Penn-PlaxReptology Crystal-Falls Tiered Water Filtration System for Vivarium & Terrarium Setups – Keeps Water Clean & Safe for Aquatic Turtles, Amphibians, and Fish

So you want a turtle. Congratulations on wanting one of nature's greatest pooping machines! You may have figured out that you need a basking area and filtration which has brought you to this product page here. So the question becomes, does this filter handle your little defecation wizard?I do use these, but only on hatchlings. This filter will never be enough to handle the massive fecal assault of a full grown turtle and don't expect it to. For your baby crappers though, I'm still going to recommend some modifications. First, throw out those carbon inserts because honestly, how much excrement do you think those flimsy little things are really going to hold? Instead, I use Poly-filter pads cut out to fit by the pump and the waterfall and filled the rest of the filter area with lava rocks for bio-media to grow beneficial bacteria that will munch on your turtle's digestive byproducts. The poly-filter pads turn brown as the crap they filter when they need changed and you'll need to do that at least monthly.While we're on the subject of poop, I'm going to give you some advice. Your wee little crapper is perfectly capable of defecating enough for this filter all on his or her own. Your turtle isn't lonely, don't get additional turtles (at least in the same tank) or nature's other truly terrible fecal machine the goldfish. Or anything else that will up the crap this filter has to handle because it will only handle so much crap (as do we all). And don't expect this to be a permanent solution either, hatchlings will fast outgrow any small tank this is placed in. Honestly, you're only using this and the ten or twenty gallon aquarium you got long enough for you to build a pond or far larger aquarium because that's about how long it will take for your turtle to outgrow the home this filter is placed in.So what do I think of the product? Great for a very temporary solution for hatchling turtles. But as a permanent solution? To quote the Mr. Horse in Ren and Stimpy: "No sir, I don't like it." But this filter isn't really designed to be a permanent solution for turtles either so don't expect it to. And no, I am not kidding about the poop. Your turtle is truly full of sugar honey iced tea. But you'll find that out.

UPDATE ***Four months in, completely dead. Won't pull up water or run at all. Now I need a new filter and a new setting place. It's her preferred place to sun herself and I am going to have to take it out because it died. Waste of money, look elsewhere!Absolutely no instructions, cannot figure out where the cord is supposed to go. I've threaded it through the top, but now the top portion does not sit flush because there is no hole for the cord. The images don't actually have the pump in place, so I cannot figure where it belongs. I've never owned a pump where the cord goes through the water. The actually pump is about 3 inches tall and has just a handful of holes to pull in water and the waterfall flow is quite low overall.There are two VERY flimsy, thin filters that has weird little squares and there are only a couple of rocks of what I assume to be charcoal in each and very thin polyester. They are only about 3.5 x 1.5 inches There are 2 slots where I assume the filters go, but one does not want to go all the way in and I moved it to the other side. Long term, these filters are NOT going to keep a 10 gallon tank clean, especially for a turtle, even doubled up like I have them.I know that my ramp is not in right, but I can't figure out how to make it flush with the other side. Even though my water is closer to the minimum water level, the ramp end is floating. My turtle has yet to figure out how to get up the ramp and I worry it's too steep.Neat idea, poor execution.

First of all, I LOVE the design and size! But...I didn't listen when so many reviews said the pump was faulty. So now I just have an oversized platform that collects debris and feces instead of filtering or moving water. I was convinced I could improvise a pump from another filter, but unfortunately with it's design nothing has worked.If the pump worked, it would definitely be a five star item! I wish they made the link to contact seller easier to find so I didn't have to leave a poor review... I still would love to love this "waterfall" platform!

Very poor quality control. Shipping box was in perfect condition but box for filter was crushed on corner which means they SHIPPED it that way. They didn't even open the box to see if item was broken and it was. I managed to heap up gravel around it to try and make it work. The water filter does not seem to push much water through...concerned with how well it would actually filter.

The product was well packed in bubble wrap. It was easy to assemble, I wasn’t sure I put the water filter in correctly at first, but I contacted customer service and they were very helpful. The waterfall/filter looks so much nicer than the generic black ones, it’s very quiet and creates a peaceful waterfall sound. It is taller than I initially expected, but I’m not upset about it. My turtle is so small I don’t think he will be climbing up to the top. Love the product & would recommend!