Posted: Sat May 26, 2007 11:51 pm
I think a colorful or interesting background helps.
Plastic plants look really good. The turtles like to hide in them and, if the leaves reach up near the top of the water, they can rest in them when they get tired of swimming, sticking their little noses up for air.
River rocks look good and turtles like to play with them. You don't need too many, just enough to add some interest for you and your turtle. Too many and they are hard to clean.
When you get your XP3, consider setting the outflow bar above the water line so the water cascades down like a waterfall. It's kind of noisy but if you angle it in towards the glass wall it's not too bad. It looks neat and turtles like to play in the waterfall.
By the way, the XP3 is going to be very powerful filter for a 30 gallon tank. You'll probably need to reduce the flow some (there's a handle for that).
When you get it setup, why don't you post some photos - we love to see different setups!
SpotsMama