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I finally moved to my new apartment and I am going to get a new tank for Rockie. He is 3" long. I am going to get a 50 gal tank for him. I can't get a tank stand for him as it's too expensive. The tank I want to get is 36" x 16" x 20" (20" is the height). I am thinking of getting 2 ikea side table (side by side right next to each other) to be the stand (Click here for the product). However, I'm not sure if the 2 side tables will be able to hold 35-40 gal of water. My apartment is having carpet floor so I can't use things that are too rough as the stand. What's your experience on getting a stand substitute? Thanks!

My second question is, what type of filter is better? Internal or external? Currently, I have a Trio2000 internal filter. But I think it will not be enough for the new tank. I have seen people praising the XP series. The pet store near my home has both the XP and the fluval external filter. which one works better? The fluval 304 is only CAN$10 cheaper than the XP2 so I'm indifferent in the price (CAN$90 vs CAN$100). I will still keep my trio2000 so Rockie can play water rafting with the flush of water from the filter but I may put nothing in there but just let him plays with the steam.

1. No, I don't think those side table would hold 400 lbs. of water. As stated on the link you gave it says the legs are made out of Particleboard, Fiberboard,and Foil. I know I would not feel safe with that.

2. A canister filter will almost always be better the an internal one. The canisters are more powerful, yet take up less room in the tank. Go as big as you can with the filters, that way you can take them to your next upgrade. Of the two filters you have picked out, the XP2 is more powerful,not by much, but it is rated at 300 GPH(75 gallon tank). While the 304 is rated at 260 GPH(70 gallon tank).

Thanks, N4784N R4613. I guess I'll need to save $$ for a standard acquirium stand or just let the tank sit on the floor then.

If I have a 50gal tank but just fill up with 35-40Gal of water and use a more powerful filter like XP3 or XP4, will that cause a problem (e.g. will it suck my turtle when it swims near the filter tube because it's too powerful)?

I don't think so. He is three inchs, so he should be pretty strong. If you are worried, you could always put something, like a plastic strainer, around the intake.

There would be a problem with the aquarium being on the floor with an XP3 (and probably the XP4) because the water has to be a couple of feet higher than the filter for it to work. I don't know about other canister filters.

I have one of those tables. They are actually quite sturdy. But if you put two of them together and they don't line up PERFECTLY (meaning they probably wont) you could stress crack your new tank.
How about getting a cheap iron stand? Most pet shops carry them for your size tank. Those two tables would cost $40. I got my stand for $69. (for a 90 gal). You could probably find one for around $50-60 bucks. A lot safer and it would solve your filter problem too. Speaking of filters, go with the XP3, they are much better than the Fluvals.....

The main knock against having a tank and canister on the floor will that it would be harder to prime (get started) and I believe it adds a bit more strain on the motor (reducing lifespan). It can be done, but you can also consider an Aquaclear for your tank size.

For strong filters, you can add a prefilter which is basically a foam covering the inlet tube.