Habitat - Indoor :: Tank size upgrade/upgrading filter question

[tissigirl]

I just recently upgraded Mr. Turtle to a 55 gallon aquarium from a 40 gallon (Yay!).

Now I just need to figure out the best way to upgrade the filtration. I don't want to go and buy a new filter and not use the one I already have. It's less than 1 1/2 years old! So i'm trying to figure out the best way to upgrade still using what I have. I currently have a Fluval canister filter. I have an in-tank Fluval that I used previously, but they take up room in the tank and are a pain to clean. I've also thought about getting another small canister filter to use as well.

Any suggestions?

Oh and just to add, we also upgraded his basking dock to a larger size. Mr. Turtle outgrew the old one. He is loving life!!

[Kyurois]

What's the rating on your filter? It may not be too far off since you just made a 15 gallon upgrade. You could try using live plants to help make up the difference, I suggest Anacharis since turtles can eat it. And if your turtle has that habit of digging up plants, DavidY has a thread showing how he made a sort of plant cage.

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10180&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=75

[Safdar]

I second Kyurois
The 15 Gallon difference
Is not alot
(you should upgrade a liilte bigger)

What is the rating?

[tissigirl]

Well my previous filter was the Fluval 304, so it was just barely enough to clean the tank. That's the only reason i'm concerned about it. I also noticed that when I went out of town for 2 weeks when I came back the water was a bright green color. Not good! And that never happened with the smaller tank....

[marisa]

For a 55-gallon tank, I'd get an XP3. You can use it when you upgrade again (shouldn't be that far away) and then add your Fluval canister for even greater filtration.

[Safdar]

I agree
When you upgrade again itll come in hand

[tissigirl]

It will be quite a while before I will be considering upgrading. Especially considering i've had him for 18 years already. He doesn't grow as much as he used to.

I know that purchasing a larger cansiter filter is an option like I said in my original post, but i'm trying to stay away from that right now. I don't have the money to purchase a larger canister right now, so i'm trying to find alternatives to doing that.

Plus since I just moved my storage capacity for things i'm not using right now is EXTREMELY overloaded. So much I still have boxes in the middle of the living room because there's no place to put things. So storing yet another thing needs to be avoided if possible.

[Kyurois]

Maybe if you still have the Fluval 304 you can just use it in combination with the one you have now as a temporary thing, at least until you can afford a new one.

[tissigirl]

The 304 is what i'm using currently. The other filter is also a Fluval, but it's an in-tank filter. I don't remember which one it is and it's packed away at the moment.

[marisa]

I hear you about boxes in the living room, tissigirl. I think the XP3 is around $89.00 at www.bigalsonline.com now. It's just that it would be so good for your tank...

You could always get an Aquaclear (the 110) to supplement the Fluval canister. It wouldn't take up room in the tank and is good at mechanical filtration (and has biomedia as well). You'd have a waterfall sound that you could quiet by siliconing plexiglass on to the lip of the filter.