Reptile+Aquarium help please

[ps90000]

To start off, I don't have or intend to have a reef aquarium, I hope it's okay if I post here. I currently have a turtle in a 20g tank, but I acquired a 55g tank for free, so I'm going to utilize it. I've housed many small animals in my "career" but it's always been in smaller cages (mainly my 2 20g tanks). The 55 gallon tank requires equipment i'm unfamiliar with. I have a few choices of filter that I would like to buy, but I can't pick out which one to get. Here are a few of my options
http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products.../Itemdy00.aspx
http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products.../Itemdy00.aspx
http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products.../Itemdy00.aspx
I honestly have no idea which one will be the best for me. My concern is that I don't want to fill the tank up ALL the way, but have it 3/4 full or so because I don't want the turtle to be able to escape (my friend's turtle died this way). Also I would like to filter to be fairly low maintenance as I'm sort of lazy (I know animals and lazy don't mix well). So what filter should I choose, or should I not even choose one of these?

[zxcv123]

Use the magnum

[dodge41]

Welcome to TRT. Its probably best not to post other topics besides those related to this forum. That aside I have to say if your looking to keep an animal that requires low maintance than an aquatic turtle is not a good choice. An aquatic turtle is best kept in diffrent water sources for eating, swimming, and pooping. Doing all three in one tank makes for a huge maintance demand. Daily water changes are also recommended. Of all the filters ive used for turtles, I didnt really like the canister types. I prefer the "inside aquarium style" like these http://www.petsmart.com/global/produ...N=2030113&Ne=2
The reason I dont like the canisters is because they usually go under the tank, and when you pop the top off to change the filter they spill water everywhere. Also if they leak, there is only once place for the water to go and that is outside your aquarium. Remember along with the filter to not only have a place for the turtle to swim but a place for it to get out of the water and bask in an appropriatly lighted area. As far as the amount of water in the tank, about half full should do it.

[leveldrummer]

you can actually find a glass cutter, get one of the side panels cut and polished so there is an open spot however high you want to make it, and hang a filter off the side, ive seen it done lots of times, and they actually make tanks like that now. but dodge is right, make sure your fella can get in and out of the water easily. or its not gonna be a happy turtle.

[Twitterbait]

As a reefkeeper that has had turtles i must ask... what kind of turtle is it? they are very dirty but with the right filtration for the critter they can do fine in a 55 gallon. let me know what kind you have and we can take it from there. the usual water guys are red eared sliders (hard shell) or different soft shelled. they will each have different requirements but in the end you will want to filter for 100+ gallons to keep up with less maintenance. please also tell us how often you feed and any other equipment you have and use. we may be reefers but many of us keep reptiles and i think we can help you out.

[ps90000]

It's a red eared slider. I feed him pellets every other day or so. The fish usually eat what he doesn't. I have a 20 gallon whisper filter (for about 10 gallons of water) in there right now, and it's working very well, water's crystal clear.

[Twitterbait]

Ok cool, I have kept those guys myself. Honestly i would not use a canaster filter of any kind. they are hard to clean as dodg said and they would need to be cleaned too often. If you fill the tank 3/4 full you will have an easier time filtering... especially if you have fish with them. I would look for another hang on type like the whisper you currently use. if you get 2 of the 60 gallon ones they should be able to pull the water up and filter the turtle poo out with ease. plus they will be much easier to get to and see when they need changing. that is what i used and it worked great!

[ps90000]

http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products.../Itemdy00.aspx
So that would do the job well? I would like to get a Biowheel, like http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products.../Itemdy00.aspx but my concern is that it won't be able to pull up water if it's only 3/4 full. The tetra comes with an extension.

http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products.../Itemdy00.aspx
Found an extension, do they still work fine with extensions or do they lose some of their pulling power?

[Twitterbait]

don't worry too much about an extension. if the tank is 3/4 full then the whisper 60 should work (get 2), mine came with 3 different extension lengths. don't do the bio wheel, they can actually make water quality worse. just look for water filtration and water movement. then suppliment with weekly water changes of 30-50%. to make the water changes easy get one of these http://www.thatpetplace.com/MainPro/...%200504%200041

[Petunia]

any reptile questions... you can send a pm to 'smeese'. he can help you.

[ps90000]

Thanks a lot for your help so far guys, it means a lot. So once I get my filters, I'm going to let it run for a while. I have a couple old recently used filters, should I run these to help jump start the growth of bacteria in the aquarium? I'll be sure to toss some pics up when it's all done.

Alright I have another Q. The tank that I received used to be a saltwater tank. There's still substrate at the bottom, but as I don't like to depart with money is cleaning it an option? I've read that you can clean it fine, but I just want to make sure. Also, I would like to have some live plants in there too, is it a good idea to put an inch of potting soil at the bottom? I assume if I buy some I should buy the non-fertilized stuff eh? Or will that help my little ecosystem if it's fertilized?

One more, I like invertebrates a lot. My friend's dad (who gave me the tank) has a really nice reef tank, 150 gallons, and he's got some sweeeet shrimp. I know I'll never have a chance of getting those with a freshwater tank, but what kind of invertebrates have a chance of surviving in the freshwater tanks? I'll be sure when I go up to some cabins this summer to get some crayfish for it.

Awwww I think I've got the forum fever, I'm now thinking about getting a nano reef tank.

[leveldrummer]

if you get the small hole cut like i said, you dont need all the extensions, and your tank will be alot less noisy!

[ps90000]

Ohh that is nice.

[Twitterbait]

if you can cut it that would work... but i have had the turtle knock the filter out and climb through the hole. if you use the sand in the tank make sure you rinse it really well. i wouldn't do potting soil, the nutrients in the water will do fine and the sand will hold the plants in. also, you may want to add some of the existing tank water to the new tank when your getting started. since it is freshwater you should be able to run in a few days.

[ShirleyM]

I've kept a boatload of turtles of all sorts of species most of my life... and plenty red-ear sliders. I've kept them in tanks such as you describe, and the BEST set-up for cheap is a $10.00 Kiddie Pool (hard plastic) with a pond pump (power head) that runs upward and down through a 1-gallon paint bucket (50 cents) through filter media that is washable and permanent in shape, plus filter floss which has to be dumped every couple three weeks, depending on the bioload. I fed them minnows and pellets in the "pond". I have a load of pics somewhere, but don't have time to post tonight.

I also kept smaller turtles in my classroom when I was teaching and used a 29 Tall tank, with river rock, not gravel or sand, and made a hill at one end with the pump sending the water up a tube, through a butter tub holding filter media, and then the water came down the river rock hill back to the main water area. This worked very nicely all year.

I've never used an outside filter for my turtles... not that they won't work, I just never did. I kept it really simple, had a light on top when using a tank.

If you have questions about how I did it, just reply here and I'll answer tomorrow, and if you want to see pics, I will try to find them and post them for you.

How large is your slider? (diameter side to side, front to back, one or the other, of the carapace)