General Care Discussion :: New Equipment

[Elpaulo33]

Hi everyone, first I would like to thank you for all of your help, this website has been incredibly valuable to me since my adoption of an RES. Right now I have a 4" RES in a 28 gallon tank, but I am going to be moving him into a 55 gallon next week. I haven't bought a new filter yet and I was wondering which canister filters you prefer? Also, if there are any other suggestions about what additional items your turtles enjoy which you would recommend (outside of heater, dock, rocks, and lighting)?

Thanks for the help everyone.

[jay2487]

I personally don't like canisters as much as most on here do. When I have a tank 4ft or over I like to use multiple HOB's. The intakes aren't pulling as hard, the outputs aren't creating as much current, and they are so much easier to maintain. This is just my opinion and I'm sure many will disagree but I have given away 2 canisters, the second after a friend said "this one is different, it's great". I used it a month then traded it out for my old HOB's. I have an old whisper 20-40 HOB that's probably 20 years old and it still works better than some brand new ones. Also I use peat and coconut filter pads sometimes to lower PH naturally and the HOBs make switching them a lot easier

[suziesammy]

Hi, I have 2 RES (5 in and 2 in), and I have a Magnum 350 canister filter that works really well. The water is crystal clear. I use the Magnum filter with an undergravel filter and besides 20% weeking water change and monthly filter cleaning, there is little maintenance.
I have the exact set up as described in: http://www.turtlepuddle.org/health/smal ... ilter.html
I have a 40 gal tank and used to clean out the tank almost weekly until I got the Magnum and undergravel filter set up. If you decide on a canister, search the internet. You can get them almost half the price as the local pet stores. Good Luck.

[elwray]

I have a Magnum 350.... it gets the job done but you can see where they cut corners and favored cheaper plastics over metal to keep the cost down. That being said I WOULD buy it again (and I have, for a second tank) and put some of my own plumbing on the filter to get the water flowing the way I wanted.

My biggest gripe with it is purging the air from the canister when first starting. They recommend this awkward "10 seconds on, 5 seconds off" routine to get the siphon started. Had they built it with an air release valve and a high point on the canister head, I would have gladly paid an extra $10 or so...

[elwray]

suziesammy - welcome to the site!

your link was messed up -- I think this is what you were looking for:
http://www.turtlepuddle.org/health/smal ... ilter.html

I do want to add that my Magnum 350 does keep the water clean, and aside from the aspects I described above I like it just fine.

[rfjedi]

how about large tanks?
i am struggling with my setup i just bought a 2nd filter.The fluval got ripped by turtle waste


90 gallon tank 3 large turtles

Fluval 404 and Aquaclear 110(just got). Seems to work decently well but would you suggest a different method?

[suziesammy]

Thanks for fixing my link elwray! I will agree with your comment about the purging of the air when you change the filter. When I fill the canister up with water almost to the top, turn off then on after the air bubbles go out, then leave the canister on the rest of the day, the remaining air purges itself.
I was thrilled with the magnum because i no longer had to clean the tank and water manually each week. The Rena filter looks really good to. Might want to check Youtube for some other canister setups.

[str1p]

my fluval 405 is beast, would also recommend the fluval fx5 for larger tanks.

[mike hill]

I have the a 405 and several Marineland 350 magnums. The 350 puts out a little more water than the Fluval. They both work fine. The Fluval is a little quieter but I like the 350 for ease of cleaning and simplicity. If you make sure they are completely full they both start up just fine.