Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I hope this helps anyone who thought this filter does not work. I am a brand new turtle owner and had no idea what caring for baby Red Ear Slider turtles consisted of so I did a lot of research and then purchased a 10 gallon tank, a cheapie filter, some gravel, water dechlorinator, turtle food, a heater, and a few plants at first and found myself doing full water and filter changes every other day for a few weeks. I thought this can't be right so I went to Amazon to find a better filter. I found Zoo Meds TurtleClean 511 and based on the reviews I purchased it but found myself again doing full water and filter cleanings every two days because the water was so nasty and stinky! Not at all what the reviews claimed. I was so frustrated and ready to throw away the piece of junk filter but decided to call Zoo Meds customer service. A live person actually picked up the phone the first time I called, imagine that? The attendant told me not to do the full water and filter cleanings, but a 25 percent tank water change once or twice a week and not to clean the filter because it needed to develop good bacteria . I then decided to get rid of the gravel (best decision I ever made) and bought a fish net. Let me tell you, the key to having a clean tank is to feed your turtles a little at a time, do not leave any food in the tank. You do not even have to feed in a separate container if you do this. Do not have gravel and scoop out turtle waste with your fish net twice a day. This only takes a few minutes. Now I only do a 25 percent water change once a week. I went from spending 3 hours a week for maintenance to 15 minutes! My turtles are so happy now and the water is clear and has no stinkiness at all. I do have a ten gallon tank which I only fill 5 gallons for now until they grow bigger. I think this filter is for a 60 gallon tank filled with 30 gallons of water. Oh, and I did buy a heat lamp and UV light which my turtles love to bask under. You will however as with most filters take it apart like once a month to clean though. I hope this helps anyone who has trouble keeping a clean tank. :)