Equipment Review and Discussion :: help please? need to buy heater, filter and uvb light.

[aon]

so im a new turtle owner, and really trying to take good care of my baby, so last month i got this reptofilter http://www.reptiledepot.com/New%20Folde ... filter.jpg and this tetraheater http://www.reptiledepot.com/New%20Folde ... heater.jpg

THESE BOTH SUCK!!!!!!!! wow so i wasted 40$+ on these from petco, the filter doesnt filter right ( 10 gallon tank ), for the heater takes a long time to make the water warm, long time as in 3-5 days? arg...so i stopped using the filter for a while now, i just change the water often.

please help me choose a good filter and heater, and affordable. and please suggest which uvb light would be right? sites to buy them would be better thanks

[TheComputerGremlin]

Well, first, you want to find the biggest tank you can afford. Getting a big tank now will save you money in the long run. Look for sales and on Craigslist/newspaper to see if anyone is getting rid of tanks. Spring cleaning is a great time to buy!

Once you have a large tank (I'm talking 40-75 gallon), you'll want to get one of the good canister filters. There are a few brands, Rena and Fluval are two of them, there's another one I've heard people mention. You want one that changes 5x the water every hour, so 200-375 gallons per hour. Also, look online and in stores for sales, you can find Rena XP3s for around a hundred bucks sometimes. Heater, you just want one that works. I personally have a 200W TopFin one from PetSmart and it works great and cost $20, but other people have other brands that work just as well. You want to look for one with an adjustable dial, not one set to just one temp. UVB bulb, I recommend Exo Terra compact fluorescent 26W 5.0 bulb, you can get those at any PetSmart. And just buy a fixture for it.

Sorry to say, having a turtle is NOT cheap, not at first at least ...

[aon]

thanks for all the info TheComputerGremlin yes i know having a turtle isnt cheap...im still in highschool and when i first got my turtle i was clueless and now im heree..by the way how long does it take for the heater to make the water up to the temp?

[TheComputerGremlin]

I think a lot of people attempt to add water around the approximate temperature they want to get it to so the heater has to do less work. I added water that was slightly too warm when I first filled up my tank (before I added the turtle) because hot water cools off faster than cool water heats up. I think a safe estimate is 6-12 hours, unless it's trying to heat it from like 40 degrees up to 75 degrees, then probably a lot more. But your turtle shouldn't be in that water to begin with. If you're talking room temp water to 75-78, I think 6-12 hours.

[Nettle]

Just a quick note, Petco does NOT carry the exo-terra bulb. I learned that earlier today.

Most people say that a Rena Filstar XP2 or XP3 (depending on size of tank) works best. The XP2 is around $120 and the XP3 is $190.

As far as heaters, a Stealth heater runs around $20 and is very safe (unbreakable).

You can find good deals online though (bigalsonline.com). I know how you feel about the money; I'm in high school, too. The past two months I've dropped about $300 (with the help of my dad) for a tank upgrade. I'm not even up to par with all of the stuff that I just suggested (saving for a Rena).

Good luck! ^_^

[aon]

thanks nettle for the info

haha well im pretty much broke since this is my last year of highschool with all these things going on and that i have to pay for and i dont regret getting my turtle or anything i love it, kinda unexpected thats all, i'll come through though

[steve]

Craigslist can be a great place for used tanks. I'd also recommend rubbermaid containers for smaller turtles. For heaters, there really isnt a great difference in price -- though some stores mark up prices -- and I would suggest you pick up the Stealth heater. For a filter, you can put off picking up a canister, though most other "decent" filters will not be very cheap either.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Hey Nettle, Big Al's has free shipping until next week and their Rena XP3s are 140$.

[Nettle]

I know!! I'm waiting for my card to come in the mail so that I can order it. Squee!