General Care Discussion :: Having problems with water temps

[julie373]

Thanks everyone for responding to my posts! Everyone has been such a great help. I went out and got a stealth heater, and it's wonderful! It's been at a consistent 79.7 all day! And it worked so quickly! When I put the Neptune in before it took 5 hours to reach an acceptable temp, this one took like no time at all. My turtle is very happy! Also, to pick peoples brains a little more. I have a whisper filter, and it doesn't seem to work all that well at keeping the water clean, how often do I need to change the filter bag? And is there a better one? Also, my turtle has trouble swimming through the current, is there one that would be easier for him/her? Is there a fully submersable one?

[megcornell]

I always used fluval filters for my smaller tanks (10 and 29 gallons) and that worked wonderfully although I have heard mixed reviews about them. The important thing to remember is to get a filter that is rated for 2-3x the size of your tank because turtles produce a lot of waste. THis can be tricky in smaller tanks because you have to balance between good filtration and not getting a filter that takes up too much room or produces too strong of a current... for me the fluvals worked, but you might find a different brand more appealing.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Stealth heaters are AWESOME. They cost a few more bucks, but the good thing is you don't have to worry about glass shattering, especially with a BIG adult RES like mine (she's a bulldozer).

[julie373]

Can anyone suggest a good filter by brand for my 40 gallon tank, that wont be too powerful for my turtle? My turtle just looks like he/she struggles so much in the stream, and I don't want it to get too tired out by the current or anything like that.

[industrial_girl_2000]

You should be able to turn down the speed of the water coming out of the filter....usually there is a lever somewhere on the filter. Have you done this yet?

[julie373]

When I get home tonight I will have to take a look at it. I don't recall seeing anything adjustable on it, and I read through the directions completely (several times) and it mentions nothing about adjusting the water flow

[industrial_girl_2000]

If you have a whisper filter, there may be a small knob or lever on the top of the filter that adjusts the water flow. In your case, it may be a knob. The fluval filters have a thin small blue lever on the front of the filter that slides back & forth.

Definitely look at the filter later & let us know what you find out. If you aren't sure, post a picture of it & maybe we can help you find the adjustment knob/lever.

[julie373]

I just looked at my filter, and I saw no sort of knob or lever, but I need a new one anyway, because it doesn't seem to keep my water all that clean. It's not like really dirty, but it's not crystal clear either.