Habitat - Indoor :: Question for all you sand owners..

[ScrewZoo]

Do the turtles like it? do they dig in it and have a good time (RES)?? Also is it messy does poop get badly stuck in it where you got crap everywhere? or does it eventually get to the filters or eaten by the turts. also does the sand get in the filters very often like it takes more sand than poop? I have no gravel atm, and i like it on ya'lls.

[Daniel3507]

the poo sits on top so its easy to just scoop it out. as long as you keep your filter intake around 4 inches away from the sand it wont get sucked up. the sand just sinks to the bottom because of how dense it is. the turtles dont really eat it but if they do its so fine it wont cause any harm. i think my turtle likes the way it feels

[ScrewZoo]

the poo sits on top so its easy to just scoop it out. as long as you keep your filter intake around 4 inches away from the sand it wont get sucked up. the sand just sinks to the bottom because of how dense it is. the turtles dont really eat it but if they do its so fine it wont cause any harm. i think my turtle likes the way it feels

Thank you dan, any more comments people?

[Chrisbarnett]

What daniel said.

Also, check out the sand FAQ thread. It should answer most of your questions, and if not, post in that thread and I or someone else will answer it and then I'll add it to the list.
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17268

[ScrewZoo]

What daniel said.

Also, check out the sand FAQ thread. It should answer most of your questions, and if not, post in that thread and I or someone else will answer it and then I'll add it to the list.
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17268

oh wow, didnt see that, thanks alot.

[AllisonChains]

I think Izzy loves her new sand. She has been at the bottom of the tank walking in it and checking it out since we did it.

[yeshuaskid]

What daniel said.

Also, check out the sand FAQ thread. It should answer most of your questions, and if not, post in that thread and I or someone else will answer it and then I'll add it to the list.
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17268

oh wow, didnt see that, thanks alot.

I HIGHLY agree! I wish I had! I put a sand bottom in and my turtle loved it. I put a rock barrier around the filter for at least 4" and the turtle still inadvertently pushed sand into it. Since I have a regular turtle tank w/the side cut-out (not mine...a loaner from school) the filter can't raise any higher than an inch or so from the bottom. Yesterday, the filter stopped and when I opened it up the brand new filter was black w/sand! If I had checked the above link I would have known that the filter had to be at least three to four inches above the sand bed. Oh well, live and learn! Of course, that was a $25 mistake!

[xfueledbykatie]

my turtle loves their sand. they dig all the time and they just overall seem happier.
and the poop just sits on top and you can get it out before the tank gets too gross.

[yeshuaskid]

I've been told that you can put a nylon around the filter bottom and it keeps the sand out. Has anyone tried that? I'm asking because I'm probably going to have to dump Squirts tank of all its sand since he's in one of those turtle tanks that has one side cut out for a filter. I didn't purchase this tank. It came with the turtle and I'm upgrading as soon as possible. Since I have to put a new filter in today, should I just take the sand out completely?

[Chrisbarnett]

I've been told that you can put a nylon around the filter bottom and it keeps the sand out. Has anyone tried that? I'm asking because I'm probably going to have to dump Squirts tank of all its sand since he's in one of those turtle tanks that has one side cut out for a filter. I didn't purchase this tank. It came with the turtle and I'm upgrading as soon as possible. Since I have to put a new filter in today, should I just take the sand out completely?

what you are talking about is also called a prefilter. Here's a little snippet from the sand FAQ about prefilters:
What about a Prefilter on the intake?
You can use those if you like, it's added insurance that sand wont get sucked up into your filter. Remember to take it off and clean it off often otherwise it being dirty will restrict your filters flow. You can get them on the coarse(about 10-20PPI) or fine side(30-40PPI), I would recommend coarse, because it will have less of an impact on the suction power and won't get clogged as fast. Prefilters are readily available for most filters, or you can just buy ones made for the Aquaclear power filters, and make your own.

unless you can make the intake 3-4" above the sand, then i would suggest that you do remove the sand until you have a larger non turtle tank.

[untsmurf]

Won't a prefilter limit the amount of waste the filter can collect? Because lets face it, turtle poop isn't tiny!! lol.

[Chrisbarnett]

Yes, it will. I don't and haven't used a prefilter yet personally, so I can't really comment on how much it will limit the amount of waste being collected. I do know that if using one, you need to wash it off every few days so that suction power can remain at its peak.

[mat012]

Won't a prefilter limit the amount of waste the filter can collect? Because lets face it, turtle poop isn't tiny!! lol.

It doesnt in my tank. I keep a prefilter on the intake tube. I also have fish that usually pick apart the waste a bit. Some larger pieces get stuck in the prefilter (sounds much worse than it is) and that gets rinsed out. Whats left is either scooped out or cleaned with the python etc.

I like the prefilter, but mainly use it because I have some fry in the tank. It has reduced the amount of cleaning I need to do on the filter pads in the canister. But I do think there is some (slight) flow reduction as well.