Turtle Filter

I have had such trouble finding out which filter is best for a turtle tank. I would like to find a filter that is pet owner recommended for my snapping turtle.

If the turtle owners could help me out which are the best filters that they have or have used it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time,

Danielle DiPaolo

I have a whisper 20i filter that I picked up from petsmart. I have two tiny common snappers and it keeps the water crystal clear all the time.

My snapper is a common also but is about 3 years old.... and his carapace is approx 3 inches in diameter. I have a in tank filter now and doesn't do anything to keep the water clean since he got older. It used to when he was younger, do you think the Whisper will still work?

Thank you for your comments.

Brgds,
Danielle DiPaolo

I also have a YBS that is around 4.5" carapace length. The filter that I have is the 20i and I have around 11 gallons of water in the 20 gallon tank and it stays clean and clear.

i have over thirty turtles mostly hatchlings, but I also have a 5 year old common snapper (carapace 7 in) and other wallet sized turtles and i have tried every, and i do mean every filter and i found the best thing (healthiest) is to keep the set-up simple with only a few items...dome, rock, log etc. and do full water changes once a week.
But if you insist on a filter try this...

get an under gravel filter, then break out a few little dividers to make larger openings. then cut out a 2 to 3 inch hole in one of the corners. then use large rocks and i mean ping pong ball size with a baseball sized rock over the hole you cut. add a few powerheads and every once in a while take out the big rock and with a wet dry vac suck out 2-3 gallons and all the under waste will be gone.

good luck...hope it helps

I have used numerous filters but I have found to work the best for me is using a TetraTec PF500 filter. Then I add 1" PVC pipe with elbows to the water returns (the filter comes with black elbows to attach but I use the PVC in replace of this). You can cut the PVC to lengths needed so the water is returned back into the water without being too noisey. The only thing you need to make sure of is that the intake tube is submerged enough under water so it will not run dry. This is also convient as well because there are heaters that you can buy that go inside of the filter, this way you will not have to worry about turtles burning themselves on in the tank heaters. I use this on 3 different tanks and I have had clear water ever since.

Filstar 3 or a pair of Fluval 404's. My filstar 3 does amazing things. Great filter!!

where can you find those filters?

The cheapest place I have found filters is through PETsMART's website. However with shipping it may be just as easy to go to the store and purchase it. But I have found a difference in nearly $40 on filters from the store and the website

You can find great deals on all Filters at eBay. Very cheap considering what they go for at retail.

Ed Buchwald