The Best Filters For Turtles

October 13 2020

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Photo by LISA ALZATE on Unsplash

The most important part of your turtle tank is the filter. It helps clean the water and keeps your turtle healthy. Below is a list of good filters for your turtle.

There are nine main types of filters; box filters, canister filters, Diatomic Filters, Fluidized Bed Filters, Power Filters, Sponge Filters, Trickle Filters, HOB filters, and Under Gravel Filter. Not all of these filters are good for turtles. The best types for turtles are canister filters, HOB filters, and sponge filters.

Canister filters are the best choice for your turtle. They go outside of your tank, so they are not a good choice if you don’t have a lot of space. They are the most powerful type of filter, which makes them great for turtles because turtles are very messy.

HOB (hang on back) filters hang on the back of your tank. They only work in smaller tanks. They are not as powerful as canister filters, so they are great for turtles 1-4 inches long.

Sponge filters are great to use additional to canister filters or HOB filters. They remove small particles from the water and sometimes make the water crystal clear. They are not meant to be used on their own because they are not powerful enough to clean up all your turtle’s waste.

1. Fluval canister filter

Any Fluval filter is the best choice for your turtle.

Pros: Keeps the water clean, not too loud, helps the water not smell.

Cons: Expensive, too strong for smaller turtles.

2. Zoo Med Laboratories Turtle Clean 511 Submersible Power Filter

Pros: Cheap, works for tanks up to 60 gallons.

Cons: Does not keep the tank as clean as other filters, needs to be cleaned more than other filters.

3. Tetra Decorative ReptoFilter, Terrarium Filtration

Pros: Cheap, looks nicer than other filters.

Cons: Only for tanks with not a lot of water, filter media needs to be replaced more often than other filters, takes up space in the tank.

Resources

Amazon
Fluval
Tetra
Zoo Med