Habitat - Indoor :: Choosing Filter Question...

[mpittm7]

I have two baby RES, almost an inch in diameter. I have a 29 gallon tank set up right now, but i only keep the tank half full. Right now I have the crappy ZooMed filter that isnt worth as far as I can throw it.
I have done some research and I am trying to choose which filter woud suit me the best.
I don't want to blow the guys away with a crazy strong filter, but then again I want some clean water and I might want to upgrade later down the road.
Is canister the way to go? Or can I get by with something else until I get another tank when these babies grow?

Any suggestions on what I should do would be greatly appreciated!

[Chrisbarnett]

Well I can tell you that you will need a bigger tank soon, so if you can make it through now, with frequent water changes, then when you upgrade to a much larger tank, you can get a canister to go with that larger tank. So start saving up for a new setup if you ask me.

[mpittm7]

How long can I go with a 29 gallon tank?

[drtweak]

Build a DIY canister. The great thing about that is you can make the filter out of a big watertight container like 1-3 gallons and then you can make it so that you can change just the pump. Like put in lets say a 150 ghp for now for the 30 gallon and then when you upgrade to say like a 70-70 gallon you can get a 300-400 gph pump and just swap out the pump. Thats the advantage i see of a DIY canister filter

[Chrisbarnett]

Okay so I have heard that the rule is 10 gallons per inch of turtle, and then 1/2 of that for the second turtle. So right now, you have two 1" turtles, that's 15 gallons of water needed. But in the first year expect each turtle to grow to about 4". So in the first year of keeping them, you are going to need at least a 60 gallon tank.

Of course, this is all relying on the fact that they get along, but if they start to show aggression, then you have to seperate them and get two set-ups.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Yeah, the 29 gallon tank won't last you very long at all. I would start looking soon for at least a 100 gallon tank. That should last you a few years and then if aggression becomes an issue, at least you will be able to keep one of them in that size tank. I would almost not bother with an intermediate tank (like a 55 gallon) because it wouldn't last long enough to pay for itself.

With a 100 gallon tank, I'd look at a Rena XP4 or Fluval FX5 canister filter. You have a short time to save up money and to look for a deal.

[mikee]

Your filter need to be at least 5 times trun over. The key words here is "at least" More would be better. I have a 29 with a 350 gph filter and it does great. It has a little swirl and keeps the water moving. I use another which pumps 300 gallons per hour and that also does a great job.