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can i just use the sponges that come with it? or do i need some kind of other media in the middle space?

You can just use the sponges. I used to buy the carbon inserts (carbon will help with odor in a small tank) but they need to be replaced fairly frequently, and I tried the micropads (not worth it in my opinion).

I make a small bag of charcoal/ammonia media (buy nylon bag for less than $2 & fill with some loose charcoal/ammonia eater....I use about 5 teaspoons & you don't need much). This keeps the water very clear in my 90-gallon tank for almost 2 weeks. Of course, I feed pellets to my turtle in a separate container to help keep the tank cleaner too.

The charcoal/ammonia eater mix is the stuff with white specks in it. It's a little more expensive than just plain charcoal, but worth the money since it helps control the smell of the tank.

I also do monthly 100% water changes.

hmm...i'd like to try that out. where do you pick all that stuff up?

I picked up on Kristin's suggestion a few months ago, and it works very well, especially in the 4plus. Usually in the filter section of the pet store you'll see little filter media bags. I got all my stuff at petsmart.

Yup, petsmart or petco! They both stock everything you would need.

Starchick - glad it helped!