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I figured it'd be better to make a new topic since it is a new topic. But anyways.. Could i use Cowrie Shells? I really want something in the bottom. Maybe I can have gravel/sand in the bottom for Plants then cover the open with cowrie shells so I wouldnt have to worry about my turtle eating it.

http://www.primitiveoriginalstoo.com/im ... rilled.JPG
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowrie

I got tons of the white ones.

Another thing.. Since gravel cant be used.. What about fine sand? Its really really smart.. Wouldnt he just poop that out?

If the cowrie shells are bigger than the turtle can fit in his mouth and they are not coated with shellac or other material, and they have been boiled or bleached to remove any dead matter inside, then they would probably be safe to use. The danger I see with them is that they are hollow and waste material will accumulate inside them, making it harder to keep your water clean. Also, even a large shell could probably be broken by a playful turtle. The calcium from the shell would be good, but the sharp jagged edges of the shell might injure the turtles insides.

The idea of hiding gravel under shells or stones won't work for an adult RES as they will easily dig through the bigger stuff and kick up the smaller stuff. I wouldn't recommend it.

Sand is another issue. Someone else here tried it recently and the tank turned into a major dust/mud bowl. It was very yucky looking and took her a long time to clean it all out. Since turtles like to dig and kick things up, I don't know if there's anyway to prevent the water from getting all mucked up.

The easiest and safest thing to do is keep the bottom bare. A few large river rocks will make it look nicer. You can also get fake plants that are already attached to a fake rock or decoration and those can look pretty nice too.

I've been trying to think of some way to make a planter for live plants that will hold some kind of substrate to root the plants in but not allow the turtle to get at it and have it still look nice.

Ahh... Bare wont be good. The tank is in the middle of the room.. Kinda like a wall to seperate the dining and the living room. So I really want the tank to look pretty.

Maybe just small stones then.. The shiny ones. Not sure what they're called.

I really want to add plants. But I'm aware they'll just eat it in under a week. So it'll be pretty expensive and annoying having to add new plants t make it pretty, etc.

I was thinking of fake ones.. But fake is fake. And ive read that it might be dangerous because the turtle might try to eat it.. Then again. I read here that the turtle will eventually figure out it cant be eaten and will eventually stop.

just keep in mind that your turtle's health and safety is more important than the tank looking pretty...and if you do use small stones, they must be large enough that your turtle cannot eat them

I agree kstewart55

I wouldn't recommend the sand it just makes the tank dirter


I guess those shells would be fine as long as they are big enough

Here's a recent post of a tank with a rather elaborate setup. Take a look at the rocks on the bottom. It is NOT recommended to have the small gravel that's underneath the larger rocks as in this post (the owner has since removed the gravel, I believe) but the larger rocks themselves are very attractive.

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9405


The more of these rocks you use the harder it will to keep clean, but if you're willing to do the cleaning, you can cover the bottom with them.

Plants add a lot of interest:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9434

Some interesting decorations, especially with a theme, make it nice:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... ght=#84287

Sometimes the most attractive tanks are the simplest:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... ght=taiwan