Aquariums, Filters, and Omg! Media Help!

Ok...
So Turtle is getting his forever home. I pulled the trigger on a 80 gal Frag Tank, a commercial steel equipment table to hold the tank, an will be pulling that trigger on a Fluval Fx6.

Most video's on filter media is for fish, or for outdoor ponds. Somehow messy ,nasty yet very cute Turtles have been left out. I'm already pissed yet resigned to the fact I'm going to have to do a homemade screen lid for this mess, my head is still spinning from pinky filter material, Seachem bio media, 8 other different types of media an that was BEFORE I watched how to maintain the filter!!

I have-ta what??? Clean the filter motor too???!!!
Something about cleaning an lubing the seal?

This was before I got into alge-scrubbers, circulating water pumps, UV bacteria killer lights an the Python Syphon Maintenance system. Frankly my head is liable to explode, but there's no getting out of it. I gotta learn all this crap so the little guy has a nice life.

As I understand it the filter is probably overkill, but I'm more worried about two things. Him not swirling around in the tank and cycling the damn thing. The tank has enough area for him and at 16 inches deep "should do" even at a more adult size.

Recommendations and advice are needed!

I don't have to worry about an above tank basking spot till he's bigger. Altho I'm equally resigned to the fact I'm gonna have to do a home build on that as well. Just kill me....really....a funeral is probably cheaper.

Thanks in advance!!

It is getting crazy how expensive it is with these new filters, we are on the second new one since we got our tank, the other one sucked, this one sucks too. Filters need to be changed every three weeks, they cost a lot, it will cost about a hundred bucks a year to buy those filter cartriges. And the impeller needs to be cleaned regularly , that is probably what you are talking about. It needs to be lubed too.

I remember the old bubler filter, clean the filter once every three months.

a reply to: rickymouse

Thanks for replying!
What kind of fish do you have? An aggressive tank or non-aggressive? We used to have the aggressive kind with tiny blue gill, angel fish an Gurami's (sp)

Yeah it was cleaning the impeller that I meant. The worry about a swirling Turtle is that if I inhibit the output it puts back pressure on the unit reducing it's lifespan. No ones addressed that, even on Youtube!
There was another guy who recommended a foam sleeve you put over the fish tank intake? That'll get honked up daily, but also makes sense?

At this point I'm resigned to blowing a grand on the Turtle. I figured divide the cost by his lifespan an it's about the same as a dog. Not thrilled with it, but I'll get over it. Eventually.
It's just all this is shockingly overwhelming.

Filter an table will be here later this week, tank on backorder.

originally posted by: Caver78
a reply to: rickymouse

Thanks for replying!
What kind of fish do you have? An aggressive tank or non-aggressive? We used to have the aggressive kind with tiny blue gill, angel fish an Gurami's (sp)

Yeah it was cleaning the impeller that I meant. The worry about a swirling Turtle is that if I inhibit the output it puts back pressure on the unit reducing it's lifespan. No ones addressed that, even on Youtube!
There was another guy who recommended a foam sleeve you put over the fish tank intake? That'll get honked up daily, but also makes sense?


At this point I'm resigned to blowing a grand on the Turtle. I figured divide the cost by his lifespan an it's about the same as a dog. Not thrilled with it, but I'll get over it. Eventually.
It's just all this is shockingly overwhelming.

Filter an table will be here later this week, tank on backorder.

Two big goldfish and a bottom feeder of some kind. The gold fish probably big enough to keep you you were fishing for brook trout.The gold fish are huge, they are outgrowing the twenty gallon take.

a reply to: Caver78

I had a 30 gallon tank with a grouping of loaches, and a school of tetras. As much as I enjoyed looking at it, and such, it became somewhat of a chore. Reminds me a joke I heard about boaters, the best day of a boaters life is when you buy the boat, and sell the boat.

I have a small planted beta tank now. Much, much easier.

My parents had a big outdoor pond, with a large pump, it was pretty hearty, they never had to maintain it that much. Or I wasn't paying attention. Friend of mine has a large turtle tank, indoors, he uses a pond filter, and has a pump to circulate water. Might be an option.

a reply to: Caver78

I had a 150 gallon reef tank and I wish I never did it.

I have a150 gal African cichlid tank. I have a fluvial 406 & an fx6 and about 30 Haps and a few peacocks.
Water change & vacuuming once a week and one filter clean ever 2 weeks. It's alot of work but that's part of it.

I suppose you could spend a lot of money but on freshwater fish? Nope, not me. I've had aquariums from 1-50 gallon since I was a teenager in the late 70s. I've never spent a lot of filters and have always had nice, clean tanks. The fish you get make a lot of different, goldfish (carp) are typically dirty fish. I've had pretty much every type of hobby fish from guppies to Oscars including some odd ones, Arowana, Elephant Nose, and my favorites, the beautiful Mono Argenta.

I'm setting up an older 29gal tall right now, re-siliconed the seams today. I'll give it a few days and get some silica sand and some stones and get it going again. The scale is nearly impossible to get off though, our water is way too hard for some fish.

a reply to: Caver78

Lol, the joys of being a pet owner. I’ve had all kinds of tanks up to a 200gl reef tank that had a fairly elaborate filter system with protein skimmers, UV lights, bio balls, charcoal, etc.......

Yep, it can get rather expensive and time consuming. Your little guy has no idea how lucky he is to have you.😍

Here's my 26 gallon bowfront. I really dig Amano style scapes. I'm just a little more low tech.

I don't run C02 or super high light. Heck, this is my first tank using the aqua soil. Most of the time I use dirt under gravel. Plants love dirt. They seem to be doing pretty well in the aqua soil though. It's volcanic ash, basically.

Plants are the best filters, really. They eat up a ton of excess nutrients. I know a guy that has a whole garage full of planted tanks with zero filtration. Just water changes, maybe a bit of air.

a reply to: TomLawless

Good Lord that's beautiful!!!

a reply to: 68Satellite

(Sobbing)

I had a feeling this was gonna be the case. More work, yea!! Isn't that too much cleaning with the canister filters? Or is your fish load actually that high? I'm a little clueless about the varieties you mentioned.

a reply to: strongfp

The most inexpensive way to go would have been with a pond (indoors) the problem is stock tanks or using an indoor pond means the turtle see's jack-all all day. Or as I refer to it, it's a hostage situation. The other thing is I have cats an at least one of them thinks Turtle is a wind up toy.
He'd be fine if he was closer to adult size.

So I need something a lot more protected.
But it's a great idea that works for a lot of people!!

a reply to: rickymouse

I know goldfish are basically just pretty carp, but even I was surprised at how big they'll get in a large tank. A friend accidentally ended up with a couple of massive ones as her Grouper neglected to eat all his feeder fish.

a reply to: mtnshredder

The little maniac has been spoiled since day one!
Altho if I have to add a protein skimmer to this debacle it will totally be information overload!