Habitat - Indoor

Hi

I'm a total newbie. We just got a baby RES yesterday and are needing help with our setup please. I'm sure my setup will have many flaws at this point and this is why I need your guidance.

The tank has just the one turtle and a swordfish inhabiting it. There is one live plant attached to driftwood, lots of plastic plants and another large piece of driftwood. No substrate on the floor yet...still pondering what's best. There are large smooth stones, and also one large slab of stone as a basking area. Please note all of this setup is open to criticism

We are wanting to do a good job looking after this little RES - please point us in the right direction.

My question is:

1. I have a Sonic Power Head AP1600 filter. (I believe this also goes by other names e.g. Jebo or Odyssea EX250). Trouble is, I don't know how to set this up properly, it came with no instructions. The aquarium I'm using has a sectioned off area within the tank where I have placed this filter sitting on the bottom. Bio balls and other media will sit in specific areas layered on top of the power filter. All seems to be correct, except that when I turn it on, the water in the sectioned off filter area immediately and quickly drains out into the main tank! Of course I quickly turn it off to avoid the filter then burning out. So far, I have not dared to turn on this filter. Is there something I'm missing to see here? The tank is about 1/3 - 1/2 full, and the filter starts out completely submersed under water. How deep can the water level be for a month old RES?

I really would like to make this filter work for us if I can. I'm now thinking I've bought the wrong type of filter though...can I just fill the tank with a whole lot more water, enough to make the filter work as it is meant too? I'm now thinking this power filter is perhaps more suited to fish? We have used another exactly the same (now burnt out) with tropical fish before, but of course the tank was filled with water to the top.

The type of filter can be seen here: http://www.ebay.com....0-/160931676884

And here are a couple photos of my tank with sectioned off area and pump installed (minus media at the moment).

[img][IMG]http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv48/angelathailand/Tank2_zpsbaa32f0c.jpg[/img][/img]

[img][IMG]http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv48/angelathailand/Tank3_zpsfb674693.jpg[/img][/img]

[img][IMG]http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv48/angelathailand/Tank4_zps3aa888d7.jpg[/img][/img]

[img][IMG]http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv48/angelathailand/Tank1_zpsbe6fde73.jpg[/img][/img]

I have a basking area of sorts set up, but I do know this needs more work yet....that will be next.

Many thanks

First of all, welcome! I think you'll find keeping a RES to be very rewarding.

Secondly, the eBay link doesn't work, and your pictures don't give me enough of an overview to picture it clearly. That being said, if the power head came with the tank/filter area, it may be designed for a fully filled tank. One option is to use a smaller power head. Also, some powerheads have a way to adjust the flow rate.

As to depth for a young RES, so long as you provide resting areas close to the surface, which your plastic plants may do, you can have quite a bit of depth. Think of a wild RES in a pond. The newly hatched will probably stay in shallower areas, but they will also venture deeper than you can provide in an aquarium. I don't think you need worry about being too deep, as long as there are plants or rocks that provide for shallow resting.

As to the filter area, if it's designed for a fully filled aquarium, it may not ultimately be enough for a RES. you'll learn that they can produce an incredible amount of waste. The recommendation is to filter at least three times the volume that is recommended for fish. So, if you have a 20 gallon aquarium, you want at least 60 fish gallons of filtration. With a one month old, that's less critical than it will be later.

But the good news is you've come to the right place. You'll find a wealth of friendly information here.

One question: do you know about cycling a tank? The aquarium nitrogen cycle can be a challenge at first, and if you are still playing with your filter and have no substrate, you may be early in your cycle.

You can put as much water in the tank as you want or in your case might have to so your filter will work. Just make sure your turtle can't get out. You didn't mention if you have any lights? I'm not sure what kind of filter that is? Maybe someone will chime in on that.I think you tank is designed for a sump ?

Thanks for the replies...Should I try to take better photos?? No I don't have lights yet, just the fish tank flurescent light in the hood. I know I need to remove that and replace with something else, but I wanted to get the filter working first. First thing tomorrow I'm going to add a lot more water then, and the next day I'll go searching for lights.

I think you're right Kansasslider, the tank I guess is designed for that partitioned bit to be a sump. Does anyone else here have a similar type of tank setup? And, is this a good setup to have? The tank is only 25 gallons, so I realise I will have to move up to a much bigger tank in the near future (75 gallon?). Just hoping I might be able to make do with this tank for maybe 6 months and learn the ropes before moving upwards.

As soon as I get the filter worked out I want to change the layout of the rocks & driftwood. Hoping my husband will build a PVC frame for the basking area.

While I do not have any experience with that filter I have had turtles for some years and after years of bad advice and less than perfect care this forums has helped me upgrade my turtles statues, its still not perfect but much better. I would recommend just buying or building your own canister filter that way when you upgrade tanks you don't have to upgrade filters.

I also learned the hard way that turtles start off small but by the time they're done growing you'll need a big tank usually 100 gallons for a male turtle and 120 gallons for a female. I know your turtle is to young to sex right now just letting you know that if you choose a 75 gallon you may have to upgrade again but if you jump straight to a 100 gallon or better yet 120 gallon you'll be set for a long time. Also a lot of people feel their turtle needs another turtle friend, don't do it unless you want to potentially have multiple tanks, aggression can start at any time. My two turtles didn't fight for years and then one day Caesar decided he didn't like Cleopatra anymore.

Sorry if I rambled just throwing out my 2 cents

Drewet thanks for your tips, they are very timely actually. My husband has said a couple of times over the last few days that our little guy? needs a friend. I think we will be stopping at one

I suppose I could still have water to the top of the tank, use the power head filter I have in the separated area with filtering media, AND also hook up a DIY canister filer. So, the first thing we need to do then is build a suitable basking area - that will be my project for this weekend, as well as buying lights.

Hopefully this link showing the filter I have will work now: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-Jebo-Aqu ... 0931676884

Talking of lights.......is there any point to keeping the fluourescent light/hood of the tank? Can it be used creatively somehow?

That is not a filter its a power head. Not really sure how your using it as a filter? You need to buy a canister filter. There are many threads on here for filters buy a good one. I use an fx5 they now make an fx6. If money isn't a problem I would buy an fx6 but that's just me. As for lights use a regular light bulb for heat and also a uvb bulb. Not sure what to tell you about your hood light other than you could replace the bulb with a uvb tube but then how would you get heat from the regular light bulb? Hoods just don't work that well on turtle tanks.

Here are the photos:

Yes I seen the pictures but still in the dark! Maybe its just me? I have no idea what the pictures were of? But thanks for posting Steve! We all know how much you dislike posting pits of your kids so its nice you took some time out to put together someone else's pits. He He!!!!

Ha! Can't believe I've avoided it for this long

Hi again,

Thanks guys for the input. Well, I've added more water which finally got things working. I'll try to post a photo tomorrow. I've put the filter media into the separate area in the tank, directly above the power head. It's going great guns!! The venturi is working too.

After just one day the water is almost crystal clear and the foam media is already looking quite dirty.

Our little guy is really happy with the huge depth of water. I've made an above water basking area and made sure he/she can get into/out of it ok. Oh, last night (first night) I was so worried, just had to keep checking that he was ok and hadn't drowned or climbed out of the tank! (May still do some tweaking there yet).

Installed an incandescent 100w bulb for heat, but now need to get some kind of lamp shade to cover the very bright bare bulb! .....need to get the UVB light next.

Updated photos to follow

Great! You can use a cheap hardware store clamp light for the bulb. 100 watts sounds a bit too hot how far away is the basking area and what is the temp on it?

Hi again,

I changed the basking light. Absolutely cannot buy a lamp shade here in Thailand, just impossible!! So, instead I bought an 80 watt spot lamp. Much easier on the eyes than the 100 watt clear incandescent bulb I had clipped to the basking area previously. The photos below show the new light setup. Does this look ok? The temperature is sitting on about 90F. I have a glass thermometer sitting inside the plastic box (basking area) under the lamp (should be ok too, yes?).

You will see in the photos how the power head filter/media are working well.

I do still need to get a UVB bulb (and lamp from somewhere! May have to buy one overseas).

Also - would appreciate all suggestions for making the basking area better. At the moment it's just a cut-down plastic food container, with nothing on the bottom except for two rocks. He has been sitting on the hinge part of the green ramp but has not yet gone into the basking area itself. Does the ramp need altering? Not too steep coming down into the basking area?? I'm trying really hard to work with the limited materials we have available here.

Many thanks for all your help

The angle of the ramp is way too steep. Can you attach it to the bottom of the basking area so there are not 2 ramps? Bulb looks fine.

Not without cutting the box down further, which would possibly let some water into the basking area. Here's another idea...what about if I put an inch or so of sand into the basking area including under the second ramp to lift it up and make it eventually level with the sand? Would that be ok?

Habitat - Indoor :: Newbie Needing Advice Re: Power Head Filter Please

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