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.

This is so beautiful in the turtle tank! The walkway always falls down but very sturdy at all. I still like this product

Love it

Little better pocket for the pump to set in and maybe little stronger pump otherwise not bad for cheap fountain

Looks nice in the pond area of the terrarium, wish the pump was easier to access. If it happens to get clogged I have to remove entire product to access the pump from underneath. Very happy with seller, fast delivery and was extremely helpful when first product arrived with slight damage.