Tetra ReptoFilter, Terrarium Filtration, Keeps Water Clear

I have 2 of these filters in a 75 gallon tank with about 35 gallons of water (10" or so)...1 filter on each end. In the tank I have a juvenile Western Painted turtle. It works absolutely beautifully, keeps the water crystal clear and practically odor-free and creates an incredibly soothing waterfall. I wouldn't exactly call it "whisper" quiet, however, I do keep the tank in my bedroom (about 7' from where I sleep) and the sound of the waterfall completely drowns out the faint humming sound that comes from the filter pump. No sleeping problems whatsoever. I think the reason why these filters have a somewhat bad reputation is because people think you MUST have them sitting on the bottom of the tank in order to work properly...greatly limiting the amount of water you can have if you have a bigger tank since the water level has to be below the lip of the filter. This is untrue from my experience. I have both of them propped up about 5" on aquarium decorations and rocks so that the water level is about 4" below the lip. The only thing about doing this is that they're unable to clear the chunks of debris off the bottom of the tank since they're 5" off the ground. This isn't a problem for me at all though because I have a small fish net and a gravel vacuum that I use to regularly clean the chunks off the bottom of the tank. I actually prefer it this way because it seems like to me that by not sucking up the chucks of debris it would extend the life of both the filter and the cartridges. Now to the filter cartridges. Instead of buying the 3-pack Reptofilter brand cartridges for usually $8 or so (~$2.65 each) I buy the 12-pack Whisper Bio-Bags for about $10 (~$.80 each). They're exactly the same as the Reptofilter brand cartridges but the only downside (isn't even really a downside) is that they come unassembled and with only 1 frame instead of pre-assembled and a frame for each cartridge. I've found that they usually last anywhere between 2 weeks and a month but the life of these cartridges entirely depends on the size of your tank, amount of water and the messiness of the creature(s) in your tank. Overall, for the money, these are hard to beat. They keep my tank looking beautiful with very minimal upkeep. After a while I might end up forking out the extra cash for a good external canister filter but I just don't see the necessity quite yet for that good and powerful of a filter when these do the job perfectly fine. Plus I like the idea of having a filter on each end of my tank, greatly increasing the water circulation and vital surface agitation.

The Tetra ReptoFilter would be wonderful at twice the price! Here we have a QUIET, foolproof and efficient way to keep "aqua-terrariums" clean, fresh and healthy. Before I ordered and installed this amazingly inexpensive and powerful filter, my turtle's water was funky, cloudy and smelled a wee bit like a "Turtle bowl" (in spite of frequent partial water changes). I took the device out of the box, inserted the filter media (straight-forward activated charcoal and generic white fiber sleeve), plugged the thing in and marveled! The ensuing and immediate waterfall is quiet and very strong. Within minutes, the tank was transformed into a crystal clear aquarium (the water that is). I added 3 river minnows to keep my little painted turtle happy and the result is fabulous. In a 10-gallon tank, the device creates a whisper-quiet river current. The pristine "water-fall" effect created a virtual whirlpool bath for my little painted turtle. He/she spends most of the time chilling in its own luxury spa. The little bugger looks as happy as a pampered movie star. I cannot vouch for the effectiveness of the ReptoFilter in larger tanks-- but I am confident that the "up to 20 gallon" rating is more than accurate. My Tetra ReptoFilter has been running non-stop for 3 weeks now. The water flow has not diminished and I see no reason to replace the filter at this time. When that time comes, the entire affair is very simple and very amiable to inexpensive improvisation. I am seldom this completely satisfied with so inexpensive and effective af iltration system If you have aquatic reptiles, or even a modest aquarium, you cannot go wrong with this wonderfully effective tank filter.

I have strong confidence in the brand "Tetra". I've used it for several years with my fish. So I was a little surprised to see the warning Amazon has about it being a frequently returned item and some of the negative experiences people have had with it. I was a little skeptical, but for $13 I figured I'd take a chance on the medium (90 gph). I've never been disappointed by this brand. This turned out to be a very good choice. This little filter is perfect for the job and works surprisingly well given it's size. It was originally purchased for a much smaller 5 gallon tank. Out of necessity I had to use this in a 29 gallon fish tank (filled 1/3 of the way) for a turtle. I went away for about 3 months and came back to crystal clear water. Of course the tank still needed some cleaning, but the water was clean. I had low expectations for a filter of this size for a tank that big. I will be/have purchased the larger model (125 gph) for the bigger tank.

Cumple su función, lo tengo en una Tortuguera de 65 litros, solo una tortuga y mantiene el agua cristalina y sin olores, ya provado tienes 12 días de agua limpia, después de eso hay que enjuagar el cartucho ya que se satura demasiado con el pasar de los días, debido a que compre los cartuchos de repuesto junto con el filtro, no me fijé que los cartuchos eran medianos y a mi parecer la manera en que viene acomodado el material filtrante está mal, pero cumple su función. Recomiendo modificar y ponerle esponja, guata, canutillos y carbon activado de esa manera tendrás el agua cristalina y sin olores por más tiempo. Pero se me hace un filtro de momento ya que al crecer tu tortuga será más suciedad la que tendrá que limpiar el filtro y tendrás que cambiar el agua más seguido, otra cosa que no me gustó es que a la semana empezó a hacer un ruido fuera de lo normal, desarme el filtro hasta llegar a la bomba, lo limpie bien y ni aún así se quitó el ruido, no es un ruido que moleste pero no es normal, aún así el filtro cumplió su función. Si tienes las posibilidades de comprar un filtro cannister hazlo!!! Si no recomiendo ampliamente este filtro, me gustó mucho.

It arrived completely dead and it will cost more to post back to get a refund than what it cost!

Filter worked for about 30 minutes and then died hasn’t worked at all since

Hello I received the reply filter and installed it as per the manual. As soon as I plugged it there was a huge mechanical noise. The level of the water was correct and I opened the bottom the pump was correctly fixed. I put it back in the tank again let it run with the noise but it then finally stopped and never started again. I didn t manage to reach out the contact support yet but will seek a replacement.

It’s a pretty good filter. I’ve tried a lot of filters in the past couple years with my red-eared slider and by far this one has been my favorite. It’s easy to use and easy to set up. The directions are extremely straightforward and it’s not too loud of a filter. The maintenance is pretty easy too, cleaning it out is pretty easy. There’s no loose charcoal pieces. The one thing I wish I could change though is the price of the refill cartridges. I find it’s a little pricey, but I do only have to get a 3 pack every 2-3 months. So I can’t complain too much. Over all I’d recommend this filter to anyone with a messy turtle :)