General Care Discussion :: Filter System help

[turtle mom09]

Hello all. Im getting ready to go on vacation and I need to purchase a filter system for my two turtle tanks so the girl watching over the house and pets wont have to change their water every couple of days.

What size and brand would be good to purchase for my set ups?

1) ten gallon tank with only 5 gals water in it -medium turtle (to be moved after vaction into a 30 gal tank)

2) 30 gallon tank with only 5 gals water in it -baby turtle

Thaks for any advice

[marisa]

The size (especially the 10 gallon) and low water levels really limit what you can get. You didn't specify the sizes (medium size and a baby turtle don't really convey much), but I have to ask why the medium-size turtle is in the smaller tank??? I'd suggest an Aquaclear (hang on the tank filter) for the larger one, but the water level has to be much, much higher, and the hatchling would need places to rest on (like fake plants) with the water level really high. The larger turtle will produce too much waste for any filter that would normally be used in a 10-gallon tank. I've used small Aquaclears in 10-gallon tanks as well as small Fluval internal filters, but the tanks had hatchlings in them, not medium-sized ones. Why not switch the tanks they're in?

Whatever filters you do get, it would be good to make sure the person watching your house while you're gone knows how to operate them in case there's a problem.

[Diamondbacks4Life]

For both tanks:
Sponge Filters (These are the underwater filters that go in the tank and use sponges to clean the tank, They are at best only used for smaller tanks)

Those are cheap and will work for your water lvl Try and get the biggest one they have.

Next option are the Canister Filters which are the best filters for turtles but they cost above $100 even for the smallest. So let us know how much your willing to spend.