can anyone recommend a good filter for my turtle tank? no too expensive!!

i have just bought a smallish tank with 2 yellow bellied sliders. a filter cam with it but i dont think it is the best so was wondering if anyone had any recommendations? also a water heater? thanks

 

Turtle only filters are very limited, but designed for turtles. What size tank do you have? I can recommend a good normal filter, that'll do the work plus some.

 

think it about 2ft

 

I REALLY hope those are baby turtles >.> It sounds like you've got a 10 gallon.. You need to increase size of that tank ASAP and get a big filter. A 10 gallon won't hold those turtles for long. Fluval is the best filter, in my personal opinion, I've used it on everyone of my tanks. Marineland is next. Make sure when you pick out a filter, you go a size or two bigger. Example; you have a 55 gallon tank, go for a 75 filter. Turtles are messy and nasty little things.

 

yeah they are only 6 months old. how long u reckon i have until i have to get a bigger tank?what u mean by nasty lol ?

 

Hello! Reid is right on target--the fluval brand submersible filters are one of the best for smaller aquariums with turtles. Just make sure you get the biggest one you can afford (regardless of whether you go with fluval or another brand). A lot of people recommend double to triple power filtration. For example, if you have 10 gallons of water, aim for a 30 gallon power filter. Like Reid said, turtles are very dirty animals that can quickly muck up a small or underfiltered tank. When you upgrade to a larger tank in the future, I'd definitely look into getting a canister filter. Fluval, Rena, and Eheim all make decent canister filters from what I have read. For heaters, I prefer the fully submersible ones such as the stealth or aqueon heaters. Whether or not you actually need a water heater depends on your water temperatures. In a small tank, the heat lights might be enought to sustain the correct temperatures. What is the current temperature of the water? Also, what is the temperature at the basking spot? What kind of thermometer are you using to measure these temperatures? (Is it a digital thermometer, stick-on, mercury, or gauge style, etc.?)

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your tank is most likely already too small. A good rule of thumb to follow with turtles is at least 10 gallons for each inch of shell length. You can get away with smaller with hatchlings, but I still wouldn't start out with less than a 20 gallon long for one hatchling (less than 4 inch) turtle. A 10 gallon will be pretty cramped once you get the landing area and the filter in the tank. Plus, it will only allow you maybe 5-7 gallons of actual water for the turtles to swim in, which will get very dirty very fast, especially with two turtles. So, to answer your question, you should get a bigger tank as soon as possible.

Just as a precaution, I want to ask about your UVB lighting situation. A lot of people don't understand the lighting requirements for aquatic turtles, so I'm just trying to catch any potential problem in advance. What kind of light are you using for UVB? Be very specific--what brand, style, strength, etc. is it? If you can link me to a picture of the product that would be great. How far away from the bulb is the basking site? UVB lighting is very important for the growth and overall health of your turtles, so I just want to make sure everything is good to go. =)

 

thanks for the info really appreciate it, the turtlse are about 2 inchs long at the min so what size tank would u recommend? after researching i have just ordered a exo terra solar glo sun bulb 125w and a porcelain clamp lamp. also ordered a fluval u3 800 lph underwater filter. would much appreciate if u could let me no if this gear is suffiecient. how far should i keep the light away from the basking area?
thanks

 

They would probably be fine in a 30 gallon long or 40 gallon breeder for a little bit. If it was me, though, I would just go ahead and get a 75 gallon rather than keep upgrading tanks, which is going to cost a lot more in the long run. Ideally, two adult sliders should have around a 150 gallon aquarium, but I wouldn't put hatchlings in something that large. I also wouldn't splurge on that big of a tank until you know the genders of the turtles and are sure the two are going to be okay being housed together long term. If you are unlucky and end up with two males, you'll need to separate them into different tanks. Even two females may not necessarily get along. A lot of the time you will notice one turtle eating and growing less than the other, usually due to a dominance issue. If this ends up being the case, you will need to separate them. In the end, you may end up needing two 55-75 gallon tanks rather than one 150+ gallon tank.

The fluval filter is a great choice. Is it too late to change the order on the UVB bulb? The coiled/compact fluorescents did not do well in previous UVB surveys, and often quit producing the necessary amount of UVB after a few weeks. There have also been some health problems associated with certain compact UVB bulbs. The coil UVB bulb will be better than nothing, but I would recommend getting a more reliable UVB light in the near future, such as the long tube fluorescents like Zoo Med's Reptisun 10.0, or a Mercury Vapor Bulb like Zoo Med's Power Sun.

The distance of the basking spot from the UVB bulb depends on the kind of bulb you are using. Fluorescents should be no more than 6-10 inches away, whereas MVBs need to be at least 12 inches away.

Just let us know if you have any more questions! =)

 

so if i was to get a zoo meds raptisun 10.0 how far would that have to be away from the basking spot. would that also act as a heat lamp. what wattage would u use for a water heater?

 

It would need to be about 6 inches from the basking spot. Unfortunately, fluorescents only produce UVB and UVA, not heat. You would need to use an incandescent heat bulb in addition to the fluorescent light. MVBs on the other hand do produce both UVB and heat--however they come in very high wattages, so would not be a good choice while you have the smaller tank.

The wattage needed for you water heater will depend on how many actual gallons of water you have in the tank. The wattage needed for heat lights will depend on your house temperatures and cage size. You will probably have to play around with the lights for a bit until you get the temperatures just right.

 

sorry for asking really stupid questions but wanna make sure i get this right.what wattage of the zoo med bulb should i get and do these justgo into a normal table light?

 

so u would put both lights next to each other shining on the same place? how long to the lights need to be on for the turtles as i hear diiferent time spans?

 

These aren't stupid questions at all! Lighting can be one of the most confusing parts when you're just starting out. The wattage of the zoo med bulb (the MVB) would again depend on your house temps, cage size, and how far away the bulb is from the basking spot. They can go into a regular ceramic dome light fixture. Just make sure it is made to hold bulbs up to that wattage.

For your ten gallon tank, I would go with a fluorescent UVB light for now, and then get a regular heat light in addition to that. I'd guess you'll need around a 50-60 watt heat bulb to get the basking spot to the the correct temperature, but again it really depends on your house temperatures. Just monitor the temperatures with a reliable thermometer such as a digital thermometer with probe and you should be able to get things stabilized with some trial and error. Here's a list of suggested supplies to use with your ten gallon tank, including links to an example of the product I'm talking about to help you make sure you've got everything:

• Digital thermometer with probe x2 (one for the basking spot, one for the water; you can also find these at hardware stores like Lowe's or Home Depot for a few bucks cheaper) http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=392
• Submersible aquarium heater (this 50 watt would be the one needed if your tank is filled halfway; I also like that this has a built in thermostat so you can set it to the right temperature; you still want to monitor temps with a thermometer though) http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=3181
• Ceramic dome light fixture (I definitely suggest one with a built in dimmer switch so you can set it to the exact correct temperature without having to constantly raise and lower the bulb. This one can hold up to a 75 watt bulb. If you need a higher watt, obviously you'll need the next size up in fixture as well.) http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=2730
• Incandescent light bulb (It doesn't have to be a fancy reptile bulb; you can get a regular incandescent bulb from a hardware store for cheaper. I'm just trying to get all my examples from the same source.) http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=2583
• Fluorescent UVB light http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=554
• Fluorescent light bulb fixture (Again, does not have to be fancy reptile fixture. You can find these in the fish department at most pet stores for a few bucks cheaper. Just make sure there is no glass or plastic cover beneath the bulb, as these will filter out UVB.) http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=2522

I think that covers everything as far as lighting and heating goes. I can make a list of what you would need for a larger tank if you wanted to use a MVB instead of the fluorescent/incandescent bulbs as well if you need one. =)

 

Really appreciate the help I'm nearu there. Lol only issue I have now is that I'd I get a tube light the hood covers the whole tank where does the heat lamp go then ?

 

You don't really need a tube light :V

 

The options are flourescent UVB producing bulb in combination with a heat bulb (household incandescent works fine) or a UVB producing MVB.

This species of turtle requires UVB from a light source... so a tube bulb (flourescent) is needed unless the OP goes with an MVB. Cammy covered the lighting needs pretty thoroughly in her previous posts.

 

It will be very cramped, but you can make it fit. We have to do this at work; it's kind of a pain in the butt, but it works. The tube fixture will sit along the back and stretch the length of the lid. It's not actually a full hood, just the narrow part that actually holds the light. The dome fixture will sit in front of that and off to the side above the basking spot. It's a very tight squeeze, and the lip of the fixture hangs off the edge a few centimeters, but it does fit and allows us to provide both UVB and the proper temperatures.

 

thanks all for the advice i have bought a exo terra solar glo simulating vivarium lamp 125w and hopefully that will do!

 

Awesome! MVBs are definitely the most convenient and cost effective since they cover both heat and UVB light. Just make sure it's a foot away from your turtle for safety reasons. =D

 

cheers. i bought a thermometer to put by the basking shelf. should it be about 90 degrees ? and the water to about 30 degrees centigrade?