All Turtles Message Board

bhale

hi, i'm Bethany. I have two red eared sliders. Shirly and Pablo. I started with turtles about a year and a half ago. I love them their crazy personalities. Right now i am struggling with my fluval 305, it seems i'm getting worse filtration then my little turtle filters i used to have. I'm building a new plexi glass basking station because my turtles are getting so large.
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trtlduv · Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 2:53 pm Post subject:

Welcome to the board, all three of you!! Glad to have you here!

Your fluval, is it new or does it need cleaned? I just cleaned mine last weekend and it's like brand new again. Do you have all your media in the right baskets? Is anything turned around? I have the 404 so I'm not sure about the differences in them. I have the book at home though, maybe I could look thru the troubleshooting area and see if there's anything in there.

Great pic btw, which one is that? I'm gonna guess Shirly (because of the short claws), is Pablo a male?
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shade & sweetwater!

bhale · Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 10:13 pm Post subject:

That's actually pablo in the pic... I named her before i found out she was a girl!
I've had the fluval for about 3 months. And i set it up as directed with the instructions. i wonder if i should be altering that because fish and turtles are a bit different...
How do you go about cleaning the motor part? That's were i feel the most gunk is? I clean the filter and i swear, one day later my water is gross again. which is very frustrating. Smile

So, if you know any super tricks for the fluval i'd be grateful for any help.

Thanks again!

trtlduv · Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 10:29 am Post subject:

Oops, my apologies to Pablo! Embarassed

How big is your tank? Yes, turts are way different when it comes to a dirty tank. Turts are a lot dirtier than fish (unfortunately), but is your filter rated for about two or three times bigger than the size of your tank? I've only cleaned my filter once in the six months that I've had it, I rinsed the motor part and changed out the foam. The bio filter (the little rings, I think they're ceramic?) have to be rinsed in the tank water so as to keep the balance of bacteria intact. It usually takes my tank a day or two to clear up but after that all I do is add water & the dechlorinating mix every few days. I don't know if this info will help you at all. Are the input and the output hooked up right? They have to be if the one side is sucking the water in and the other is pushing the water back into the tank, geez, I can't think of anything else. I'll have to look and see what the book says. I meant to do that, but I've been so busy with my house! So sorry. I'll let you know what I find out! Wink

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shade & sweetwater!