Zoo Med Turtle Clean 318 Submersible Filter

The bottom line is this is a small filter.

Small means that it holds far less waste than most collected from the water, and small in that it does not have a good way of filtering out a whole tank for your turtle. I have 1 red eared baby slider (about 4 inches now) and when he was the size of my fingernail this filter worked great, but as with all turtles size became an issue. Turtles get big, fast, and Kame (my baby turtle) has outgrown this filter already. The tank I have is a 10 gallon tank, filled more than halfway with water and I use a water cleanser and a sulfa block along with the filter to ensure the water is clean and not harmful to Kame. I have to agree with the previous reviewers in that it is a good filter to use WITH a much larger, and heavy duty filter, but in no way should you use this as your main filter for your turtle. You may think this is okay if you are just starting with a baby that is less than 4 inches long, but you will find out soon it was a bad investment.

I can't emphasize enough that I only have 1 turtle and I have already begin seeing the water getting dirty after about 2-3 days which is completely unacceptable. When caring for a turtle, especially a newborn, the water condition must always be as optimal and as clean as possible or he/she will get sick VERY quickly. I already experienced a scare this past week when I came home and the water was much more filthy than I had previously anticipated and I saw my poor baby turtle disgusted with his own swimming water. The reason it is so unhealthy is because turtles both drink the water they live in and secrete their waste in it, which means if you don't take care of the water and make sure it is clean every day (not meaning you have to clean it every day but it should not smell bad and should look clear every single day) then your turtle will get very sick and eventually not live a full life.

Lowdown: Do not let this be your only way of filtering the water in your tank, you will need at least 1 larger filter with this that has a greater gallon rotation (for 10 gallon tanks get a filter that has around 60-150 gph).

I suggest moving over completely to a Fluval canister filter 105 Fluval Aquarium Canister Filter up to 25 Gallon (search for "Fluval filter" on amazon) The Fluval canister filter itself is not inside the water, thus allowing more room for your turtle in his/her tank. Or an AquaClear Power filter Hagen AquaClear Power Filter 30 (150) (for fish but works impressively well with turtles) or an Eheim canister filter Eheim Canister Filter Classic Plus 2213 up to 55 Gallon (also outside of the water). Search Amazon for each of these products and you can view a variety of sizes for different tanks. It all depends on what type of setup you are looking for and how much room you are able to dedicate to your turtle tank and filter.

It is important to always buy bigger for your pet turtle, as they will grow fast, so it is always better to buy a tank that is larger than 10 or 20 gallons so that you will not have to invest in a whole new tank in the future, and your turtle will be happy to have more room to swim around in as already with my baby turtle 10 gallons is proving to be a little cramped. Male red slider turtles can grow up to 10 inches, and females can grow up to 13 inches in length.

When you look to buy a filter, if you already have a tank, remember to buy a filter that is meant for a tank that is 3 times the size of yours, this will ensure that the tank will stay clean and efficient. Also take into consideration the implementation of 'beneficial bacteria'. Beneficial bacteria can be used with some filters, not all, to help break down waste material from your turtle and pets and reduce bad odors. These are good because they are not harmful to your turtle and will keep the water clean. Also use sulfa blocks ReptoGuard Medicated Sulfa Block 20 g and water cleansers Zoo Med ReptiSafe Water Conditioner, 8.75 oz

It is important for all turtle owners to know that regardless of how efficient your tank is you should make water changes every 2 weeks by switching out 20% of the water and replacing it with new water.

I hope this has helped you have a better understanding of what filters are appropriate to use for turtles and how to prepare for the years ahead. If you have any more questions or suggestions please feel free to e-mail me at FOAMY89@gmail.com and if I have made any errors please let me know as I am beginning on this journey with a baby turtle for the first time as well and am trying to do as much research as possible.

Peace,

Neel

I bought the filter to work in conjunction with others in my tank (turtles are dirty). I had a problem with waste accumulating in a corner behind some rocks. The small size of the unit allows me keep that area clean without disturbing the "aesthetics" of the tank. Unit's filters are easily accessed for cleaning. The item was shipped quickly and has worked so well I'm going to replace my main filter with one of their larger units.

For small, really small, tanks or problem areas of large tanks it is great.

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Zoo Med Turtle Clean 318 Submersible Filter . I have it in a 50 gal tank 1/2 way full of water. It works great! keeps the water nice and clear even with 20 gold fish.

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I have a 20 gallon tank for my turtle and it wasn't enough to keep her water clean. I had to clean her tank 3 times a week (which was a pain and I only had about 3 1/2 gallons of water in it!). It just didn't move water around or filter enough out to keep it clean.

It would work better for a smaller turtle maybe.

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Crystal clear water and the first time in my life i've had turtles that don't smell horrific. Very quiet and can be mounted anyway which is great for sneaking it in somewhere where it won't impede the turtles swimming area.

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