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UPDATED 7/26/12-- see bottom part of entry-- upgrade from 3 to 5 stars
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Original review June 2012:
I'm writing a long review because I found it helpful to hear others' experience specifically with turtles. They are a little different than fish when it comes to what works.
I have a painted turtle, about 5-6 inches long right now. We have an algae eater too who helps keep the tank clean (we call it a sucker fish, not sure what its real name is). We also periodically add small minnows and goldfish to entertain the turtle and for food if we forget to feed her or go on vacation. Since she's primarily a water turtle, her tank consists of mostly water with a few haul out spots.
We just upgraded from a 20G tank to this one. Previously we've always used the Whisper Quiet filters with great success. People would rave about how clean the turtle tank was, and we could pretty much ignore it (don't worry about changing water, etc.) In the 20G tank we had the 20-40G Whisper Quiet in about 16G of water, no plants, a few submerged items, and a floating plastic "log" for basking. For the 50G, we added a few more submerged and surface items, but all are plastic or rocks, nothing living.
Upgrading to the 50G tank (with about 40-42G water) posed a problem for me. All of the larger hang on back filters required the water level to be higher than I wanted, since the turtle needs some land, and I didn't want it climbing out. I tried rigging a few up-- the larger Tetra one worked very well, but I had to rig it inside of the tank, and it just took up too much room.
I decided to try the underwater Fluval for two reasons-- never need to worry about water level, and because I'm not willing to invest in a canister filter.
PROS:
--silence. it's golden
--ease of changing filter media (it's really simple, you can lift it up so you don't contaminate everything or spit junk back out)
--will never dry out or burn out if you lose power and it restarts (since submerged)
--ability to place where I like in the tank for optimal filtering and flow to stir things up
--ability to change parts of filter at a time to preserve beneficial bacteria
--foam pad separate from other pieces so you can rinse that and not everything
--no splashing, so no hard water stains on side of tank
CONS:
--I want to love this filter and I hope it works long term. We used it in a tank that had been recently filled and set up, with the Tetra running for about a week. Initially this worked really well, but about a week into it, the water turned nasty green. First off, TURTLES ARE DIRTY. By nature I don't think this filter accomodates that. I'm holding off judgement since it sometimes takes a while to get things right when you set up a new tank, as it happened before with other filters too at times. However, in this case, I think it's because of a lack of active carbon in the filter. There is just a tiny bit there, and in my experience (6 years with this turtle), the active carbon is ESSENTIAL to keeping them from getting stinky and gross. I decided to remove the bio pellets from the middle part (step 3) since I never had them before in my tanks anyway, and instead fill that space with one of the tetra filters filled with activated carbon. It's been about 10 hours. The nastiness is gone and the tank looks much better. There still seem to be a lot of particles in the water, but I am continuing to work on that-- not sure if I can blame it on the filter at this time. I will keep adjusting, because I think this filter is worth figuring out how to make it work for turtles.
I gave it three stars because it advertises that it can be used for my purpose, but I don't think it comes through with the media it uses. I also think their media replacements are expensive relative to other filters (which is especially frustrating when they aren't even working for me). However, if the makeshift adjustment of using other carbon filters inside the third chamber is effective, I would upgrade to 4 stars. If I get to perfectly crystal clear water without the need to pay attention to the tank every week (yes, it's possible with some cheap filters), I'd go to 5 stars. I ask a lot from my filters!
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UPDATE 7/26/12
This definitely deserved the upgrade to five stars. I had to leave for three weeks after adding the Tetra carbon filter to the center in place of the bio pellets, so I filled it with a bunch of minnows for her to eat over time, then came home to a tank that was still crystal clear after 24 days. (Trust me, I was almost afraid to look at the tank when I returned for fear of how gross it might be.) A few minnows were still swimming around happily too. I went ahead and swapped out the carbon filter, but it looks like I can simply wash out the outer sponge and pathetic carbon insert supplied with it periodically and replace the Tetra carbon insert in the center chamber monthly. I still don't like that I had to adjust it, but I don't think there's a great product out there for turtles, and this is working VERY well. Plus, I am now purchasing the cheaper Tetra filters, so my ongoing costs will be less.
If you go this route, it does seem like a very tight fit to fold over the Tetra filter and slip it in the middle chamber, so don't be shy. Just wiggle it as you push it in and be gentle.
All that remains to be seen is longevity, but for now I am one happy consumer!
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From the manufacturer
Fluval Underwater Filter
- Fluval U Series Underwater Filters provide complete and efficient 3-stage filtration, including BIOMAX biological filtering (U2, U3 and U4 models), to create superior aquarium water quality.
- The complete line, consisting of Fluval U1, U2, U3 and U4 Underwater Filters, includes many practical and versatile features that make them ideal for application in fresh, marine and reptile environments.
- Fluval U series filters provide the option of setting the flow output in 3 different positions, a key benchmark in underwater filtration. The Adjustable 3-Way Flow Control feature (available in the Fluval U2, U3 and U4 models) lets you position the water flow output to meet your specific needs. The Top Output setting provides maximum circulation and oxygenation, the Integrated Spray Bar setting provides a gentle, even flow for planted aquariums, and the Bottom Output setting is for deepwater agitation.
Features
- Fluval U Filters also include a convenient flip-top lid that allows quick and easy access to the filter cartridge for maintenance or replacement.
- In addition, Fluval U Filters offer installation versatility: they can be installed vertically against the aquarium wall to create currents or customized flow patterns; or they can be placed horizontally in shallow water tanks or to create decorative features such as waterfalls.
Reviews with images
Our Tadpoles *Love* It - I Posted a Photo
The Fluval 2 Water Filter is designed to work in a variety of configurations. This makes it absolutely perfect for tadpole tanks. You can put it sideways, just beneath the surface of the water. This creates a long "basking area" that the tadpoles absolutely love, while at the same time keeping their tank clean.I had no idea the Water Filter would be so ideal when I bought it. Sure, I knew it had a great reputation as a water filter, and that it could create a gentle stream. That is of course the big challenge with tadpole tanks. Tadpoles are MESSY - but they are also tiny and delicate. You want a filter that moves enormous amounts of water in order to keep the tank clean. At the same time, you don't want industrial-strength jets of water blasting into their swimming area. Especially when tadpoles are just developing their little arms and legs, getting hit with that water blast could cause all sorts of damage.The Fluval 2 Water Filter is very easy to set up. You decide what kind of output stream you want, set the speed, and voila. You stick the whole thing into your tank and you're set. I put it in sideways figuring it would take up the least amount of swimming space that way. I was completely shocked when I came back a few hours later and found six of the little tadpoles had wriggled their way on top of it and were soundly sleeping there. At first, I was worried. Would a little limb get stuck somewhere? Would the soft buzzing bother them? But no, it almost seemed soothing. They actively wrestle with each other to get onto that spot and, even if others come and pile on top of them, they lay there contented. It is really cute to watch them. They're like a pile of kittens.The water in the tank is absolutely much cleaner with this running. It does the best one could hope for against the output of these industrious little baby frogs.Highly recommended for tadpoles. Just install it sideways, just below the surface, so the little tadpoles can rest on top of it. There's lots of photos and videos of this in action all through the SuttonMass site.Ask if you have any questions!
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Dima
Worked well for 3 month and then stopped
Reviewed in Canada on July 15, 2023Size: U4Verified Purchase
