I just hooked up a 206 Fluval to our 40 gal turtle tank. How often does the filter media need to be changed? We have just one small turtle in there approx. 4 in.
464074
Once a yr and change the charcoal if the water gets smelly. Other than that clean it out every month to help maintain it
464075
Honestly, I only change it about once every five or six weeks and I have a number of large ciclid fish in there, and they have been fine....
464076
It all depends on the amount of fishes or animals you put in but you should be able to refer to the manual for the general maintenance guide but you still need to monitor closely. Even though the guide mentions replacing the polishing pad every 3 months, I rinse the polishing pad every week because I got goldfishes and they generate a lot of poop. Also, different parts/mediums in the canister require different period of replacements or rinsing. You can download a copy here https://ca-en.hagen.com/usefultools/instructionmanuals.
1780788
I have been using theses filters for ever, I would suggest moving up to one size bigger, the larger has an extension tube that comes with it, this one only goes about 6" into the water. When it comes to filtration, bigger is better if you have room, the larger has 2 chambers/holds 2 media inserts, you will be much happier and the tank will be much cleaner, and there isn't a lot of difference in the cost.
1602938
Your fluval filter has different compartments. Per my filter instructions - my filter handles 110 gallon tank, show the bio filter on the bottom, then the next compartment up houses the bio rings. I rinse them out about every other month, but don' t change them completely out so as to not alter the biologics of the filter.
839783
I purchased a fluval 306 for my 60gal tank & the water flow is strong. Depending on how big your next tank will be 206 is suitable up to 45gal, 306 up to 70gal, & the 406 is up to 100gal.You can always adjust the aquastop valve to regulate your water flow without harming the motor, but not sure it may still be too strong of a water flow for a 30 gallon tank. (my fluval filters values are always fully open)
1858762
I switched from an eheim pro about a year ago. Had the eheim for many years but had a lot of issues including the dreaded intermittent leak. The Fluval is great, simple and does not look like it will ever leak. I have it in a 200 gal tank with 2 mature res turtles.
629278
The filter that can take up to that many gal per tank. A filter with a limit of 60 gal won't do much good with more then 60 gal. I use this filter on my 60 gal tank but I only put 40 gal in it. And I use 2 reverse power heads with underground filtration for my turtle and I only have to clean the filter 3 times a year. You can use 2 60 gal filters for your largest tank. Id go for the the filter that goes up to 75 gal for your 65 gal tank.
1774682
I have freshwater tanks currently but I really do like this filter. I use it in my 29gal planted. I didn't use the carbon and used matrix in its place. You can slow or speed up the filter too. Easy to clean. Buy the filter replacements on Amazon. You can find non-branded ones or cut some to size you self. I don't use the drip tray prefilter though, get gunked up fast. I have a small bio wheel in my 10gal shrimp tank. I like it to but the wheel gets stuck and won't spin at times. Don't have to worry about that with this fluval filter and it has an indicator to let you know when it needs cleaning. I recommend it.
716758
I'm using it for my 125 gal - 6 ft long, turtle tank. I have one Eastern River Cooter about 6-7 inches long. This filter is doing a pretty good job keeping the water clean. I think that the intake is not strong enough to pull in everything on the bottom from all areas of the tank though. I had the intake on the far right side of the tank, and the bottom of the tank on that side looked pretty clean, but the left side not so much. So after cleaning the bottom on the left side, I moved the intake to the left to try to clean up more of the bottom. I guess I'll have to alternative right and left to get all the waste across the bottom. I'm using it for my 125 gal - 6 ft long, turtle tank. I have one Eastern River Cooter about 6-7 inches long. This filter is doing a pretty good job keeping the water clean. I think that the intake is not strong enough to pull in everything on the bottom from all areas of the tank though. I had the intake on the far right side of the tank, and the bottom of the tank on that side looked pretty clean, but the left side not so much. So after cleaning the bottom on the left side, I moved the intake to the left to try to clean up more of the bottom. I guess I'll have to alternative right and left... » Read More I'm using it for my 125 gal - 6 ft long, turtle tank. I have one Eastern River Cooter about 6-7 inches long. This filter is doing a pretty good job keeping the water clean. I think that the intake is not strong enough to pull in everything on the bottom from all areas of the tank though. I had the intake on the far right side of the tank, and the bottom of the tank on that side looked pretty clean, but the left side not so much. So after cleaning the bottom on the left side, I moved the intake to the left to try to clean up more of the bottom. I guess I'll have to alternative right and left to get all the waste across the bottom. « Show Less
1267750
I also use this for a red eared slider turtle. All of the filter media I change at different times to allow the "good" bacteria a chance to do their jobs and not "shock" the water with all new stuff. The carbon I like to change at least every 4 months. The polishing pads if you use them I change every month and the foam filters I will rinse every month or so, but change out with the carbon every 4 months along with the carbon.This is a great filter system! Let me know if you have any other questions and I hope you found this helpful!
793643
I bought everything through Amazon: 1)Fluval Pre-Filter Media - 750 grams/26.45 ounces, 2)Deep Blue Professional ADB41001 Plain Polyfiber Media Pad, 18 by 30-Inch3)Marineland PA0392 Diamond Blend Activated Carbon/Ammonia Neutralizing Crystals, 50-Ounce, 1417-Gram. You have to cut the media pad to shape. I used three layers of it in one tray. I will be ordering another pump for my second tank. Priming the pump is a challenge at first, and you have to make sure the pickup is submerged, but for the money...
890609
I also use the C4 as an additional filter on a 60 gallon tank. You don't say what level of water you keep in your 50 with your turtles. I don't think you could rely on this filter to siphon properly unless your tank is full, and pretty sure it wouldn't be enough to keep it clean unless your turtles are quite small. My biggest complaint is that mine doesn't restart reliably after a power outage. I usually have to reach in and manually unstick the impeller.
928460
Best arrangement for Sliders is to have the bottom two baskets and half the top basket filled with biomedia (any kind of ceramic rings will work well). On top of the bio media in the top basket a bag of carbon and a bag of purigen, and on top of that the blue filter pad. I have used this media stack for about 1.5 years without cleaning, and the water is still perfect. I have 1 adult RES in a 75 gallon tank. See this thread http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t;=30145
1477132
Depending on the size of your tank, that shouldn't be a problem. When I first got this one, I kept my original filter in with this one and it was probably the cleanest I've ever seen my tank. My tank is a smaller tank (10G) and they still had plenty of room to swim... I have two 3.5 inch turtles.
1267748
I also use this for a red eared slider turtle. All of the filter media I change at different times to allow the "good" bacteria a chance to do their jobs and not "shock" the water with all new stuff. The carbon I like to change at least every 4 months. The polishing pads if you use them I change every month and the foam filters I will rinse every month or so, but change out with the carbon every 4 months along with the carbon. This is a great filter system! Let me know if you have any other questions and I hope you found this helpful!
171970
Do not reuse the granules for any reason or after any treatment.... I have one florida redbelly water turtle in a 60 gal setup... I change my media in rotations to avoid any tank shock or jump or fall in pH... Typically, I change the ammonia remover granules at the same time as the ZeoCarb media about once every 5-6 weeks depending on observable water changes and or pH level change. Hope this helps... Sarah Baker
1837207
Now it really comes to 1.how big your bait tank is 2. Your feeding habits 3.how many fish would be introduced per square inch Anyhow foam filters are the best and most simple filters around it would take days for it to build up bacterial load tho Anyway goodluck hope this helps you out
285687
I have these filters in my 3 box turtle tanks. I am not sure about the number of gallons in each of them, but the minimum I have to have in a 20 gal. tank is 2-1/2 to 3 inches of water before it will start pulling the water in the filter. They work very well and the only sound I get from them is the cascading water. I highly recommend them.