I 'rescued' a baby red eared slider from a vendor illegally selling them at a corner. ( Note: it is illegal to sell turtles under 4inches, NOT illegal to buy them. However if you don't know what you're doing, PLEASE DON'T BUY THEM, they may start out the size of a quarter as babies, but they can grow VERY large! Mine started out cute and tiny and is now 8 inches across!) Anyways, with that disclaimer out of the way, filtration is vitally important to a turtles survival. Using filters in a turtle tank puts far more strain on a filter than a similar sized tank that only has fish. Turtles produce more waste and shed skin frequently. ( I don't care how powerful the filter is, pieces of skin make the filter work very hard!) Needless to say, I went through a trial and error process when I first started buying filters. For a turtle that lives in water and gets out to bask now and then, it is important to have more than enough water to cover its entire shell length plus some. This is to ensure that in case the turtle falls off its basking area upside down, it has enough room to maneuver back to an upright position. This means the larger the turtle the much larger the tank size! Therefore, I always buy a filter that is made for a tank that is powerful enough for a tank TWICE the size of the tank I plan to put it in. (This particular product is up to 45gal, I have it in a 20gal tank that is 3/4full) There are several downsides to this, but my turtles health and happiness is my first priority, so the downsides are acceptable, especially considering the benefits. ONE: Downside: Since turtles that live in freshwater require basking areas that allow then to COMPLETELY remove themselves from the water, and most of these basking areas float on the surface of the water, the tank is NOT going to be completely filled with water like in a fish tank. Depending on the size tank you have (wide or narrow), generally the tank will be about 3/4 full. This blows the "WHISPER" part of the product name right out of the water so to speak... that is unless you consider loud (I can hear it upstairs through a closed door) fountain sounds 'whispering.' I personally do not, in fact the first few nights I could hardly sleep. However, I tried to pretend it was a relaxation fountain geared to help me go to sleep, and after a few weeks I became accustomed to the noise. TWO: Upside: I LOVE that this filter is housed primarily OUT of the water. The area I live in has EXTREMELY hard water and calcite frequently accumulates on everything from the tank to the filter. When I had a filter that was mostly submersed, the majority of it accumulated calcite, which in turn clogged the motor and required constant cleaning. Downside: The portion that does extend into the water frequently gets knocked off by the turtle moving about. This is not too big of a deal, although it could potentially be dangerous if a foot got caught in the open end of the pump, but fixing it is only a matter of popping the 'grated' portion back in the tube. With a large turtle, expect to do this once every few weeks. THREE: Upside: You have to options for filter cartridges. There are some that are already made, and 'biobags' that you fill yourself with provided carbon. I prefer these because I add additional granules to the bag specifically for combating nitrates and ammonias. As long as the cartridge is by the same company as the filter, it will fit. Downside: There is a arch shaped tube that connects to the portion that extends in the water and the reservoir that houses the cartridge. It is meant to be removed for cleaning, however because of this, if you are not careful when inserting the cartridge, you may dislodge this piece which can mean water spraying everywhere if the filter is running when you replace the cartridge. Note: Its a good idea to turn off the filter when changing the cartridges, no matter what. And it doesnt hurt to clean it up a bit inside every now and then(about every 2 weeks)rather than have it accumulate too much sludge and junk and burn out the motor. Even if you are changing the cartridges frequently, if you dont clean out the actual machine, the cartridges are more or less useless. Overall I am pleased with this product, and my turtle remains healthy and seems to be happy! :)
