All Turtles Message Board

bossanova · Guest Joined: 29 Aug 2007 Posts: 1

Is it okay to have pool filter sand on the bottom of the tank and also an area with the sand above water for them to bask in??

Storm_Rider · Level 2 Joined: 28 Oct 2006 Posts: 99

yes. pool filter sand isn't that large where i would categorize it as dangerous. i've kept one inch turtles in a tank of pool filter sand and all i get is rock hard poo, no deaths. but your milage may vary.

i hate pool filter sand now though, the stuff clouds very easily. it rubs against itself and deteriorates, it's not hard like quartz or play sand.

supposedly there's a lot of silicate in pool filter sand too but it does not cause algae like some sites may say. stagnant water and too much light is the cause of extreme algae, such as bba or even clado. my aquatic turtles all had clado on their back, one had bga even and boy did it stink. not that it relates to your question so i'll stop here.