic turtle produces a much greater bio load than an average community of fish. Therefore the guideline we follow is to divide the filter's advertised capacity rating by three. For example, a filter rated to handle an aquarium up to 150 gallons, should adequately filter up to 50 gallons of aquatic turtle environment water to which I will refer throughout this thread as "turtle gallons". This is only a suggested guideline as different filters have different operational designs, pumps, and flow rates. The turtle gallon ratings are for adult sized turtles.

MEDIA

There's three types of filtration media needed for a healthy turtle environment: mechanical, chemical and biological. Descriptions of each of these media types can be found on the main part of the site: http://www.redearslider.com/filtration.html

Mechanical media types most commonly used in turtle keeping are synthetic sponge pads and filter floss. Sponge pads are usually provided or sold by the filter manufacturer specific to a filter model due to their unique shape or size. Sponge pads can be cleaned, rinsed and reused many times. Filter floss is a universal, temporary, inexpensive, disposable media capable of trapping very small particles. Filter floss is sold in the fish section of most pet stores and is also available as "polyfill" or "pillow stuffing" in the crafts or sewing section of many other stores.

Chemical media recommended for aquatic turtle filtration is activated carbon and/or Purigen.
Carbon needs to be replaced regularly and can last from a few days to a month depending on water conditions.
Info on Purigen is available here: Seachem Purigen

Biological media recommended for aquatic turtle filtration is ceramic rings, stars, or nuggets. Bio media is available from many manufacturers with the only comparable differences being packaging, price, and shape. There are other types of bio media available, but the ceramic media provides the most amount of surface area.

OPTIONAL SETUP*

A temporary media configuration via the use of filter floss and carbon is provided for the following use cases:

  • Water Polishing: removal of fine particles such as suspended sand to clarify cloudy water
  • Water Conditioning: removal of chlorine and chloramine without adding conditioning chemicals
  • Tank Cleaning: major cleaning events can stir up gunk that can quickly consume regular filtration media
If you are considering the optional media configuration to remedy an algae problem, this may help: Algae Control

*Diagrams will be indicated as "optional"

SUGGESTED NEW TANK SETUP

This setup method is useful if you are using non-filtered tap water and/or have sand substrate.
No hazardous water conditioning chemicals are needed for this setup method.

  1. Place your substrate in your tank (skip this step for bare bottom tanks)
  2. Fill your tank with cold tap water
  3. Set your filter up for the "optional" media configuration
  4. Install, set, and turn on your aquarium heater
  5. Install and turn on your filter
  6. After 24-48 hours, turn off your filter
  7. Reconfigure your filter for "normal" media configuration
  8. Turn your filter back on

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Post Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 5:34 pm   Re: Filter Media Thread

Fluval 04, 05 & 06

305 up to 30 turtle gallons.
405 up to 40 turtle gallons.

The Fluval "06" filters have more powerful pumps than the "05" filters. The media trays are the same so please use the same diagrams. 304,305 & 306 use the same diagram. 404,405 & 406 use the same diagram.

306 up to 40 turtle gallons.
406 up to 55 turtle gallons.

Fluval 05 Series Manual

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Post Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 6:30 pm   Re: Filter Media Thread

Fluval FX5: Up to 150 turtle gallons
FX5 Manual

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Post Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 6:40 pm   Re: Filter Media Thread

Rena XP:

XP3 aka API FilStar XP Large: Up to 75 turtle gallons
XP4 aka API FilStar XP XL: Up to 100 turtle gallons
Rena XP Manual




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Post Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 8:05 pm   Re: Filter Media Thread

Eheim Pro III

Eheim Pro III 2071: up to 25 turtle gallons
Eheim Pro III 2073: up to 40 turtle gallons
Eheim Pro III 2075: up to 75 turtle gallons
Ultra G Manual (2071,2073,2075)

Eheim Pro IIIe 2074: up to 40 turtle gallons
Eheim Pro IIIe 2076: up to 55 turtle gallons
Eheim Pro IIIe 2078: up to 90 turtle gallons

Eheim Pro III XL 2080: up to 150 turtle gallons
Eheim Pro III XL 2180: up to 150 turtle gallons
Pro III XL 2080 Manual



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Post Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:26 am   Re: Filter Media Thread

Eheim Classic
2215: Up to 30 turtle gallons
2217: Up to 55 turtle gallons
2260: Up to 130 turtle gallons
2262: Up to 150 turtle gallons
Eheim Classic Manual (2215,2217)
Eheim Classic Manual (2250,2260)
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Post Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:28 am   Re: Filter Media Thread

Eheim Ecco

Ecco Pro 2232: Up to 10 turtle gallons
Ecco Pro 2234: Up to 20 turtle gallons
Ecco Pro 2236: Up to 25 turtle gallons
Eheim Ecco Manual (2215,2217)
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Post Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:30 am   Re: Filter Media Thread

Marineland Magnum 350: Up to 30 turtle gallons
Marineland Magnum 350 Pro (has bio wheel): Up to 30 turtle gallons
Marineland Magnum Hang On Tank (HOT): Up to 20 turtle gallons
Marineland Magnum Hang On Tank (HOT) Pro (has bio wheel): Up to 20 turtle gallons
Magnum 350 Manual
Magnum HOT Manual

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Optional:
Remove the Media Basket and install the optional pleated micron polishing cartridge.
** Carbon is needed to remove chloramine. **The pleated micron cartridge will not work for water conditioning.
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Post Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:34 am   Re: Filter Media Thread

Marineland C-series
C-160: Up to 10 turtle gallons
C-220: Up to 25 turtle gallons
C-360: Up to 40 turtle gallons
C-530: Up to 55 turtle gallons
C Series Manual

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Post Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:38 am   Re: Filter Media Thread

JBJ Reaction

All Reaction series canisters have a built-in UV sterilizer and require the use of a white floss polishing pad to keep small particles from entering and damaging the sterilizer during normal operation.

EFU-25: Up to 40 turtle gallons.
EFU-35: Up to 55 turtle gallons.
EFU-45: Up to 75 turtle gallons.
JBJ Reaction Manual

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Post Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:38 am   Re: Filter Media Thread

Penn Plax Cascade

CCF1UL aka 500: Up to 10 turtle gallons
CCF2UL aka 700: Up to 20 turtle gallons
CCF3UL aka 1000: Up to 40 turtle gallons
CCF4UL aka 1200: Up to 55 turtle gallons
CCF5UL aka 1500: Up to 75 turtle gallons
Cascade (500) Manual
Cascade (700,1000) Manual
Cascade (1200, 1500) Manual
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Post Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:40 am   Re: Filter Media Thread

Generic Filters

Description

There are many generic and clone filters available that offer an economical alternative to the name brand mainstream filters. While these filters are significantly less in price, there are some drawbacks. They generally do not carry the same warranty, are lacking customer support, are missing documentation, and have little to no user community experience compared to mainstream filters. The build quality of these filters vary and sourcing replacement parts may present a challenge. If you are a firm believer in "you get what you pay for", these filters are not for you. If you are looking for a budget friendly option and are willing to accept the risks that come with the price point, the generic filters may be just what you've been looking for.

Disclaimer

Too many generic filter brands and models exist making it difficult to document each one individually. Some are clones of others either by appearance or function, some go by multiple "brand" names with multiple model numbers, and some have no documentation. Internet searching will generally yield reviews, critiques and some useable information about any product and is strongly recommended prior to your purchase decision.

Media Setup

Generically speaking (HA!) we need to understand the path of water within the filter. Instruction manuals, online reading, or comparison of similar filter models might help you to understand the water flow path. Once we know how water travels through a given filter, we can apply the following sequence of filter media:

  1. Mechanical - sponge or floss to trap large debris before it clogs up the rest of the filter
  2. Chemical - carbon or purigen to absorb dissolved organics and help keep the bio media clean
  3. Biological - allows for growth of nitrifying bacteria to break down ammonia and nitrites

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Post Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 1:08 pm   Re: Filter Media Thread

Growing List of Generic Canister Filters

This list will probably never be complete.
Please send me a message for any list additions or corrections.

Via Aqua
  • VA-230
  • VA-300
  • VA-650
  • VA-750
  • UTC 600
  • UTC 800
  • UTC 1000
  • UTC 1200
  • UTC 3200
  • UTC 3200-UV
  • UTC 3400
  • UTC 3400-UV

Aquatop aka Sun/Sun
  • Aquatop CF-300 same as Sun/Sun 302
  • Aquatop CF-400UV same as Sun/Sun 303b
  • Aquatop CF-500 UV same as Sun/Sun 404b
  • Aquatop DF-200
  • Aquatop DF-300
  • Aquatop EF-200
  • Aquatop EF-300


Odyssea aka Jebo
  • Jebo 825/835
  • Jebo 828/838 aka Odyssea CFS 4
  • Jebo 829/839
  • Odyssea CFS 500
  • Odyssea CFS 800
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Post Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 2:35 pm   Re: Filter Media Thread

Canister Filters NOT recommended for Turtles

API Nexx
Rena XP1/XP2 or XP Small/Medium
Fluval G Series
Fluval 104, 105, 204, 205
ZooMed 501
Tom Aquatics Rapid Mini Canister
Marineland Magnum 350
Marineland Magnum HOT
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