Habitat - Indoor :: Sand FAQ

[PridgNYC]

He's about 4.5-5 inches now.

[Listen97]

He's about 4.5-5 inches now.

Yeah before I try sand again, I want to find somebody using it with full size turtles. I have two full size females.

[Listen97]

For those looking into sand this seems like a quick and easy way to add more later if you need a refresh. In the video he uses a 20oz bottle that of course can be increased to a large bottle for more sand. Trying to do this with a full 50lb bag of sand might be a little much but for routing addition of new clean sand seems like a good idea
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-XB0bwtZh8[/youtube]

[dandj425]

Not sure where I went wrong but after weeks of cloudy and greenish water, I took out the sand! My two filters, fluval u4 and aquaclear 70 just kept clogging! Had to clean them out once to twice a week. Since I am trying to biocycle the tank, so many filter rinses are bad. Very happy without the sand again. Jealous of y'all who can do it! Many tanks on this do look great and others seems to not have my issues.

[steve]

Could it have been that the filter intakes were too close to the bottom?

[dandj425]

The ac70 was 10" higher but I couldnt get the u4 more than 4-5" higher. Tried it sideways but wasn't working as well. And the ac70 intake is only area inches below water line so couldn't raise that anymore. I am loving the bottom now so wont try again in this tank at least. Maybe for one of the smaller tanks I could try aquarium sand and see.

[Listen97]

Dandj I had the same issue so don't think everyone has their luck lol. I had two larger turtles (in probably a tank too small at the time) and even with raised intake height they just kicked up way too much and the filter sucked it up. I used quickrete play sand myself, not sure if heavier sand like aquarium or pool would have helped. I now have a bigger tank and I'm hesitant on going back to sand but I really want to try because I want a more natural looking tank with plants and substrate.

[jgreerberube]

I am definetely getting some sand next time at the store!

[Rafa2k]

You do understand that sliders and most other water turtles dig in the sand! This is their natural substrate in the wild. It is the best way to give them the surrounding they will enjoy most. He seemed happy because he was happy to have the sand. If you want your turtle to act natural, you have to give him/her the natural habitat they would experience in the wild.

BAM! right there, that was the closer for me. I am a new RES owner, got 2 RES for my kids on the 4th of July. My daughter has really, really taken to the turtles which I simply LOVE. She is 5 years old and is on top of making sure they are fed, making sure the water isn't cloudy, I even got a floating thermometer with the color lines so she can see that it's at the right temperature.

Being that she has really taken over these turtles (except for me having to do all the manual labor ) I let her pick out everything for them. She got them a floating log, a little cave, and a Shamu ornament lol. Last night we went to Walmart to see what colors of Crayola Play Sand they had. She just HAD to have the pink sand. So this weekend, she and I will clean the sand and set it all up. Pictures to come very soon of our tank with pink sand

[Rafa2k]

So here it is, pictures of the Crayola Pink Sand which is currently available at Wal-Mart. It's in outside gardening section if anyone is currently looking.
There were a few little bubbles that were created during the process, you can see them on the left a little. They were like little beads

When cleaning the sand, there was VERY little cloudiness in the water. Stirred the sand around for about 15 minutes even though it was clear after 5 min

After letting it dry out all weekend, we added it to the tank last night

Put the little cave ornament in 1st to absorb the splash of the water. Got almost zero cloudiness after it was all said and done

[Listen97]

So here it is, pictures of the Crayola Pink Sand which is currently available at Wal-Mart. It's in outside gardening section if anyone is currently looking.

Little cloudiness, guess a benefit of the colored sand. Probably the process they use to color it bonds the dust you normally get in play sand. I had to do 100lbs of play sand took probably 30min each to get 90% of the cloudiness gone.

[Rafa2k]

After about 15 minutes to install the filter, heater, etc. It was this clear already

Waited about an hour before putting in my little guys

[cberg]

After about 15 minutes to install the filter, heater, etc. It was this clear already

step4.jpg

Waited about an hour before putting in my little guys

2turts.jpg

Very cute, I bet your daughter loves it. Looks like it was a fun little project for her. Keep us updated with any upgrades to the tank she might do

I went with the blue crayola sand and same here, the water ran clear pretty quick. At first after putting it the tank there was very little cloudyness... But after a while it got cloudy, which I'm sure isn't from the sand, but probably a bacteria bloom. Starting to clear up though.

FYI anyone looking for crayola sand.... At Walmart (and Im sure most other places) anywhere where you are going into fall, the season is over and orders have stopped for the product for the year. If you want some, pick it up soon before they sell through their current stock. You may be able to special order it, but not everywhere.

[Rafa2k]

Ya she had decided on the green when we saw it online. Then we got to the store and it was pink She had a blast doing it, and she was super excited when it was done. Time well spent together

[J0NATHAN85]

So on another post I mentioned that my turtle was eating the sealant in my aquarium, and that using sand as a substrate could help. After skimming the 25 pages on this thread, is it safe to conclude the following:

Pool sand is a great option, and is ready to be placed in the tank without any cleaning or prep.
Keep filter intake several inches above the sand.
Use some foam and a rubberband to protect my filter.

If there is anything else I am missing, even brutally obvious info, please let me know. I'd like to get the sand in ASAP, before my turtle's chewing habit creates a leak in my tank.

I also want to say that while I dont yet feel like I have the expertise to offer many suggestions to users on this site, I have come across many turtle owners in NYC in dire need of some direction on proper RES care, and it's been great being able to forward along all of the knowledge I'm gaining here. There are SOO many misconceptions out there, especially in a densely populated city full of people that think turtles are low maintenance pets.