Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK! let the hate begin! first off i'm a very experianced keeper i've had all kinds of reptiles, Fish, and etc, i'd respect constructive criticism and I do realize what i have done is a risk but plz read on...

1st off, I have a 100 gallon tank (I also keep a saltwater reef and fish tank and freswater) ok, I've put white sand as a substrate in my tank been adding live bacteria and treating my water for a few weeks now. *WHAT OMG DID HE SAY SAND!* yes I did, so i'm watching my RES a little more directly each day, I also have pictus cat, plecostamus, and a few convict cichlids, so the tank has a community haha, each fish have established territories except the school fish and the turtle has been doing GREAT! water quality is near perfect (pH, Ammonia, Nits, dH) and the turtle is a part of the community andi know the chances of him eating one of the fish but i really dont worry much, my filtration and the tanks enviroment is doing great so what do you think!?!
(remember constructive criticism)
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0.1.0 Leopard Gecko (Karma)
1.0.0 Vieled Chameleon (Kovu)
1.0.0 Red Ear Slider (Joe)

"what the F@#$, is wtf?"

everything sounds good except the sand... im not going to criticize anything, but i would just be afraid the turtle would eat the sand. I am not sure if this could be harmful to the turtle. I know that i have seen ppl say that their turtles have had to go to the vet because they have had stones stuck somewhere in their system, but maybe, just maybe the sand is small enough that it wouldnt block any part of the turtles system up... sounds good anyways, i'd love to see a pic!
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~ Evie

Pets:
RIP 0.1.0 German Shepherd {Dusty}
0.1.0 German Shepherd/Collie mix {Shadoe}
0.0.2 RES turtles {Booger & Snot}
1.0.0 African Clawed Frog {Bingo}
0.0.2 Snail {Gary & Larry}

I have to say I am impressed with what it seems is a lot of work on your part.

Like you said, you are watching your turtle carefeully, and that is the number ONE key thing to do no matter how you keep your RES. Always.

So I hope it works well for you and your RES and posting a pic would be great. I know most people try to keep their tanks, ponds, ect looking nice AND fuctional and it helps to hear what works for others.

I know others that have used sand and it has worked fine for them. As long as your filter isn't making the sand go all over adn makes the water dirty then I don't see a problem. I do have a question though. How do you clean the tank with sand on the bottom? I use a python and it would suck all that sand out every time I cleaned the tank.

Thank you all for your comments, I will post pics soon! right now today i'm planning on buying a stronger powerhead and more rock, my bio wheel is starting to develop it's culture which is awesome! the turtle is doing great i'll also provide details on how to establish a community tank like i did, i know there was a guy who created a wood canopy area to where he can raise his water level all the way, well i spent $13 on plexi glass and i'll be making a plexiglass canopy today which will be 10x better and u will be able to actually see whats goin on inside the canopy and the tank. i'll post pics!
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0.1.0 Leopard Gecko (Karma)
1.0.0 Vieled Chameleon (Kovu)
1.0.0 Red Ear Slider (Joe)

"what the F@#$, is wtf?"

i know there was a guy who created a wood canopy area to where he can raise his water level all the way,

I may be the guy.

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iturnrocks.com

yup, thanks for the idea i luv that you have ur water level all the way, i'm planning on making my canopy a little more vivid but great idea!
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0.1.0 Leopard Gecko (Karma)
1.0.0 Vieled Chameleon (Kovu)
1.0.0 Red Ear Slider (Joe)

"what the F@#$, is wtf?"

Don't worry iturnrocks, you still have a kick butt set up IMO. By the way, what did you do with your snapper?

By the way, what did you do with your snapper?

Hes living the good life in one of my study ponds.
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iturnrocks.com

Can you post a picture? I would love to see him in his pond.

>>Can you post a picture? I would love to see him in his pond.

My ponds are actual ponds, not garden ponds. They are located on the property of a coal-fired power plant. The limited access protects them from most human interaction. I do catch the same turtles multiple times. I could take a photo the next time he shows up, but it wont be until at least next season. I dont trap during the winter months.

Although this isnt the pond its in, this is just a vernal pool, that is the power plant in the background. He is in the pond just past the guard shack at the entrance.

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iturnrocks.com