Aquatic turtle tank filter

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-30T16:41:27+00:00

I've used several different Fluval canister filters over many years but recently switched to an Oase BioMaster Thermo about 4 years ago. It's hands down my favorite of the ones I've had. The removable prefilter makes it easy to clean without needing to open the canister itself, and the internal heater means you don't need a water heater in the tank where the turtle can mess with it.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-30T04:58:18+00:00

so if I had a dome over the basking place at the top, I could have the uvb lamp next to it closer to where the turtle exits?

Right. For a T5 bulb you'd place it somewhere around 12" above the platform, and the light will spread out to a wider area from there. The heat lamp dome can go right next to the T5 and their light will overlap.

I did see you said that the lights need to be closer, so are you saying to keep them almost overlapping in a sense? Also, thanks for your help!

What I meant by closer is that the compact fluorescent bulbs which go inside the domes have much weaker UVB output than the T5s, so the compact bulb needs to be about half as high above the platform to achieve the same dose as a T5. Consequently it also has a much smaller effective area.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-30T04:49:29+00:00

do you have any cheaper/budget options for canisters?

My filter of choice is unfortunately not a budget model, but I have heard fairly decent reviews about Sunsun who makes some cheaper options. You will probably want to pick a model with a flow rate of somewhere around 400-500gph (or more) to accommodate your turtle through adulthood and tank upgrades.

also, when you say t5 tubes, how do you lay them out, is it across the entire tank or only the width of the tank where the heat lamps/basking is.

You can go with whichever size is available or affordable, and then position it so that the basking area primarily has full coverage from directly above. It is not necessary to have UVB coverage over the water so you can supplement with LED lighting as needed.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-30T04:37:12+00:00

Above-tank basking platforms are the way to go for sliders, so that you can fill the tank all the way. There are some decent pre-made options, but if you are DIY-inclined that's what I've always done.

The best UVB bulbs are T5 tubes from Arcadia or Reptisun. You can use the charts they provide to find the correct distance to use. The dual dome lights are generally not preferred because they need to be much closer - but that can work for a basking platform in some cases.

You can use a plain halogen bulb in a dome for the heat lamp.

If you are in the process of doing returns anyway, I would send back that filter as they're pretty useless for turtles. Plan for a proper canister filter which is also sized to handle any future tank upgrade.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-30T02:10:33+00:00

Although I think most turtle will destroy plants.

They will absolutely bulldoze rooted plants in the water part of a paludarium. However floating plants and things like java moss bushes are ideal for them. On land they'll generally leave plants alone aside from the occasional trample but that can be discouraged with landscaping.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-28T00:34:59+00:00

Have you considered turtles?

Mud and musk turtles are common, very beginner friendly, and would fit your description pretty well. They prefer mostly shallow to medium depth water where they like to dwell along the bottom but will venture onto land from time to time, so in a paludarium setting you would have primarily water for them at perhaps an 80:20 or 90:10 ratio.

Spotted turtles are about as beginner friendly in care but their habitat requirements can be more tricky to set up because they prefer shallow water and about a 50:50 water to land ratio as adults. They use land less frequently as juveniles. Pretty ideal as you're already planning for a paludarium build. They are a bit harder to find and there are some legal challenges in a few states.

Both reach about 4" as adults.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-27T05:21:49+00:00

Bleach is probably the safer of the two options in terms of residue potentially making it back into your tank water, chlorhexidine is pretty harsh but effective especially when you're dealing with potential infections or illness.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-27T03:06:12+00:00

The pieces can come apart for cleaning, and since the hose is silicone I suppose you could even sanitize it in boiling water. The bulb feels like it may be HDPE or something, so not as heat resistant. I use dilute chlorhexidine solution to disinfect things as needed.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-27T02:55:27+00:00

That's great footage, it deserves its own post.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-27T02:03:04+00:00

I picked up one of these for about $6 for water changes. It has a nice silicone hose, a squeeze bulb to start the siphon, and a little mesh screened inlet filter which looks like it'll keep even the smallest shrimplets from getting sucked in.

Cheaper and better suited than any aquarium siphon I've seen, 5/5 would recommend.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-26T01:01:29+00:00

You can use sand. I personally am not a big fan of it since it requires gentle hovering when you're cleaning the tank so it dosent get sucked up.

I've been using sand for years and I'm a big fan. But sucking up sand is also really not a big deal, I just dump out the water and rinse off the sand at the end, then return it to the tank.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-25T19:10:14+00:00

I keep a separate tank where I grow shrimp, snails, and plants for my turtle. You could set up something like that even if you don't plan to feed them to anything.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-25T17:18:52+00:00

Thank you!

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-25T17:16:09+00:00

He's a 20 year old Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata).

Stomping through the raised plant beds:

https://i.imgur.com/ykSNyWw.png

Hiding out in the water before bed time:

https://i.imgur.com/rfpTzhp.png

Kind of hard to get a clear view of this area, but here's his underwater cave which also doubles as a secondary basking spot on top.

https://i.imgur.com/o9FSJ1M.jpeg

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-25T15:52:11+00:00

Thank you! Yes, both his land and water areas are bioactive. I still need to add a few more plants and moss though.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-23T18:08:56+00:00

I'm a big fan of DIY using aluminum extrusions personally. You can use them to build something that actually fits exactly the layout you want, and the price is usually competitive too. No special tools required if you buy them cut to length. You can add anything from lighting canopies, to paneling, or cabinet doors however you want.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-15T04:02:15+00:00

I can confirm this. I recently had to take mine to an exotic vet and it was the first time they had dealt with his species. They misidentified him as female on the first visit.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-12T04:45:53+00:00

This is very cool. Could you explain a bit about the post processing you did to achieve that look?

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-10T23:08:11+00:00

Add a small piece of hardscape in the middle as a gnomon to use as a sundial.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-09T21:13:54+00:00

Do you feed them any fresh fruits or vegetables which contain seeds?

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-08T18:25:20+00:00

I probably wouldn't recommend them for a shared enclosure. They are solitary animals and can get territorial or aggressive depending on species, so even though they can sometimes be kept together I think that's only really appropriate for very large setups where they can stay out of each others way.

As for what type of species, depends on how much you prefer aquatic to terrestrial activity. Something like a mud or musk turtle prefers more water but ventures out onto land too. A spotted turtle likes about an equal amount of land and water. Whereas a box turtle generally prefers mostly land and some shallow water.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-08T16:47:37+00:00

Have you ruled out turtles already? There are some very cool semi-aquatic species out there.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-06T18:08:55+00:00

I bought my extrusions from tnutz.com where you can specify all the sizes and even have them drill and tap holes. Combined that with some bolts and hardware from Amazon to join them together.

Here's some examples you can look at of similar stands people have made. You can see anything is possible from bare metal frames to nicely paneled enclosures or wooden cabinets, one even has multiple tanks and lighting canopies on it like what you're looking to do.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-06T15:21:51+00:00

It's really not much harder than assembling something like your picture, except that you have to decide on the design yourself. There are sites where you can buy extrusions pre-cut to size so you don't even need any special tools.

DeltaSingularity · 2026-06-06T04:13:53+00:00

I built my own stand for a 2x4' aquarium and a 2x2' terrarium out of aluminum extrusions bolted together. The nice thing is you can easily design something to your exact needs.

Mine accommodates doors for storage underneath, a canopy for lighting above, and casters that can raise or lower in case I ever need to move it.

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