Habitat - Indoor :: Help with filtration

[1luisaflopez]

Hello fellow turtle lover,
I am currently having trouble keeping my 75 tank clean. I have a turtle with 5 feeding fish that has out grown my turtle because she decided not to eat them. Now the bottom of my tank if always too dirty. I was looking into building a undergravel filter or undergravel jet system. I have been reading about this and people have good and bad reviews about it. Not really sure what to do. I have rocks on my tank and my filter right now is a canister. What do you guys think I should do?? By the way the basket is still in progress I'm not done yet. I'll be adding more decorations to it.

[cutepanda86]

I would avoid gravel in general - turtles tend to try an eat it. Given the size of your turtle and the feeder fish - I find that a little odd that your tank gets that dirty. What size canister filter do you have? I have a Fluval 406 which is rated for up to a 100 gallon tank. My tank is a 75 gallon and I change the filter media once a month.

[litefoot]

I a few years ago had to donate 18 common and comets to our local Aquatic Gardens for free to get rid of them fast ! Most were 10-12" long ! They are messier than turtles to keep !!! I kept them in 4 - 150 gallon stock tanks . Just got way out of hand ! Each one that size needs 30 gallons water alone. Your fish plus you turtle is way over loaded for that filter and tank ! The common's / comets acclimated themselves to the warm water for a turtle if they were in a cold water tank would have grown much faster and larger. The common/comets have no real stomachs they are in the carp family. Digest there food in there intestines and what comes out is a real mess for any tank ! Check out forums for them. The filter would be fine for just the turtle in the 75 gallon with good maintenance. Other post in photo gallery said it was a Penn Plax 1000 , ok for now , but your turtle is getting to that size it will be needing a filter that can hold more / better bio media .
Under gravel filter's are "not" suitable for turtles. A canister setup up with media for a turtle is best !
See here for ideas : viewtopic.php?f=9&t=30145
Also get rid of that small gravel , go bare bottom , makes it easier to keep clean. If your turtle ever eats some can cause a blockage and ...

[cutepanda86]

I had no idea those little fish would need so much!

Trust me on the blockage thing - been there do not want to go back. Bare bottom is definitely easier.

[1luisaflopez]

I notice that since my fish got a lot bigger the tank got a lot dirtier. I be looking into upgrading my canister. Thanks

[litefoot]

Forty years ago me neither ! Got out of hand fast ! And if successful they breed fast so I kept male and females in separate tanks. Shubunkins / common /comets breed like rabbits. I changed to Koi , actually easier and not as many babies , but get twice that size. Hence an in ground pond before Katrina. Now a days with age and health it's just Piggley and me.

1luisaflopez , those fish will get 10-12" in a few years even in a small tank ! Something to think about now. That is before you get in same boat I was in. I was lucky the Aquatic Gardens did pond construction too , sold my free fish for a nice price but they got a nice home ! That's all I wanted !

[cutepanda86]

I bet it did if they're like bunnies! Koi have always sounded like fun but since we get really cold up here over the winter, I wouldn't know how to keep them. All my best to you and Piggley.

[1luisaflopez]

I'm been looking into the filters and I found XP3 aka API FilStar XP Large, Eheim Pro III 2075, EFU-45, but my main one is CCF5UL aka 1500. Which one do you think I should get?

[cutepanda86]

I would stay away from the API Filstar. I bought one of those and it was a disaster right out of the box.

[1luisaflopez]

okay great! so now i have 3 to choose from, Eheim Pro III 2075, EFU-45, but I may stick with CCF5UL aka 1500 only because I have one from the same brand and it works great.

[cutepanda86]

If you're comfortable with the brand you have, it might be worth sticking with it. Piece of mind is huge with a good filter.

I have a Fluval 406 so I can't really give you help on the other brands.

[1luisaflopez]

thank you for your help.

[litefoot]

You are looking at filters for the size tank. With turtles you can't do that ! For a turtle alone in a 75 gallon tank being how messy they are you need a flow rate of 225 gallons with a turtle your size . Those filters are rated to low or you will be back where you are today. Plus you have the large comets in there too which are dirty fish ! Filters are rated for fish not turtles and come with media for fish not turtles you will need to modify media to fit a turtle. See : viewtopic.php?f=9&t=30145

With a filter under rated you will be cleaning every 4-7 days with large water changes ! It will be next to impossible to matain a cycled tank.

A baby turtle needs 2 x's the flow of fish , juviniles need 3-4x's flow and adults need 4-5 x's flow if you want to be able to control your waters parameters. Then you have a female which can get 12" needing the numbers on the larger side for a filter. Males only get 9". You do not have a baby turtle it's a juvenile in size.

Keep looking for filters sold in your area for a higher flow rate needed with turtles. Then again you also have the large comets in there too ? Even more filter is needed ! Or separate the comets into another tank and get Rosy Red minnows in with your turtle they are a much cleaner fish.

You need to be looking at filters like the FX4 if you want a clean / healthy tank. Also it has 3.7 gallons of media not a few oz's of media as some filters. A filter on that line with proper water changes you would only have to clean it every 3-4 weeks and you know how we all just love doing filter maintenance. This type filter would allow your tank to cycle better helping you with keeping it clean longer. Something on that line with a high flow rate and good media volume for all you have in that 75 now.

I do not own an FX4 I have a FX6 but the functionality is the same ! See my videos and how my water looks on 125 gallons water for Piggley 5" male RES. Here's a very short Xmas video so you can see. https://youtu.be/HJ0BMahk_uA
A filter sized to a turtle with proper media volume goes a long way.

Depending on what part of the world you live in and if you use a "price tracker" it can be in same price range.

[Bearcub]

"I'm been looking into the filters and I found XP3 aka API FilStar XP Large, Eheim Pro III 2075, EFU-45, but my main one is CCF5UL aka 1500. Which one do you think I should get?"
I agree with you. I have a Penn Plax 1500 and would not hesitate to get another. They are reasonably priced, easy to get parts for, and perform nicely. The 1500 is rated at 350 GPH and has a large volume for media. I have a 125 gallon tank that houses an adult male RES and have had no issues. Here are some suggestions suggestions that may help you. On a big tank its hard not to have some areas where the flow is "stagnant". I use small circulation pumps to avoid this problem. The filter can't pick up debris if it is not floating in the water column. So the circulation pumps take care of that issue. Aqueon pumps are inexpensive and have a lifetime warranty. I also have a bare bottom tank, which makes housekeeping easier. In addition I have floating plants like water lettuce to keep things filtered and provide vegetation for my turtle.The water lettuce multiplies so rapidly the turtle can't kill it off. Good Luck

[litefoot]

I have a simple test for people to use to see how well there filter is doing. Get two white buckets or large white containers. Do this when you are ready for a water change. Scoop out tank water to about same depth as in tank , the other fill with tap water to same depth. Observe and see yourself if your filter is truly cleaning you tank you may be surprised ! Is it the same in both bucket ? Or is the tank water dirty and or colored compared to the crystal clear tap water bucket.
If different may want to modify media and or time for an upgrade ? Matching a filter and media to the turtles bio load make's a big difference. This was an old timers simple test to see how a filter was doing , that has worked for me for decades. Piggely has crystal clear healthy water and he loves it.