General Care Discussion :: Rocks in tank

[joem1481]

I notice form pictures a lot of people do not have rocks on the bottom of their tanks. Is there a reason for this? Is it better to have rocks or not have rocks on the bottom?

[jenaero]

Rocks are a good alternative to gravel. They're more for our visual pleasure than that of the turtles. I notice mine like to push them around tho. Gravel can easily be ingested and cause impaction, resulting in a costly vet visit and possible surgery. River rocks that are larger than the turtle's head are best.

[Vivi]

In my opinion i think its better without rocks because its harder for you to clean the tank. the nasty stuff gets under the rocks and its just gets really hard to clean the tank.

[jenaero]

I should have clarified. It's definetly no fun cleaning a tank that is full of rocks. I use about a dozen in my 125gal. Just enough for them to play with, but not enough to trap all the funk.

[cobbcustomz]

I have the bottom of my tank covered in Black River Rock. Yes it is a pain to clean but i like the way it looks rather then just the glass bottom. and my turts seem to like it too, i can come over to the tank and see how they managed to dig himself right down to the bottom so the rocks surround everything but the top of them

[steve]

I like to put the river rocks I use into a small pile. They'll move everything a few hours later.