cory - yeah i know most platties are baby machines! lol! julien - all of my local petstores sell frozen cubes of brineshrimp and bloodworms. no being excited about a new filter doesn't make you strange!! we've all been giddy over a new herp or cage or equipment or something at one time or another! just because you're the "primary" caregiver doesn't mean that you always have to feed them. one day a week have someone else give them an earthworm or a cricket or something if you really can't do it. but at least try - i used to hate the idea of feeding anything but packaged food, but you get used to it really quickly.
Well, got the new filter....really awesome! My hubby had a bit of a time getting it started as the directions made it sound like you do not put water in it first...well, you do! Anyway, I already notice a huge difference in the water quality...even after 1 day ( was cleaning it on the average of every other day) my tank looked dirty with the two girls doing their business! Anywho, how often do you think I need to clean this 55 (until I get my new tank) with the new filter, and how often to clean the filter? Where do people get these huge aquariums anyway? I went to do a price check this weekend at the Petco and the biggest they have is a 75 with no tops....weird...then I went online searching and did not come up with much! Any suggestions will be appreciated! What is "pyramiding" in a shell? I was reading an answer that Hummingbird gave someone and that was mentioned if they were overfed that being a risk.
P.S. Hummingbird....I got some frozen brineshrimp and bloodworms for the girls this weekend as well. Thanks again for all your help and advice.
hey again julien - so glad the filter is working great! well usually to get a tank larger than 75 or 90 gallon you have to order them. just go back to the petstore and tell them you're interested in special ordering a tank larger than the ones they have on display. they should have a price list for big ones. with a fluval 404 in a 55 gallon i really don't think you'd need to change the water and clean the filter more than once every 4 weeks. did the filter come with ceramic tubes? if so, those are for biological filtration and if you clean out the filter too often, the beneficial bacteria will not be able to grow/ do their job. pyramidding is a problem generally caused by diet problems/ a diet too rich in protein (one of the reasons i said that they shouldn't have too many of the protein-rich commercial turtle sticks). the scutes (scales on the top of the shell [carapace]) grow too quickly and do not shed properly and, thus, the carapace starts to look like it has several pyramids all over it. you're very welcome!
I did ask about special ordering at the Petco and they said they do not do that anymore as people order them and then do not come and pick them up! Guess I will try Petsmart even though I am not as fond of them. Also, I have a friend looking in our local classifieds as well. Yes the filter came with ceramic tubes and when I clean the filter I will just leave those alone. They say to only replace those every 6 months and even then only do half at a time. I am just a little nervous about them swimming in too much urine etc.. as I am so used to the regular cleaning. I have been keeping an eagle eye all weekend...waiting for the water to turn brown! I know...a little obsessive am I! :shock:
i can't believe petco doesn't do that! lol! well, yeah, definately check around at other petstores. i have not had luck with classifieds in our area - ever. it seems like nobody resells the big ones and if they do they're cracked or you have to come pick it up 150 miles away from where you live. also, don't think of it as 'swimming around in urine' - they are *not*, i assure you. the whole point of the filter is to remove the harmful chemicals/matter from waste. so basically only the h20 from the urine (and fecal matter) is what is re-cycled. with a fluval 404 i seriously doubt the water will turn brown - even after a few months. i could let my xp3 go for 6 months and the water wouldn't turn brown (the tank and water would be filthy, but not actually colored brown).
You always make me feel so much better! With my pets I tend to be a bit obsessive! I was looking at the water tonight...thinking, am I sure it is clean enough for them! It is a night I usually do the tank, so, instead, I am enjoying the time off! Figure I will wait it out and if I cannot stand it...I will clean just the tank this weekend! I will just make myself not do it until then! I feel much better knowing they are not swimming in anything they should not be! But then, I also think of them in ponds etc....who cleans those in the wild? So, again thank you from an obessive animal lover!
yeah some ponds are pretty disgusting, but then again they have every neccessary lifeform to keep them running well. indoor tanks don't have all the microbes, scavengers, algaes, and detrivores that keep the bad stuff away. thus we have filters. i'm glad i've made you feel a bit better! if you have any other questions, just ask!
