ReptoFilter, Terrarium Filtration, Keeps Water Clear

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.

I have this for almosth 4 months and is been great. It does not work well for big turtlles or thanks. I have a 6 year old turtle and it did hepl but i had to clean more often than with the baby turttles so i think is exelent for a no more than 3 year trutles or small than like a 10 gallon for big turtlea or 20 gallo for baby turttles. I got the 125w mottor filter for my 6 year old turtle now and is working perfect for his 30 gallon thank

We have a fiddler crab setup in a 10 gallon tank. Roughly half the tank is covered by water about three inches deep, the other half is a sand beach. We have been through two ReptoFilters in six months. The first filter had a hard time taking in water, despite the fact we keep the water level at or above the height of the water intake vents. If the filter was unplugged during tank cleaning, after it was plugged in again it would not draw water until we poured at least a gallon of additional water directly into the filter compartment. The amount of water required to make the filter run would cause our crab's beach area to erode. Eventually the motor stopped working, so I discarded it and ordered a new filter. Our second filter was delivered on December 22nd. It stopped working altogether on January 7th. It won't take in water, and the motor isn't running. There is an adequate amount of water in the aquarium, and no discernable reason for the filter to stop working after two weeks. Our fiddler has just finished a molt, and he's stressed out with us messing around with his habitat, trying to get his filter to do its job. Perhaps this terrarium filter is not meant for shallow water habitats, but no matter. It's garbage, and I won't buy another. ***Update*** After reading other negative reviews of this filter, I followed the manufacturer's advice to carefully disassemble the unit and rinse debris from around the impeller. I disassembled and cleaned the unit. This was not a difficult task. After reassembly, I plugged the filter into the wall, and lo and behold, it immediately drew in water and began filtering. There was only a very small amount of sand inside the impeller area, but clearing it made all the difference. I'm going to try reducing the water level in the tank to see how the unit will perform. Our fiddler does not like a high water level, and my evaluation of a product depends in part on whether it helps me keep my animals happy and healthy. Time will tell how well this filter will continue to run, but at least now I know how to maintain the unit. Upgrading to four stars, because the manufacturer should provide clear and obvious maintenance and cleaning instructions in the user's manual.

This filter is pretty good so far, I have only had it running for a few days and it has worked very well. Very easy set up and is keeping the water crystal clear. I have a 10 gallon tank with about 2 1/2 gallons of water in it for my hatchling turtle. I was worried that the filter may have to strong of a suction for my hatchling, but she has swam all around it and has had no problem, except when she decides to be a dingy and go where the water is pouring out and gets slightly jumbled around. The filter itself only has a slight humming sound, and since I have the water pretty low it does have a noisy water sound. The tank is very clean with the help of the filter and there is absolutely no smell whatsoever from my turtle (I feed my turtle in a separate bowl so this also might help with the smell). Overall it is a great filter and my turtle and I are very happy.

I got this for my frog, he used to have a big bulky filter that was difficult to clean and expensive to maintain. I'm so happy I replaced his old filter with this new one! it was extremely easy to set up, it only took me a few minutes. It's also really easy and convenient to replace the cartridges, and it's so much cheaper than the filter media I used to have to buy for the old filter. It's very quiet too!

Unless you have a large turtle tank that is going to cover most of this filter with water do not buy. I have a small red eared slider that has a small habitat with about 3 to 4 inches of water. While the water covers most of the filter part, it doesn’t cover it all so it doesn’t work at all. Really disappointing especially because this is one of them are expensive filters.

Great item. As listed. Thanks

This product worked for around an hour before completely dying. Unfortunately it will cost me more to return it by mail to the US than Amazon is willing to refund so there's no point in returning the item.

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

Leider mit englischem Stecker daher in Deutschland unbrauchbar

After 5 minutes of me putting this filter in the tank the motor burnt out, could have killed my turtle! Do NOT recommend.

Stopped working in few hours of first day. Vendor was nice gave full refund.