General Care Discussion :: Uh oh, urgent! Wrong tank for my turtle!

[Chuibby]

Hi, someone bought me a fish tank without me tagging along. It's a 10 gallon tank which isn't enough but he said he bought the whole package for 50$-.-. I guess I have to buy a platform and a light for it but I'm not sure about the filter. This filter is from Whisper and it's a power filter but I'm not sure if it's for turtles. I will need someone to tell me if a fish filter is the equivalent of a turtle filter. I just wished he didnt buy this tank >.< and just waited for me to choose the right one.

[danny123]

Uhmmmmmm

i unforunatley have the tetra whisper filter

its okay i guess

the water is clear but theres alotta stuff at the bottom of the tank and the waterfall pushes water down to the place where the junk gets sucked in and nothing is able to get in there because everything will be pushed down by the force of the waterfall. so i took out the thing thats made to hold the filter on the tank and put in the extra suction cup that came with it. its hard to fit it in the whole so i used a needle to push it in. if i were you, id return the tank and use the money to get a bigger one for cheap on craigslist.

[Chuibby]

Unfortunately... this someone bought the whole kit in Toronto... and I live in Quebec... 6 hours away. Why did he buy it argh...

[danny123]

ooooh, i also have a 10 gallon for my turtle =[

i guess its okay for a temporary home. he seeems pretty happy =D

[gt5268]

How big is your turtle?? If your turtle is small a 10 gallon will do as a temp home but if your turtle is big a 10 gallon will not do.Yes just look for a used on on craigslist.You will find a tank cheap.

[danny123]

he's only 1.5 inches

is glass better then acrylic?

[gt5268]

Okay he will be fine for a while but these guys get big fast.You have a while yet so in the meantime do check out craigslist.If you see a great deal on a tank grab it!!! I really can't say if glass is better then acrylic but I prefer glass tanks.Acrylic tanks will scratch very easy.I will let someone who knows better answer that for you.

[danny123]

yeah i think im going to get another glass one because my turtle swims against the tank alot so it'll get scratched up pretty quick

[gt5268]

Yes they will do that and acrylic tanks are more money.

[danny123]

only because theyre light

[Chuibby]

But... a fish tank is okay for my turtle? So is the Tetrea Whisper Power Filter?

[mat012]

Yes - In fact that is exactly what you need. Many reptile tanks are not built to hold water. Basically think of your turtle as a fish that just needs a place to dry off on and bask for a few hours a day. Most of your supplies will come from aquarium stores or the fish aisles. Except for the dock and lights - the big stores usually keep those with the reptile products.

The power filter will also do fine especially since you are starting off with a small tank. Eventually when you upgrade your tank (you will need to one of these days) you can consider a more powerful filter. But for now that one will do.

I encourage you to get a test kit too (also sold in the fish aisle). This will help you monitor your water quality. Like fish, turtles appreciate dechlorinated water. So you will need a "water conditioner". Also their waste creates ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in the water. You need to do regular water changes - just take out about 25-50% of the water and put in fresh water. This will reduce the amount of ammonia, etc in the water so your turt will be happy. The test kit allows you to determine if these chemicals are at harmful levels.

In lieu of a test kit, on that small of a tank just change out the water weekly and then do a complete tank clean out about once a month. This should be ok. If the crud gets to make the water cloudy or dirty - clean the tank more frequently. A tank "vaccum" helps with this alot. This is a syphon that pulls water from the tank and sucks up the waste.

Also go to the main pages of this site. There is a nice list of the things you need to keep an RES, plus lots of info. You'll have fun reading up.

My Dad is good at "helping" me by buying me things that I dont really want. So I completely understand your frustration. But in this case, everything is fine. Your turtle is small and you now have a basic set up for free. Say thanks and know that he has a good home until you can get a larger more permanent set up. He can stay there for a good while while he is small. Now you also have more time to plan and save for that perfect tank!

[danny123]

Try to upgrade your filter. Thats what i plan on doing because its veryveryvery dirty on the bottom of my tank

[Chuibby]

Thanks so much Mat:D Now I won't need to stress out so much about my tank!