Habitat - Indoor :: Sand FAQ

[francinemarie]

hey chris, I was informed that using sand as a substrate would affect your turtle's airway or get trapped in it. I was informed in my post because I mentioned that my turtle kicks the sand around & someone told me that it would affect her airways. would you happen to know if this is true?

[Caphits]

They dont breath underwater.... I dont see how it could.

[francinemarie]

They dont breath underwater.... I dont see how it could.

wow yea that's true , i'm so dumb

[theartbook35]

They dont breath underwater.... I dont see how it could.

wow yea that's true , i'm so dumb

No you aren't. I seriously did think they breathe underwater... I forget they are not fish and are more like alligators/crocodiles when they swim...

I found something interesting on this website, www.petdiscounters.com They sell "Aragonite sand" by the pound for decent prices. According to the site there is calcium in the sand and it is safe if the turtle ingests it. It's soft, too, so it would not do any external or internal damage.

I still think rougher sand can scratch a turtle when they dig, (or harmlessly rub there face now that I think of it), so, the softer, the better in my opinion.

Example: http://www.petdiscounters.com/Aragonite ... p7072.html

[Chrisbarnett]

The calcium in the sand is moot when it is used in an aquarium under water. All the calcium in the sand will do is raise your carbonate hardness(KH), which raises your waters general hardness(GH).

All sand as long as it is fine grained will be safe if a turtle ingests it because the turtle can digest it and pass it.

Almost all sand grains are somewhat spherical, they are not shards. The sand won't scratch your turtle.. Underwater the sand's weight is displaced so it takes much less pressure to move it than it would out of water. Sand feels smooth to the touch, it's not gonna scratch a turtle who is just walking and digging in the sand.

[theartbook35]

The calcium in the sand is moot when it is used in an aquarium under water. All the calcium in the sand will do is raise your carbonate hardness(KH), which raises your waters general hardness(GH).

All sand as long as it is fine grained will be safe if a turtle ingests it because the turtle can digest it and pass it.

Almost all sand grains are somewhat spherical, they are not shards. The sand won't scratch your turtle.. Underwater the sand's weight is displaced so it takes much less pressure to move it than it would out of water. Sand feels smooth to the touch, it's not gonna scratch a turtle who is just walking and digging in the sand.

Eyes look pretty fragile to me. That's why I mentioned getting softer sand.

Wouldn't a proper filter prevent hardness in water? (One that I was planning on getting anyways).

I don't intend to have this sand as a calcium substitute, it's more for enriching the turtles' overall activity level. Some people do have turtles who don't take to certain foods and cuttlebone, which is why I suggested it.

I noticed a typing mistake in my previous post, I meant to say it "would not" cause external or internal damage.

[VanishingReality]

Chris have you had a problem with algae since you replaced your sand?

There was very little on his walls once we started using his XP3 but today when I got home from work there was a huge mound in front of his rocks. Which he is now kicking all over the place.

Help?

[Chrisbarnett]

Is it Blue Green Algae?

I have been battling some voracious blue green algae ever since I replaced my sand. It constantly takes over and i remove the infected sand every time.

[VanishingReality]

It goes from a lighter green that looks like cloth to a very dark green in the center of the mound. We bought him the pet co three in one scrubbed so we might us the rake on it.

[Chrisbarnett]

ya that sounds like blue green algae.

i posted a thread about my battle with it and a link to a site that had info about it. i'll dig it up.

[Chrisbarnett]

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... ht=#217462

[dkhx2]

Ok so decided to change out my river rocks and got sand last week washed it really good at least i thought i did and it has never settled completly. My tank is really hazy. So now im thinking (much to hubbys displeasure..lol) That im gonna have to take the sand out anyways and clean it so im gonna buy the crayola sand since i saw it today at walmart and i think my boy would look lovely in purple. Question is with the colored sand do you have to wash it longer. Since i guess i didnt do it right the first time i wanna make this time is better. I was out there for maybe 45 minutes doing the sand last week.

[Chrisbarnett]

as far as i know the people with colored sand said it only took a very little amount of time to wash.

[VanishingReality]

We used the rake and it really worked well to clean it. Looks like it is going to be a pain.... Meh

[dkhx2]

Pretty purple Timmy Tommy Turtle Tank. Way better then the play sand. Only issue i have is little sand balls which im hoping with time will disappear as he walks around on the sand. They rise to the top but then i can easily break them up.