General Care Discussion :: Tank Carpet

[mybrosteve]

Hey all, i was just wondering if anybody knows if theres any kind of fake turf or something you can put on the bottom of your tank so that its not just glass and the turtles can grip it. i was also thinking of cutting a few holes in it to put plants through so my turtles cant uproot them as easilly, any thoughts? Thanks!

[WyredHardware]

Hmm... a while back (yr a go-ish) at Rona or Home depo I found this weaved plastic mat in the garden section. It was a semi open weave and I am sure you could get plants through it. It was mighty strong to if memory serves. It was about 1/2" thick and looked like it was a weaved mess of thick spaghetti.

[DavidY]

It'll probably trap a lot of detritus (solid waste/food particles).

[WyredHardware]

probably

[steve]

I think there are several brands of reptile carpeting, and I think I've seen one made especially for turtles... not sure of it is aquatic though. What if it were a small dome, like an upside down saucer?

[marisa]

I've heard of people using something like astro turf, but that was on the basking area, not covering the bottom of the tank.

[scripta_elegans]

Someone here had grass stuff anchored with rocks on the bottom of their tank. I don't remeMber who, but it looked great!

[Twoster]

i was thinking of getting some outdoor carpet myself, like the carpet you would put on a boat or an outside deck ya know?..but i havent found any around my area yet..

[xlgringo]

there is an artificial substrate that petsmart sells that is called "tank carpet" i think. its pretty coarse and has an open weave to allow for small plants. they sell it in small squares, maybe 12"x12". i was actually thinking of trying it out but i was afraid it would be too much trouble (trapping uneaten food, feces, and such). it would make the bottom of the tank look a lot better, though.

[scripta_elegans]

I found the thread. Is this the kind of thing you were thinking of?
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=77253&highlight=anchored+grass#77253

[DavidY]

You can also get the fake grass matts from an aquarium supply store. They're clumps of fake grass that are about an inch or two high and are attached to a plastic grid that you can anchor to the bottom glass. They're used for providing shelter for fish fry in breeding tanks. Here's one place that sells one kind... http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/10983/product.web