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Hey guys,

I am looking to buy a filter for 15 g tank. I m planning to put some sand and gravel in it. I don't wanna spend a lot of money and want to get a decent machine that will do the job. Also, a device that can clean tank without me dumping water in and out, i think they are calledc vaccum, am i right?

A small tank will not stay clean regardless of how good the filter is. Too many impurities build up and even if the water looks clean, you should still do a partial change. Only larger tanks with biological filtration can go longer without water changes, but they should still have regular/partial changes.

Hey steve,

So what do you recommand? I would love to put some sand at the buttom with some plants in it. I will change water once a week.

First off, I completely agree with Steve. A small tank is difficult to maintain and keep clean as there isn't enough water to dissipate the large amount of waste (which leads to ammonia-->nitrite-->nitrate) produced by a turtle. Also, a 15G tank won't last you very long as your turtle will outgrow it very quickly.

IF you must keep the 15G tank...
Sand will help as the nitrifying bacteria will colonize in your sandbed as well as your filter media. On a very small tank with small filter, run some carbon. The carbon is VERY porous and will also provide a lot of space for bacteria to colonize. The trick with carbon is to put it in media bags and just change out 1/2 of your carbon at a time. A small HOB filter like the Aquaclear line is your best bet for a small 15G tank. You can run a sponge for mechanical filtration to trap the large particles, and two carbon bags... changing out one at a time.

The sponge gives you mechanical. The new carbon gives you chemical, and the stale carbon + sand is your biological bed.

VeipaCray wrote:First off, I completely agree with Steve. A small tank is difficult to maintain and keep clean as there isn't enough water to dissipate the large amount of waste (which leads to ammonia-->nitrite-->nitrate) produced by a turtle. Also, a 15G tank won't last you very long as your turtle will outgrow it very quickly.

IF you must keep the 15G tank...
Sand will help as the nitrifying bacteria will colonize in your sandbed as well as your filter media. On a very small tank with small filter, run some carbon. The carbon is VERY porous and will also provide a lot of space for bacteria to colonize. The trick with carbon is to put it in media bags and just change out 1/2 of your carbon at a time. A small HOB filter like the Aquaclear line is your best bet for a small 15G tank. You can run a sponge for mechanical filtration to trap the large particles, and two carbon bags... changing out one at a time.

The sponge gives you mechanical. The new carbon gives you chemical, and the stale carbon + sand is your biological bed.

Hell Veipacray,

It sound very good to me but i had never owned a fish tank before nor pet so i don't understand some of the terms that you were saying. I will follow exactly what u said but can you provide me with a link on where to buy them? how to set it up? I am going to buy a bag of play sand tomrrow from home depot. What kind of equitments am i going to need to echeive what you suggested? These turtles are my first pet so, i wanna make it right for them but don't wanna spend a lot tho. I already spend 150 + on them. I would love to keep the cost a low as i can.

Thanks a lot

Last edited by VeipaCray on Sat Dec 04, 2010 3:42 am, edited 1 time in total.

You WILL need a much larger aquarium very soon. Up to you if you want to spend to outfit a 15 now and a big one later. You will need about 10 gallons of water per inch of shell. Adult male turtles get 6-9 inches, females get 9-12 inches.

For a turtle filter, triple your tank size and buy a filter for that. For a 15 gallon it's 15x3=45. Aquaclear doesn't make a 45 but they make a 50.

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3579+3610&pcatid=3610

Any pet store will carry aqua clear filters...local or online. The sponges and carbon will be available as an aqua clear media

Keep in mind this filter becomes useless when you get a larger tank. Hopefully you can reuse this 15 gal setup for fish or resell it to recoup some of your investment.

Per your original post, don't use gravel with a turtle. They can swallow pieces and it could become impacted. Sand is fine.
Cleaning sand is easy, just stir it up a little and your filter will do the rest. I wouldn't vacuum sand, the vacuum will suck the sand out. If you insist on a vacuum, look at the python.

VeipaCray wrote:You WILL need a much larger aquarium very soon. Up to you if you want to spend to outfit a 15 now and a big one later. You will need about 10 gallons of water per inch of shell. Adult male turtles get 6-9 inches, females get 9-12 inches.

For a turtle filter, triple your tank size and buy a filter for that. For a 15 gallon it's 15x3=45. Aquaclear doesn't make a 45 but they make a 50.

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3579+3610&pcatid=3610

Any pet store will carry aqua clear filters...local or online. The sponges and carbon will be available as an aqua clear media

Yes, I read about that. I am planning to give them better tank in the future, but i m living in a small apartment now so i don't have room for it. Once i move out to another apartment which may be in 6 months, i will buy bigger tank. if price are not much different i would like to buy a filter that will work for future tank. What do you recommand?

You're going to need a canister filter in the long run for a turtle. Best bang for the buck is the Rena filstar xp3 or xp4. Also available most anywhere. Other good brands for canister filters are fluval and eheim, but they cost more. There's an entire sticky thread on the Rena filstar filters.

Can my tank handle Rena Filstar xp3? They are sort of pricy to me. if i can get one around 100 from ebay, i might pull it off. Is there a cheaper place when i can buy that filter? Also, what do u think about this?
http://www.amazon.com/AquaClear-70-Aqua ... -3-catcorr

gabloo wrote:Can my tank handle Rena Filstar xp3? They are sort of pricy to me. if i can get one around 100 from ebay, i might pull it off. Is there a cheaper place when i can buy that filter? Also, what do u think about this?
http://www.amazon.com/AquaClear-70-Aqua ... -3-catcorr

Long term you're going to want a canister. A hang on aqua clear will not keep a larger deeper turtle tank clean. The xp3 is overkill for a 15 (it will work) but if you're looking to buy one filter that will last you a while as you transition tanks, get a canister. The aqua clear is perfect for a 15, but it's not a long term turtle filter just like the 15 isn't a long term turtle tank.

My turtle lived in a 20 long for it's first year. I had a fluval 305 on the 20 long. My turtle a year+ later is in a 75 with a fluval FX5. The 305 got moved to my wifes cichlid tank.

If price is the issue-
There are knock off filters - can't speak for their reliability or quality because I've never had one, but they are out there and cheap. Look at aquatraders.com. They have two aqua clear knockoffs and a fx5 canister knockoff. Their canister is $50. Use your own judgement and definitely search for some Internet reviews before going that route.

The other thing you can do is search Craigslist or your local classifieds for used filters and gear. Generally stuff is available and much less expensive than new.

VeipaCray wrote:Long term you're going to want a canister. A hang on aqua clear will not keep a larger deeper turtle tank clean. The xp3 is overkill for a 15 (it will work) but if you're looking to buy one filter that will last you a while as you transition tanks, get a canister. The aqua clear is perfect for a 15, but it's not a long term turtle filter just like the 15 isn't a long term turtle tank.

My turtle lived in a 20 long for it's first year. I had a fluval 305 on the 20 long. My turtle a year+ later is in a 75 with a fluval FX5. The 305 got moved to my wifes cichlid tank.

If price is the issue-
There are knock off filters - can't speak for their reliability or quality because I've never had one, but they are out there and cheap. Look at aquatraders.com. They have two aqua clear knockoffs and a fx5 canister knockoff. Their canister is $50. Use your own judgement and definitely search for some Internet reviews before going that route.

The other thing you can do is search Craigslist or your local classifieds for used filters and gear. Generally stuff is available and much less expensive than new.

Thanks a lot VeipaCray. I think i m going with canister as you recommended. Does it every go onsale? I m going to save up my money till i have enough or get them for about 100 dollar.

A friend mine gave me Duetto 100 Submersible power filter. What do you think about that one? Will it do a little job till i get enough money to buy canister? I m gonna put sand and that fillter so it will at least clean up my tank a bit. I don't wanna waste 40 bucks buying something that will not last long.

Again, Thanks for all of your input.

If you already have the Duetto .. definitely use it. It's undersized for a turtle in that size tank so you'll have to clean it often, but it will get you through until you get a canister.

There's not much space in that filter for biological media, so your sand would serve best as your biological platform.
I would run a little carbon in that duetto. Since it's undersized for your tank, the carbon will help with odor. I would also stuff some filter floss in it for mechanical filtration. Filter floss (aka polyfill) is dirt cheap and you will be cleaning this filter every few days. You can get a giant bag of polyfill (it's pillow stuffing) from any Walmart / Target / hobby store... it's in the sewing section. Get a huge bag for a couple of bucks, rip off a small hunk, stuff it in the filter. When the filter clogs because the polyfill is dirty, toss the polyfill in the trash and rip off another handful.

Normally you want biological filtration in a filter for a turtle, but because this filter is so small you probably couldn't get enough biological media in there to be beneficial. So I suggested the polyfill... because it's the cheapest filter media available (and it does a great job of mechanical filtration).

Hello Again,

I am following what you said but since this is my first time owning a tank and pet, i m not sure i m following right.

For carbon are you refering to this?
http://www.petco.com/product/5933/Aquar ... FC_Filters
- How long do they last? How often do i need to change them.

For sand - since it will be mainly source forbiological platform for my tank, should i put a lot of them? How many inch should it put in?

for XP3 - What size ( gallons ) should i buy?

Lastly - when do you recommend me to shop for turtle? i usually shop at petco.com since that the only place i know where to shop at and if i get over 50 dollar i get free shipping.

Thanks a lot again.

Yes that's the correct carbon product. There are varying reports on how long carbon lasts. In my opinion, you should change the carbon every 4-6 weeks.

You don't need a ton of sand. I'd shoot for about an inch of sand.

For any turtle filter, the bigger the better. You will never say, darn I bought too big of a filter. You may say the opposite. Xp3 is a good bang for the buck canister. If you can afford the xp4 even better. I went with the fx5 because it's one of the largest canisters out there. Your turtle WILL grow. I personally prefer to buy a better piece of gear up front. I find in the long run it costs less than buying lesser gear and replacing with something better later.

Before you get a turtle, make sure you read a lot on this site. Read and understand all of the care and housing requirements. If you have questions ASK. I've found this forum to be a very friendly community and there are a lot of people willing to help you. A turtle if properly cared for can live 40+ years. Take your time, get the knowledge and the proper gear up front.

As for getting a turtle... I wouldn't buy one. There are turtle rescues looking for people to adopt. There are people on here trying to find homes for turtles they no longer want. I'd go that route myself, but it's ultimately your choice.

Marisa or Steve (on this site) could probably point you towards a local rescue if you're interested in that.

You're welcome. At any time please feel free to pm or email me if you have questions. If I can't help you I can certainly point you towards someone that can.

Hello Veipa,
I decided I will go with a good canister since filter are the one doing most of the job in the tank. Difference between px3 and fx5 is about 50 or 60 dollar difference, so if I am going to buy it I will just go for something that will last longer.
I was like one of those people who had no knowledge on taking care of a pet. If I knew it earlier, I would have get everything ready before I adopt turtles but this forum helped me out a lot and pointed to right direction. I am going to well take care of my two baby turtle. As of for now, I will have to make the best out of what I have till I get enough money to buy canister. Beside good canister I got pretty much everything which will keep me going for couple months till I buy canister. I got UVB lights, basking spot, 15 g tank, small filter, heater, deco’s and sand.
Where would be the best place to buy canister? Beside craigslist and eBay. I will keep on checking to get the best deal out of it.
Again, thank you very much for your time and I do really appreciate it. My turtles will not have better life without your help.

Gabloo

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