General Care Discussion :: turtles and sand

[SINI5T3R]

Anyone that has sand in there pond or aquarium, have you noticed that they figure out how to dig and look for stuff in the sand super fast? Its amazing how they learn on there own so fast.

[halfshell]

I just changed to sand today. I'll look out for this. He seems to be very happy with the change so far.

[SquidSox]

I took my sand out my Cumberland slider liked to eat it...its been gone for weeks mow and him and the snails are still pooping it out

[Into_the_Mystic]

I took my sand out my Cumberland slider liked to eat it...its been gone for weeks mow and him and the snails are still pooping it out

[SINI5T3R]

Yeah i read somewhere it can be better then worse when they eat it tho. Its so small it goes right through and helps pass stuff easier

[Diamondbacks4Life]

Best is to watch them actually throw the sand on top of their shell and they scratch against something. Sand helps them scratch. Mine always do it under the driftwood.

[SquidSox]

Yeah i read somewhere it can be better then worse when they eat it tho. Its so small it goes right through and helps pass stuff easier

never heard that before I do know it's the hardest aubtrate to clean unless u put those worms in there that clean it for u

[Gracie Turts]

@SquidSox gravel can be pretty difficult to clean too. a lot of gunk can get stuck between them.
i guess all substrate is hard to clean, if you don't know what to do.
for sand, a small rake, a python cleaner, and maybe a net (for leftover food) is basically all you need to clean it.
Canister-type filters help clean the sand too.

[VeipaCray]

I just super over filter my tank and never clean my sand. Much easier that way.

I hate gravel tanks... you have to dig around with the phython vac and I'm always afraid I'm going to push on a pebble just the wrong way and crack the tank. Sand is much easier.

[slider_keeper]

I'm with VeipaCray on that one just over filter the tank keep the current flowing. I don't clean my sand either

[SquidSox]

I don't really like subtrate at all they are all pretty difficult to clean. I just do bare bottom that way I can see and I know for sure the vac is sucking up the dirt and nothing else. Plus it's really easy to tell when the filter media needs to be cleaned/changed cause u start to see a little buildup on the bottom of the tank

[halfshell]

I'd say bare bottom is a better option than rocks, or gravel. Sand seems to be the least harmful (if harmful at all), and gives the turtle something to dig through. So far, so good on my end, at least.

[VeipaCray]

Sand also extends your natural biological filter as it provides very much additional surface area for nitrifying bacteria to colonize.

[SINI5T3R]

Yeah my sand is super clean. If anything falls to the bottom my 200 fish get it and if it stays there longer the turtles end up taking a second chance on it...THEN the filter does its job. Nothing in my sand since i put it in.

[slider_keeper]

yep I got scavengers for that exact reason