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i got a used 55 gal. tank free from a pet stor, has a leak. i want to use it for some sliders and a soft shell, ss like sand so i thought it whould be nice as a substrate. is there a special sand i need to use? can i use play sand? i have a canister filter for the tank will the sand affect the filter? if so what kind of filter should i use?

thanks, pablo
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1.5 Common Mud Turtles
0.0.2 R.E.S.
0.0.1 Y.B.S.
1.2 Russian Tortoises
0.1.1 Gulfcost/Three Toed Boxturtles
0.1 Eastern Box Turtle
1.0 Hamsters
3.0 Dogs
2.3 Family

will you like to use any impeller-based filter with a sand substrate where turtles are concerned.

Especially with active swimmers like redears and a burrower like a softshell, you'll get maximal exploitation of the sand-stirring niche. It would likely be a better idea to house the softshell separately from the redears, especially considering that the full size of either species would permit only one animal to comfortably live in a 55 gallon tank.

Large and small grained sand alike will ruin the impeller of virtually any filter, and since impeller-driven filters tend to be the only kind strong enough to clean turtle tanks, sand is generally not a viable option.

You might be able to use a trickle filter setup if there is a very fine prefilter before the pump, but worthwhile pumps alone are often more expensive than many canister filters.

Considering the ease with which gravel is cleaned over sand, that alone could guide one to chose never to use sand except in specially-arranged setups with softshell species that need such a substrate (spiney and Florida softshells will normally do fine with a fine-grained gravel). Good luck.

if you check my sig you can see i have many aquatic turtles, right now they all live in the same 75 gallon tank, ant they are all roughly 4 inches. they need more room. i know the sliders will outgrow the 55 eventully but they will do better inb there than in the 75 with the muds. i wanted sand because i like the way it looks and it will be going in the forlay (french word for front door room, not to mention i cant spell it) so fine gravel will be fine then with the canister? also i have a sucker fish in the 75 do you tink that one in the 55 with the soft shell and sliders whould be ok?
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1.5 Common Mud Turtles
0.0.2 R.E.S.
0.0.1 Y.B.S.
1.2 Russian Tortoises
0.1.1 Gulfcost/Three Toed Boxturtles
0.1 Eastern Box Turtle
1.0 Hamsters
3.0 Dogs
2.3 Family

I didn't see a softshell listed under your signature, so I would reccomend waiting on getting one until you can manage a large home it can have to itself. Softshells tend to be most intolerant of scratches, bites or other results of close quartering with less outwardly delicate kinds of turtles.

The plecostomus (what I'm assuming you are referring to by sucker fish) normally sold by most pethsops gets big and with age develops an increasing esteem for protein. They can greatly damage goldfish and cichlids by rasping at the slime coats of these fishes. I don't know if this would affect a softshell's carapace, but you might not want to chance it.

I found this Pleco in a Jupiter, Florida canal. It put up no resistance when I caught it in a net it made no attempt at struggle when handled either. These are very abbarsive animals and would not keep them with softshelled turtles.
On another note, I keep my large softshelled turtles (Apalone ferox) ina 4x8 foot fiberglass pond when indoors. There is no substrate, making the pond rather easy to keep clean.
Keep in mind that my softshelled turtles are large adult turtles and are handled frequently and very tame. I stongly suggest a sandy substrate with juvenile softshelled turtles as they have a very nervous nature. Avoid over crowding if you do anything. Over crowding equals stress and disease. Give a softshell as much room as possible, they are very active and should be allowed to swim fast when they are young.
Thanx, Leo

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