Habitat - Indoor :: Which filter is better? 40i or 501

[jpres]

Hello, I have three small res turtles in a 30Gal tank that is filled with around 10-12 Gallons. I was using the Whisper 10 filter system and it worked pretty good until the power went off and back on while I was at work causing it to burn out I guess. So I was thinking of upgrading to the Whisper 40i but then I saw ZooMed's 501 filter. I can get them both for around the same price but am not sure which is better? I read the 501 pumps 80gph and the 40i pumps 170gph. I plan on adding water to the tank as the res grow.

Which do you think I should get? Thanks.

[Chrisbarnett]

Your tank is too small already for 3 turtles. You will be needing a huge tank if you plan on keeping all three together, not to mention when they get older, aggression issues arise, and you have to get seperate setups.
Have you read through the whole habitat section on the main site? http://redearslider.com/index_habitat.html
Fill up that tank as far as you can now, they need all the water they can get.

Do you have a basking area? UVB and heat lamps? Water heater? etc.

Anyway on to the filter. The Zoomed 501 is a piece of crap. It's not going to have the power you'll need. You want to cycle the tank 5x per hour or more. For now if your in need of a filter, you should get the whisper 40i.

[jpres]

I got "Mr. turtle" about a year or so ago when my wife came home from a flea market. He lived in the 30Gal and being Quarter size when I got him it has seemed like more then enough room for him. The same day my wife got mr. turtle my sister got two res turtles as well. One year later hers were not looking to good in a 4gal goldfish designed tank with no basking area and fish gravel. So 2 months ago I adopted them and although the were smaller then mr turtle by about an 1 inch they seemed to hold their own.
There is a basking area I made out of plexiglass and turtle turf. I have a heat lamp but it has been so warm I've had no use for it lately. I was just thinking about getting a 5.0 reptisun but then I heard they can cause trouble for the turtles eyes. They do get to play under the sunlight a couple times a week.

[Chrisbarnett]

Well for UVB a good one to get is a Exo Terra Repti Glo 5.0% 26 watt.

Have you thought about an outdoor pond or a huge tank for the future?

[drtweak]

I have a 10 gal with the zoo med and it work pretty good for a 10 gal. I wouldnt suggest it for anything more than a 20 at most. It does it job fairly well. going to get a 40 or 55 gal in a month or so and gonna try building my own filter.

[jpres]

Thanks for the help. I'm gonna go with the 40i for now.
I'm thinking of getting another 30Gal and connecting them with ramps and a basking area. I saw that someone on this board did it and it worked out good for them.

[mat012]

For a bit more than what you will pay for the whisper you can get an larger aquaclear power filter. They hang on the side of the tank and will need to be rigged with tubing to reach to the water level. But I have read good things about them. Get the largest one you can afford since you will need the extra filtration with multiple turtles.

I had a tetra in tank filter on a 10 gallon and ti did fine as long as I faithfully cleaned the tank. I did either a large partial water changes or a complete water change almost weekly. I also rinsed the filter packets frequently as well. Like I said it was fine for a small tank that was easy to keep up with though you really dont get the benefits of biological filtration.

Maybe in the long run think about a canister.

Kuddos by the way for rescuing the other turtles. It is a shame they were in such a tiny set up. They will be better with you I am sure.

Melissa

[drtweak]

Yea the only problem i'm having now is that that little filter cant keep up with my growing turtles...

Going DIY on my next filter and hope it comes out good

[taurusgirl]

i got the 501 and love it easy to clean

[drtweak]

Its easy to clean until you have two turtles who make a big mess and out grow it. for one turtle it will be good as long as you dont go above a 20 gal.

Once it gets messy, it sucks up more, things get clogged easily. I just cleaned it out two days ago and its to the point where the flow is half of what it should be already from how much stuff is in there...

my personal opinion they should have swapped where the sponge filter and the chemical filter parts go.

[taurusgirl]

i have 2 4inch turtles with the 501 and i would say a 50 gallon container and to works great. i dont have to clean my tank for 2 weeks with it and i also feed them in their tank. just saying of course its your choice

[drtweak]

wow hmmm...

I got messy turtles then!

Think i'm gonna potty train them to use the toilet!

HAHAHA