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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

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 ...

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?

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.

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! ^_^

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

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.

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

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