Best water filter?

[marina322]

Hi there, so I have a 4 gallon kitty litter box inside my ornate enclosure but I need to find a filter that will filter out the poo and dirt/sand that gets dropped in from him swimming. Any ideas? Preferably something on the cheaper side that still does what I need it to do. But if I need to put more money out for a filter that works better I will. Thanks !

[TRD]

It's probably easier to just take it out, clean it out, and fill it up again then going into a filtration system that is affordable and can filter out sand/dirt (which sinks to the bottom) and everything that is inside of poop besides the obvious solid matter (ammonia, etc).

For starters you need a drain that sucks from the bottom of the 'pool' to filter out things that sink, and something that sucks from the top for the stuff that floats. It needs to have active carbon to absorb all the nasties from the poop. Depending on how big the filter is, and how much trash he brings to it, you may end up cleaning it every day.

Besides, if there's a pump in the 'pool', your monitor may think it's a toy... electrical wires may also pose a risk.

Not really sure how much your budget is, of course it would be possible, but it takes some work to make it work.

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by marina322

Hi there, so I have a 4 gallon kitty litter box inside my ornate enclosure but I need to find a filter that will filter out the poo and dirt/sand that gets dropped in from him swimming. Any ideas? Preferably something on the cheaper side that still does what I need it to do. But if I need to put more money out for a filter that works better I will. Thanks !

Hi I agree it would be much easier just to empty and refill such a small water container each day. You do not have an "Ornate" monitor, you have a Varanus niloticus.
I would recommend using an aquarium heater to heat the water (to at least 80f), they are very cheap to buy and economical to run 24/7.
I do have some experience with this species, here`s my late V.niloticus (they were formally described as a separate species, but not now)...

[StevenL]

Once fecal matter gets into the water, no filtration short of a RO system will remove the nitrates.

[marina322]

Thanks for the replies I will empty by hand since it isn't too big. Plus it will guarantee that the water is completely clean.

[marina322]

Originally Posted by murrindindi

Hi I agree it would be much easier just to empty and refill such a small water container each day. You do not have an "Ornate" monitor, you have a Varanus niloticus.
I would recommend using an aquarium heater to heat the water (to at least 80f), they are very cheap to buy and economical to run 24/7.
I do have some experience with this species, here`s my late V.niloticus (they were formally described as a separate species, but not now)...

Good to know because I've been having some people tell me its a nile other say ornate but now since it has been confirmed that it is the same it makes knowing much easier lol. That is a beautiful nile btw.. Would you recommend not handling and waiting till he comes to you or frequent handling? I'm not trying to get it to act dog tame as that will probably never happen I just want it to be able to not see me as a threat and be comforatable in my presence. Any advice?

[akane]

Even in a pond or aquarium you suck the solids off the bottom by tube and you change the water or use plants to help remove nitrates from broken down waste so hand cleaning is done. A filter only reduces those things by concentrating some for easier to removal and helps the conversion of very toxic ammonia that waste breakdown starts as into the safer nitrates. It's rare to setup a 100% self contained system with any type of filtration and if you do it's usually got an entire separate sump that can be near equal your display tank using denitrification, many stages of sediment filtration, algae or plants for nutrient removal even beyond nitrates, and a ton of power with extra powerheads in the tank to help push sediment to the intake. Other way is to make an ecosystem in the tank with substrate containing critters that break down waste into food sources for plants with very high power lighting and often co2 injection to push plant growth. Both are not logistically possible for a large reptile water container. Hand cleaning and changing the water is the easiest, cheapest, least complicated, and least materials no matter what is using the water.

[Albert Clark]

Whisper brand filtration systems are a highly rated quality filter. Performance and affordability are the main positives.

[akane]

Really? Whisper is pretty crappy, cheap stuff talking aquarium size. I don't know about their pond products but it's like the bottom of the acceptable internal filters and HOBs and I don't touch them. Personally I'd never touch another one again after killing probably 5 internal and HOB. I'm done with regular HOB cause they have too many faults but if I had to I'd just put out the money for a marineland or second aquaclear which is my only current running hob that I got with a tank. I just need surface agitation on my crayfish. I've got 8-10year old filters and newer ones bought in a pinch of those brands that you can just keep throwing on various tanks and at worst I've had to order a new $3 impeller when I sucked up too much sand. Their power heads are even better though and I've just set one over a sponge to suck the bottom clean numerous times. The best bang for your buck in full filtration for anything over a 20gallon rating is probably a sun canister off amazon which are not the best quality for your money but they run pretty reliable given their cost and source and they are 1/4th the cost of a large brand name canister so if you have to replace it twice as often or double the filtration rating you still spent 1/2 as much.

I find the fancy multistage filtration is all not worth it though and especially if we are talking simply wanting to get a reptile tub clean instead of a full fish tank. If getting crap (literally most of the time) out for cheap is your goal you can't beat hooking a sponge to a powerhead or pump like I mentioned. Pure power to just remove sediment and provide biofiltration (ammonia to nitrate conversion) in a nice compact form that shoves to the bottom and rinses clean in a bucket in 30seconds. If you want to stick your own 2 systems together you can get 500-800gph (gallons run through the pump per hour) for about $20 on the pump and somewhere around that to half that for the sponge and connection depending. I've been running near everything off just good old sponges lately. Pull them off/out, rinse them, put them back and shove it to the bottom. Strips it clean. My only tank with full filtration has a sun canister but the weak intake design of any canister or HOB won't beat the pulling power of a powerhead or pump pushed to the bottom so I skip a few substrate cleanings adding one for awhile instead of relying on the canister but I keep ending up throwing my water polishers on to temporary tanks for growout.

However, we aren't talking large here so all that said for ease of use and cost I'd put a kollercroft TOM on it. Like a hot magnum without the $60 price tag. This is a moderate sized one for external https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000YJ0M1E...d=51ZTBCEY021U
This is an internal so you'll just have a box in the corner and run the spray bar down a wall. Nothing that can really get knocked around easy. They stick in there well.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00176GKM8...d=51ZTBCEY021U

zoomed makes an equivalent but you'll pay $10-$15 more for the same gph in a less convenient design than a kollercroft TOM.

Now you sucked me into actual filter style and brand but yeah, you can easily outdo a whisper for price per power and reliability. Really easy. Even the cheap stuff from overseas with poorly known names is more reliable with a better gph when as I said you just want to suck crap out efficiently with easy cleaning.

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by marina322

Good to know because I've been having some people tell me its a nile other say ornate but now since it has been confirmed that it is the same it makes knowing much easier lol. That is a beautiful nile btw.. Would you recommend not handling and waiting till he comes to you or frequent handling? I'm not trying to get it to act dog tame as that will probably never happen I just want it to be able to not see me as a threat and be comforatable in my presence. Any advice?

Hi again, I recommend absolutely no forced handling (unless it`s a genuine emergency) until the monitor is fully acclimated to it`s enclosure and doesn`t show any defensive responses to your presence which can take some time (months and months and no guarantees even then, in some cases).
Your best "weapon" is food, always use tongs and work at the animal`s pace, not yours. There are many individuals "out there" that claim Nile monitors are the most "aggressive" of all Varanids, in my experience that is not true, they are very defensive like most species, but with lots of time and patience they can learn the keeper is no threat (even when fully supported). I say that because so many times I hear from the "armchair experts" that the only "tame" monitors (I hate that word, I prefer tractable) are the sick and dying ones (not true) for the most part they learn what we teach and particularly over long time periods can indeed become extremely tractable.
V. niloticus is known to reach 240cm (8 feet)....
Can you put a few photos up of the current enclosure and give details of the conditions? Thanks!

[marina322]

75 gallon tank, temps calculated with temp gun
Cool side night 78.8
Cool side day 82.8
Hot side night 95.5
Hot side day 98.2
Bask surface #1 114.3
Bask surface #2 102.5
Bask surface #3 110.2
Moist hide (skull) 90
Humidity ranges from 90% cool side to 50% hot side..I put a sheet of plastic over 3/4 of the screen top to keep humidity in, it still escapes but I mist frequently. I'm going to get a mini heater for the water if needed the water temp is 76. The water box I have in there now is smaller than the one I had the other day, I put this one in because it is easier to lift and fill, and he is still able to swim. I also use 2 red heat bulbs, 1 UVB, and 1 UVA. Anything I can do to improve let me know.

[murrindindi]

Everything I say is to try and help you help the animal, absolutely no disrespect intended...
Fishtanks and Varanids do not go together other than VERY temporarily.
Firstly you need to cover the top as completely as possible, you will never be able to stabilise either temps or humidity even if you cover 3/4 of the top.
You basically need to know two temps during "activity time", the lowest ambient (air) in the coolest parts at between approx 21 to 24c (72 to 75f) then the surface temp of the basking object @ between approx 50 to 60c (120 to 140f). You cannot measure the ambient temps with the Temp-gun, what are you using?
The hammocks are virtually useless, please take them out and provide a proper basking area using materials that will hold the heat such as wood or stone/slate/similar (that is urgent).
Nighttime temps can drop to around 21c (75f).
Most experienced keepers these days use relatively low wattage halogen bulbs, must be flood beam and either par 30 or par 38 ("par" only refers to the bulb face diameter). These bulbs are very cheap to buy and they must have ceramic bulb fixtures.
The substrate is too shallow, what does it consist of (it`s best to use a soil/playsand mix)?
I recommend you cover the back and sides with something to offer more privacy, thin plywood or even cardboard would work, just tape it around the top and bottom of the tank on the outside.
The modifications are urgent.... Can you please tell me the brand and wattages of the heat and UVB bulbs?


This is the basking site of one of my Asian water monitors, I need more bulbs because of his size, you might only need 2x 50w halogens, the idea is that they evenly heat at least the snout to vent length of the monitor... Note that the words "Hi-Spot" on the halogen box does NOT indicate spot beam, as mentioned they must be flood beam.

[marina322]

Ill make sure to change the things I need to change asap. I only plan on having him in there for another month, 2 months at the very most. The temp gun was to measure the surface temps and I have 2 tiny thermometers inside the tank for ambient air temps. The hammocks were only extra things for him to use not the only source to bask I have a wooden branch a rock and the other bridge looking thing. The substrate is soil and play sand.
But I will be sure to get his new enclosure right on point that is why I ask what I can improve. I don't take it personal at all, I understand u r trying to help. Thanks very much for taking time to help me.

Would it be a good idea to keep him in there (fix the things I need to change) until he grows a bit more then put him in his permanent enclosure? Or put him in the enclosure as soon as I'm done building it which would be in about a month. He is still very small about 10in. I don't want him to be overwhelmed with the large enclosure, idk what do u think? The enclosure size I'm working on is 10ft by 15ft and 4ft high...I can make it bigger if needed but is this size ok?

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by marina322

Ill make sure to change the things I need to change asap. I only plan on having him in there for another month, 2 months at the very most. The temp gun was to measure the surface temps and I have 2 tiny thermometers inside the tank for ambient air temps. The hammocks were only extra things for him to use not the only source to bask I have a wooden branch a rock and the other bridge looking thing. The substrate is soil and play sand.
But I will be sure to get his new enclosure right on point that is why I ask what I can improve. I don't take it personal at all, I understand u r trying to help. Thanks very much for taking time to help me.

Would it be a good idea to keep him in there (fix the things I need to change) until he grows a bit more then put him in his permanent enclosure? Or put him in the enclosure as soon as I'm done building it which would be in about a month. He is still very small about 10in. I don't want him to be overwhelmed with the large enclosure, idk what do u think? The enclosure size I'm working on is 10ft by 15ft and 4ft high...I can make it bigger if needed but is this size ok?

In my personal experience it`s absolutely fine to house a hatchling/juvenile in an "adult sized" enclosure from the beginning, they will find the heat, cool, light, dark, food and water whatever size you put them in, but so long as you make the required modifications to the fishtank asap it will give you a couple of months to get the permanent tank in place. You need to provide as much cover as possible, meaning the animal should be able to move throughout the enclosure almost without being seen (you can use large plastic plants, for one thing).

A 15L x 10W x at least 6H (feet) enclosure will work for an adult, 4ft tall will not because you will need to provide a decent depth of substrate; around 18 inches for a male, at least 2ft for a female (nesting). That depth not only allows burrowing, it also helps keep them hydrated.
You also need to bear in mind that when fully supported in captivity they grow very quickly and become sexually mature usually much earlier than their wild counterparts (sexual maturity is more to do with snout to vent length) so it`s entirely possible that it can happen within a year.
Are the small thermometers/hygrometers analogue or digital, and you haven`t said what brand and wattage the heat and UVB bulbs are?

[marina322]

Thermometer/ hygometer is digital I forget the brand, the 2 red bulbs are zoo med 150w heat bulbs, UVB is reptispa 5.0 UVB 26w, and the UVA is zoo med 150w blue light.
Everything I have right now is temporary, I am getting better things he needs for the new enclosure. I want him to be as comfortable as he can be in his new home.