Habitat - Indoor :: i need some advice about sand

[xfueledbykatie]

i want to replace my river rocks with sand because
the rocks just seem to trap all the poop and other debris
in them and it just totally kills the point of my undergravel filters.


anyone have any positive or negative experiences with sand?
would you suggest it?

[Raphulk]

i had the same problem. instead i just reduced the river rocks from the entire bottom to just a handful. that way i can see how much waste is sitting at the bottom still.

an apparently river rocks are great conductors of heat, because since i took 95% of them out, my tank temperature has gone down significantly. im talking 6 degrees O_O

[mat012]

I wouldnt use sand with an undergravel filter. I dont have one so I cant say from experience, but I would be very concerned that the filter would clog too easily.

I have sand and like it. You still have to use the vacuum though but If you dont have rock the waste wont get trapped. Basically it just sits on top of the sand waiting to get cleaned away.

I also have "medium" sand or a coarser grade and like it a lot. It is not as delicate as aquarium sand. One unexpected advantage to this type is that it hides the waste pretty well. The colors blend together. So while I still clean it and keep up, it doesnt "look" dirty.

[xfueledbykatie]

yeah i'd take the under gravel filter out if i got sand.

wouldn't the vacuum suck it up [the sand]?

[PcBuilder14]

I've got sand and it looks great! Be sure your filter will work with sand, pretty much any canister filter will work fine but if you have a hang on tank filter, you may need to get a different filter. I would suggest it.

[mat012]

No the sand is actually quite heavy. The vacuum will pick some of the very very fine particles (dust really) but the sand falls to the bottom of the tank.

[Daniel3507]

i have pretty fine sand and it doesnt cloud up when it disturbed i actually reptile sand from petsmart.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2752699

used 30 lbs for my 55gal

[Chrisbarnett]

I have medium grain sand like mat012, A vaccum will only suck up the sand if put very close to the sand, about less than 3/4 of an inch.
I love sand, had it for about 4 months, maybe a bit longer.

I also have it in a 55 gal, probably used 25-30lbs of sand.

[AllisonChains]

I told myself this morning that if I came across another thread about sand that I would HAVE to do it this weekend!

So, thank you, Katie!

I have been looking at everyone and their 'sandy' tanks and I like it more each time I look at it.

[xfueledbykatie]

I told myself this morning that if I came across another thread about sand that I would HAVE to do it this weekend!

So, thank you, Katie!

I have been looking at everyone and their 'sandy' tanks and I like it more each time I look at it.

haha you're welcome

i love the sand in the tanks look.
its really nice.
and looks so much cleaner than rocks.

[untsmurf]

Undergravel filters don't even work with gravel. Turtles make waaay too much waste for them. I say get a better filter...

Being that my husband and I are also considering sand, I have a few questions...

Is there a special way to wash the sand before putting it in the tank?

After washing, should we empty the tank completely, add sand, then fill it up? Or can we just pour the sand in without emptying it?

After filling the tank, how long does it take the dust to settle? Should the filters be off during this time? Can the turtle be in the tank during this time? Or in a separate holding tank?

Does the poop settle to the top of the sand so I can see it like in a bare bottomed tank? Or does it settle to the bottom where I can't see it like river rock and gravel?

[xfueledbykatie]

Undergravel filters don't even work with gravel. Turtles make waaay too much waste for them. I say get a better filter...

Being that my husband and I are also considering sand, I have a few questions...

Is there a special way to wash the sand before putting it in the tank?

After washing, should we empty the tank completely, add sand, then fill it up? Or can we just pour the sand in without emptying it?

After filling the tank, how long does it take the dust to settle? Should the filters be off during this time? Can the turtle be in the tank during this time? Or in a separate holding tank?

Does the poop settle to the top of the sand so I can see it like in a bare bottomed tank? Or does it settle to the bottom where I can't see it like river rock and gravel?

it used to work when they were little.. lol like a few inches
but now that they're big..yeah it doesnt really work.

and i have a canister filter too.


and yeah i need the answers to those too D:

[untsmurf]

it used to work when they were little.. lol like a few inches
but now that they're big..yeah it doesnt really work.

and i have a canister filter too.


and yeah i need the answers to those too D:

You reminded me of my other question, I'm assuming you should put about an inch or so of sand on the bottom of the tank, but how much sand is that for a 125 gallon?

[PcBuilder14]

To wash the sand I just put about 1/4 of the sand in a bucket at a time and spray water into the bucket and empty the water out, do this until clear water comes out. Once it's clear add some more sand and do the same. When I put sand in my tank, the tank was about half full of water, and I scooped a little at a time with a big cup until empty. Take everything out of the tank, including turtle and filter, wait for it to settle, then put everything in the way you want it. At first it will be cloudy for about a week or 2. What I did is about every 3-5 days is do a 25%-50% water change until it was crystal clear.
Hope this helped!

[untsmurf]

Was your turtle in the tank during the 1-2 weeks of settling?