The Exo Terra Turtle Cliff is a 3 in one addition for a turtle enclosure. It features a waterfall, a filter and an area for your turtle to relax in.
The filter is cleverly hidden within the feature and provides clean water, while the waterfall provides both an aesthetic feature and water circulation and aeration.
This is an easy product to add into your turtles enclosure and it comes in 3 different sizes making it adaptable for any turtle enclosure. The texture of the cliff makes it the perfect spot for your turtles to bask in.
For a quick summary there are 3 sizes available:
- Small – Product Dimensions : 7 x 8.3 x 3.7 inches
- Medium – Product Dimensions : 6.7 x 9 x 7.7 inches
- Large – 9 x 14.5 x 9.2 inches
Table of Contents
Exo Terra Turtle Cliff Review
What to look for when including a product into your enclosure
When you begin evaluating which products are best to add into your enclosure, you should first determine what size will best fit inside your enclosure.
When choosing a tank for an indoor enclosure, you should provide at least 10-15 gallons per inch of your turtle – for example a 4 inch turtle should be provided with a 40 gallon tank and so on. See this turtle tank setup guide for more.
This would mean that the small Exo terra turtle cliff would be adequate for one small turtle – such as the mud & musk turtle which varies between 3-5 inches.
However, for every additional turtle that you add into the tank you should add half the capacity of the original tank. Therefore for painted turtles that can reach 10 inches, you should provide a 150 gallon tank for two of them. A tank this size would then require a large Exo Terra Turtle Cliff.
The product you choose should keep the water in the enclosure clean and aerated as well as provide an area for your turtle to climb onto. You must also choose the correct size as to not overwork the filtration system or overcrowd your tank.
Exo Terra Turtle Cliff Overview
The Exo Terra Turtle Cliff features a Repti Clear Terrarium Filter – concealed within the cliff. This is a 3 stage filtration system that has a large capacity to filter water and effectively controls the water flow.
The cliff allows for additional filters to be easily added into it, as well as aquatic heaters. The shape of the cliff makes it easy to install in the back corners of your tank.
There are 3 different sizes to suit your enclosure needs.
- Small – Product Dimensions : 7 x 8.3 x 3.7 inches
- Medium – Product Dimensions : 6.7 x 9 x 7.7 inches
- Large – 9 x 14.5 x 9.2 inches
Similar products include the Tetra Fauna Viv aquarium system – which hosts a waterfall, filtration system and an area for your little friend to bask on. The filter is only suitable for a 20-55 gallon tank.
The Tetra Fauna Decorative ReptoFilter is another option that features a waterfall, filtration system and doubles as an area for your turtle to lay on.
Both of these products come in one size, as opposed to the Exa Terra Turtle Cliff that has three separate options.
Pro’s and Cons
The Pro’s
It is a lovely product to add into your enclosure as it is decorative and very useful. The filter is concealing which creates a more aesthetically pleasing look while still providing the functionally you require of the filter.
The filter consists of a 3 stage filtration system, and has the ability to be adapted and add a concealed aquatic heater and additional filters into it.
The waterfall creates an aerated effect within the tank and keeps the water circulating, while still providing an additional feature.
As mentioned the filter is concealed within a realistic rock, which doubles as a basking area for your turtle.
The system has majority good reviews on the product, with 45% rating it 5 stars on Amazon and 13% rating it 4 stars.
It is easy to install and fits neatly into the back of the tank.
It provides clean water to keep the enclosure healthy.
The product makes use of a top quality filtration system.
It neatly conceals the filter within the rock feature.
It is affordable, the Repti Clear Terrarium Filter alone costs about $40 and for all three features you are paying between $54-83.
The Con’s
The filter is said to be noisy, however this will be the case with any filter. The enclosure can also be kept out of areas that are required to be kept quiet.
The large size can accommodate a larger tank, but not really a larger turtle as it is 14.5 inches x 9 inches x 9.2 inches – and larger species such as Florida Red Billed Turtle will fit but their legs may be off the rock.
The internal filter won’t be as strong as an external filter.
It reduces your turtles swimming space, however is great for smaller turtle species to bask on.
The Verdict
I would ultimately recommend the Exa Terra Turtle Cliff as it is highly praised and comes in 3 sizes: Small, Medium, Large.
It makes use of a high quality filtration system – the Repti Clear Terranium filter which is neatly concealed within the rock features.
It is easily adaptable, reasonably priced and is a worthwhile investment for your little friends enclosure. The waterfall is a wonderful additional feature which assists with water aeration and circulation.