Equipment Review and Discussion :: Any one buy or look into the Marineland turtle tank?

[divelement]

Saw this at petco and wondered if anyone ever bought one for home use.
I currently have a 300Gal tank that is a PIA to keep canister filters primed. A tank with a nice sump set up like this along with the fake tree as a overflow pipe seems a posiable alternative. It would also be nice to have the system constantly doing a 2 gal a hour water change.
My RES is female 14 years old and around 12" long. She makes a real mess especially when she lays her eggs in the water.

https://www.marineland.com/commercial/p ... stems.aspx

[steve]

I don't think anyone on the forums use one for home use. Not much details on how it works, but an integrated system will be harder to get parts for and be more expensive. The filter is also roughly equivalent to an Fluval FX4, and most Marineland filters are pretty meh. Any closed system will have a hard time dealing with a lot of sudden waste, so I'm skeptical it would easier to deal with.

What's your current process to change water?

[divelement]

dump 90% water using a python dumping to the garden and refilling using the city water via garden hose. Been doing it this way for 12 years starting with 20Gal-->55Gal-->120Gal to now 300 Gal tank. I only keep 80-100Gal of water in the tank. Sumps are much easier to replace filters in and not having to deal with the hights of canister filter which creates issues with suction and getting primmed. I could just buy a drilled tank and build a sump but I liked the idea of a fake large basking tree as a overflow/skimmer. Acquired the 300Gal undrilled tank from a saltwater fish hobby store that sells old stuff in the back. My original plan was a mix of Paludarium and turtle tank. Started great them my RES decided to redecorate.........

[divelement]

FYI, It always bothered me that stores and companies that sell habitats for young turtles do not have any products for adults.

[steve]

I don't doubt a sump could be very convenient. With a small powerhead pump and some clear vinyl hose, you can drain the tank much faster. Once the canister is primed, you can leave it running and easily do a partial change as long as you don't drain past the intake. If I have to do a full change and don't want to re-prime, I turn off the filter and plug the intake. The water left in the hose is enough to re-prime the canister once the tank is refilled. The basking area is nice but in my experience, the paint comes off rather quickly.

As for store products, I guess its an issue with space. Many do sell larger tanks but you have to order it online, and its probably direct from the manufacturer.

[allyjoy]

I got the Marineland turtle tank a while back for my turtles, about the same size and age as yours. It's a neat system, the in-built filtration and sump set-up are a definite plus since it streamlines upkeep quite a bit. My turtles also dig the faux tree. And then, I bought an automatic feeder
and other terrarium gear from Josh's Frogs using this site to get an extra 20% off the purchase. If you need any accessories for your tank, check out that site. It has all sorts of discounts and coupons.