Zoo Med Turtle Clean 30 External Canister Filter for Aquatic Turtle Habitatsup To 30 gallon

I have been looking for a water pump for cleaning the water because without it you have to clean the water tank three times a day. I wanted to get a competitor's Deluxe Turtle set from Zilla but I prefer having the turtle outdoors so it could have the legit sun. So I didn't need the two lights for sunbasking and for uvb lights, since it was getting that from the original sun anyways, plus I already had a platform and the water tank, but the one they had was bigger. But just for only those two reasons it wasn't worth getting stuff that I already had. So I looked for the Zoo Med (which is the floating platform I've got from them) and saw they had some mixed reviews on the other models (311 I think it was) and wasn't convinced with the 3 star average product. And the other one they have the 501 looks stupid hanging on the water tank, but the 511 is on a different league.The 511 model is at first sight a monster to behold, don't let the plastic fool you, it is quite strong. I managed to complete building this thing within a day, let me tell you, it is a journey to complete the thing, you have to hook up the cables and tighten the screws, and I got confused with the in and out with the mentality that IN goes inside the water pump, and OUT is for coming out of the water pump, well, no. It was the other way around, I think? I switched it back and forth about four times and got it running somehow. I even had to call them but they don't answer the phone after 5PM. So I pressed on, I have to do this, I have to save billybob from swimming along with his waste. Never. Again.Within the instructions, Step 2, and 3 are simple, step 4 simply takes time. Pour water on the carbon bag (DONT OPEN IT), put in those tubes things, and put water on it with the water detergent. Here is where I wasted most of my time. I strongly recommend that Zoo Med highlights this part "Fill The canister COMPLETELY with dechlorinated water". I thought I had gotten a defective motor or something, I had it on expecting water to be pumped but no. After I filled it with water (you might have to wait for the water to stabilize inside the container) you close the pump with the seal and watch out it slowly starts working. At first it was a little bit of water, but give it some time to get rid of the excess air trapped inside and you will be surpriced at how powerful the water spray rate is, I only have one turtle and it is a complete overkill. It cleans the water so nice. It's an amazing product. It just takes some time to get there, but once your journey is over, the rewards are for the turtles everywhere as billybob swam towards the spray and hanged out there. I think that's going to be his new favorite spot. This thing cost a bit more than the 501 but it's definitively worth it. I understand that they were marketing it for people that have big tanks but even with my small tank, it can clean more water than billybob can poop so that is fine with me. I'm thinking of getting another turtle. Maybe it's time for billybob to have some friends.The end.

The filter is quiet and works well. I have it in a 50 gallion and it works great. The tubes it comes with are nice and long so you put the fulter under the tank and its all pretty easy to assemble.Update: after having this for a few months im still super happy with the purchase! Its a little pricy but works so well! I keep it running for 12 hours a day (turning off at night to save electricity) on a 50 gal tank and it still keeps the water crystal clear. cleaning is easy, washable medium means you dont need to buy new filters all the time (its already saved me money from how often i was changing filters before) and u can go a super long time between cleanings. Best filter ive ever owned.

I put the filter in a 10 Gal bucket insulated so when it runs I don't even hear it. The water fall out flow can be loud with low water levels but easy fix turn the tube toward the rear glass of tank and it's a low sound trickle. The instructions are rather easy as well as the set up. I marked each tube with a marker "In" and "Out". I put it all together and in order for the Filter to prime you MUST open the fill cap which should be above the ceramics and fill the entire filter with water. Replace the cap. Make sure the Intake tube with the strainer is completely submerged. All I did was ensure the water level was over the black parts. Double check the hoses are screwed on, the Valve is set to open, and then plug it in. You will see lots of air being pushed through and the water flowing strong up the in and out the out. Once the Water fall starts you did it right. It says the whole filter should be level with the tank but that's tacky and really serves no purpose. Mine is under the tank - works perfectly.Day one - the tank was pretty icky but I wanted to put a stress test on the filter and to my happiness within a few hours the tank started to clear up! By the 5th hour the water was crystal clear. This lasted a few days...I recommend popping off the intake strainer and rinsing it off daily. The tank stayed clear for quite a few days then things got screwy.Day 5: I woke up and no waterfall but the filter was running. On inspection I noticed both tubes became clogged with a slimy green algea. I also assumed the inside of the filter was nasty too.The tubing seems to be the worst issue for everyone and I have a easy solution to keep them clean. That tip is in just a moment.Maintenance - Do NOT the entire top or unscrew the tubes or the poop water will go everywhere. This is why you have a fill valve. Bring the entire filter, tubes still attached, to a sink and drain the water from the fill valve - then unscrew the tubes.In my case the Charcoal bag and ceramics where pretty gross but it passed the heavy test. Clean out the sponges, rinse off the charcoal and the ceramics and put the filter back together. Now...the tube trick.All you need is a $10 Drain Snake - the one in the drum. See images...it fits perfectly in the tube and just push the snake all the way through and it clears all the algae out. Rinse, reconnect tubing, fill up via the cap....submerge intake tube plug in a voila!!!!!Sure it's a little work but 1000% easier than having to clean out a tank full of fart smelling turtle poop water.I just finished about 30 mins ago so that's why the water isn't super clear but in a few hrs it will be. Yes I know I need to clean the tank glass lol! She is a Dinosaur YBS and soon will have a 300 gallon to love!Oh one last thing..make sure the orange pieces are set to MAX.Good luck!