General Care Discussion :: turtle filter

[Tilted]

I was wondering how often you guys change the filter for your turtles.. I have the reptomin filter in my tank and I have been changing the filter about once a month, but I am wondering if I have to change it that often.

So, how often do you change the filter?

and... when do you know the filter needs to be changed?

[DavidY]

Do you change out all of the media in the filter? If you do, you may be losing your biological filtration each time you do. It might be better to just rinse out the filter media in room temperature water and replace any carbon once every 2 or 3 months. When you do replace any of your filter media, don't change it all at once. For example, if you replace your filter floss/sponge, don't replace the carbon at the same time. Wait a month or so between replacements, alternating which component gets replaced. That way you always have an established colony of bacteria in your filter.

I usually rinse out my filter elements when they look like their starting to get clogged with gunk, or when the output from the filter is noticeably reduced.