General Care Discussion :: filter

[mack the knife]

i have a 20gal long with a whisper 30 and a whisper 10 do i have the right filters for the size of tank

[steve]

I'm not sure about those, what size tanks are they rated for?

[Chrisbarnett]

If I'm not mistaken, they are Hang on Back filters. Not really good for turtle tanks, since if the power fluctuates the filter can loose suction and burn out the motor when trying to start back up because it is running dry. Also they are not filtering enough water. You want to filter your water 4-5 times per hour, Think in terms of Gallons Per Hour, You want a filter rated for 80-100 GPH to filter your tank effectively enough for a turtle. A Canister filter is the most recommended type of filtration system for a turtle tank.

[mack the knife]

they are rated for a 20gal and a 10gal and i get cloudy water

[TheComputerGremlin]

You want to look at gallons per hour turnover, not total size when it comes to turtles.

At this point, your turtle is probably outgrowing the tank anyways, or already has. What size is your turtle?

Since you probably need a tank upgrade and a filter upgrade, start looking for deals on a 75+ gallon tank an a canister filter, like a Rena XP3 or XP4 or a Fluval FX5.

[grey goose]

they are rated for a 20gal and a 10gal and i get cloudy water

Did you just start using these filters? Is the media new? If so you have "new tank syndrome"(Google it)....Go to the pet store and get some Biozyme. Follow the directions and the water should begin to clear up shortly. Also do a 20-25% water change every other day. DON'T change out all the water.
A 20 gallon tank with those two filters will be OK for one baby turt.....for now. Start planning for a larger tank and filter. They grow pretty fast!

[marisa]

I used to use an AquaClear 70 (a H.O.T. filter) with a 20-gallon long tank with a 2.5-inch turtle and it worked just fine. True, if the power went out it could lose it's prime (lost power once, but the filter for some reason was able to pull the water up and kept working when the power resumed). But it worked well, took up no space in the tank and was a reatively cheap solution for filtering the water at the time.

[1981camaroz28]

Yes you have enough filtration the whisper 10 alone will filter 90gph so you are cycling 270gph way more than the 5 times amount this board recommends. And yes the cloudy water is due to a new tank setup. I use something called Cycle ask anyone with a fish tank it's the best stuff on the market. I try not to use the drops to clear the water only for the reason I can't say 100% it don't hurt there eyes. The less chemicals in a tank the better and cycle is all natural. Also just a hint with those type of filters if you don't do this already once a week I take the cartridge out and wash them with a garden hose and remember the charcoal inside will only last about 1 month.

they are rated for a 20gal and a 10gal and i get cloudy water