General Care Discussion :: i am getting really frustrated :(

[kikicool]

Totally! Well, my bag says "Polyester filter fiber." Same thing, I imagine. And it's so cheap!!! LOVE it.

[marisa]

Yep, that's about the same stuff. It really helps collect debris.

[kikicool]

Now I'm all excited and must clean with it!!! (obviously, I'm still fairly new; new enough to find the cleaning fun, still!)

[marisa]

[Muirner]

kiki - lol, i still enjoy it, i try every day to russle the bottom up a lil bit, let the small stuff get sucked into the filter, and the bigger stuff i take out with a small net. then again, i'm new to this still too!

[kikicool]

LOL! Hmm... I wonder if there's a connection between turtle keepers and OCD? Haw haw haw! I just love the immediate gratification of it all!

[Muirner]

i never noticed any OCD traits other then always being on my computer until i got the turtles, now every day it's "are they ok" "should i be doing something else" but as marisa told me. Just relax it will be ok.

[kikicool]

Oh....maybe it's just me then. I too, must relax!

[Muirner]

lol, well me too... I try to listen to marisa, but i everytime i do something i want to do it one better. hmmmm OCD = me

[Jessica313]

like the battery operated vaccuum!! I tried the siphoning thing but the idea of getting turtle water in my mouth made me nauceous every time.

Jessica 313, GREAT picture!!

thanks!!!!

[SpotsMama]

Hi kikicool,

Just in case you didn't know, you don't have to use your mouth to start a syphon. All you have to do is scoop some water up into the syphon, then raise the front end of the syphon up in the air for a second to start the water flowing down the tube, then quickly submerge it back in the water again. If you can refill the front end of the syphon with water quickly enough, then it will continue to flow with no trouble.

A syphon is just a simple gravity and vacuum powered devise. The water flows downhill from the level of your tank. You need to keep the tube full of water so as not to "break" the stream as it falls.

The thought of having dirty turtle water in my mouth makes me nauseous too! I use a syphon every time I clean my tank but have never put it in my mouth!

[Muirner]

SpotsMama - Thank you for that advice, i'll try that when i clean tomorow. Although i have gotten it down to where i dont get water in my mouth, the one time i did was nasty.

I'm looking into a python, although i might just drain out my window, just because i hear setting the temperature correctly is hard prior to filling.

[SpotsMama]

I use a python just like a really long syphon for draining the tank. I don't hook it up to the sink, I just let it drain out the back door. To fill it, if I just need to add a little water I use buckets. If it's a lot, I run the hose in from the back, then add enough hot water with a bucket to make the temp ok.

It's really very simple. The hard part is keeping the cats from escaping when the back door is open.

[Muirner]

haha, isnt that the truth, i open my back door and my kitten always bolts out the back, i'll figure something out soon.

[360alex]

Are those 'gravel vacs' good for water changes? Is there any way to effectively do a tank cleaning without lugging the whole tank outside?