Aquatic Turtle Sump setup... need help!

[msumeg27]

I am hoping someone out there has some knowledge of aquatic turtles. Other forums specifically for them have left me empty-handed.

I have a 2 year old RES I rescued and she's outgrown her 55. So, I got her a previously salt water setup (pre-drilled with all the fixings.) It's an almost new complete 125 gallon tank with a 30 gallon sump in perfect condition. The sump tank has 2 sections. I have all the pumps and everything I am just confused as to the best filter media. Thoughts?

I know there needs to be mechanical, biological, and chemical filtration. I was planning on using several sheets of progressively smaller-holed 1 inch thick foam for the mechanical, and bioballs for the biological but I heard terra cotta pieces are better than those? Also I have a protein skimmer I won't need to use. Can I rig it to be the carbon filtration somehow? Has anyone ever heard of this before?

I appreciate all the help I can get.

 

[moondoggy4]

Go to Peitco and look at their turtle tanks and see how they are keeping thier water clean they seem to better in the freshwater section. PS Welcome to Reef Central

 

[Dnastynice]

i have been keeping turtles for a while now. the water quality is not as important as for a reeftank. but you still need to keep the water clean as possible. you can pretty much set up the sump like any saltwater set up. in the sump you can have carbon, and any other media and it will work. just as long as there some sort of water flow going thru.over the media. in my tank i just run fluval bio rings, chemi pure, and filter floss, and sponges in canister filters. the water is never dirty, cloudy or semlls. i do a water change only about every 6 weeks. it also houses a breeding pair of ciclids. so pretty much set it up just like you would any other tank.

 

[msumeg27]

Thanks for your help. I know water quality isn't as important but I still like a crystal clear, non-smelly tank.

 

[ganjero]

I believe you both need to read a little more. I have kept RES in the past and water quality is actually very important (if not the most important). These turtles produce a ton of waste which ends in the water that they drink and are constantly swimming in. One of the most common issues with these turtles is infections (specially on their shells) due to low water quality. Remember that you are having them in a contained environment, so good filtration and lots of water changes are important for the health of the turtles.

I would use sponges, carbon, and media that is easy to remove and clean. Bio-balls will trap tons of waste and will be hard to clean, you don't want that when you need pristine water quality.


That said, this is the wrong forum to talk about RES. I would check http://www.redearslider.com/forum/index.php?welcome and there are many other good forums for turtle keepers.

Good Luck.

BTW. Never use what they do at Petco and most LFS as your reference on what to do/have.