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Hey everyone, I need some help with my tank. To start of I have a Golden Thread Turtle he is about 4 months old. This is my first turtle so I really don't know much. Anyway, what I have right now is about a 55 gallon tank filled with 40 gallons of water. For a filter I have a Tetra whisper, and for a basking spot a Turtle bank. My problem is I cant seem to keep the tank clean, it gets dirty super quick should I get a new filter? If so what kind, also any other tips would be great.

Most likely you will need a new filter. Do you feed him in the tank? What kind of food does he get? What kind of basking area does he have?

You really have to over-filter for a turtle. The filter ratings for how big of a tank each filter will handle are for fish and not applicable for turtle keeping. A canister filter is your best bet for turtles. See the filter media thread on the equipment section of this forum for suggestions.

steve wrote:Most likely you will need a new filter. Do you feed him in the tank? What kind of food does he get? What kind of basking area does he have?

Hi, thanks for the response. I feed him in the tank and dried bloodworms, and this is the basking platform I have.http://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/shopfrontpro/326/images/detailed/5/PT3801_EX_TurtleBank.jpg Thanks for the help again.

You'll want to adjust his diet first, possible feed in a separate tank to see if it helps. Do you have any substrate in the tank?

steve wrote:You'll want to adjust his diet first, possible feed in a separate tank to see if it helps. Do you have any substrate in the tank?

Yes I have pool filter sand.

The rule of thumb that I've always heard is to get a filter twice as big as you'd need if your tank was full of fish. As in, if you have a 55 gallon tank, then get a filter rated for a 100 gallon tank, or build your own. Building is a bit harder, but it's cheaper in the long run. That's what I'm in the process of doing right now... Or trying to. ha There are videos and ideas all over the internet. Just avoid PVC pipe as I've been warned several times that it leeches poison into the tank.

We usually shoot for 2-3x more filter power. As for PVC, it's usually considered safer than ABS, at least the stuff you get in a hardware store. PVC is not attractive as it only comes in white, but you can special order them in various colors.

Building a filter can be cheaper but a good name brand filter will last you a long time. I might modify the intake, but other than that I would go that route if its in your budget.

I had problems with my 6 inch res and 8 inch river cooter and i messed around a bit i find taking out all gravel or sand is easiest, not the coolest looking but i just got some sunken driftwood for decor that the turtles move around. Also something that help is a good air pump because it keeps the water moving which makes it harder for bacteria to form and definitly either a larger scale filter or a turtle specific filter...zoo med makes em.