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Hello Friends,

I hope you all are doing great.

My are biting and eating the aquarium silicone seal. I feed them everyday, so it's not like they do that because they are hungry. I have a bare bottom 75 gallon tank. Both of them are both 5 years, and 6 inches. They are messing the inside bottom of the tank.

I am wondering what should I do now? How can I prevent them doing this?

I thought about using PVC pipes to hide the corners of the bottom, but then PVC pipes are floatable, right?

Thank you and take care.

I suppose you can create a PVC rectangle to keep them away from the bottom. You can fill it with sand or gravel. Is there any algae on the silicone or are they just nipping at it? You need to keep a close eye on it as it is compromised and will be susceptible to a leak.

steve wrote:I suppose you can create a PVC rectangle to keep them away from the bottom. You can fill it with sand or gravel. Is there any algae on the silicone or are they just nipping at it? You need to keep a close eye on it as it is compromised and will be susceptible to a leak.

Thanks steve. There is no algae on the silicone, they are just nipping at it. I have shifted them to a temporary Rubbermaid Hinge Top Tote for the time being until I decide something.

At the moment I can think of two solutions:

1. Create a PVC rectangle and filled it with gravel.

2. Use sand for the bottom of the tank.

What do you think, which one would be better?

I recommend sticking with the PVC. It makes for easier cleaning!

Man, how could I completely forget about sand? Yes, but keep in mind they can easily dig it up and it might hide any leaking at first.

I am a bit confused about PVC only because I am not sure whether they will stay at the bottom or not. If I fill them up with sand or gravel, will they stay down for sure?

Again if I use sand for the bottom, and if I use like more than one inch, will they be able to dig it?

Filling the PVC with sand, gravel, or a mixture of both should sink the pipe. You could use sand for the bottom too, but yes--that still carries a risk that they will dig through it to bite more silicone.

Also, this just came to mind now, but do you offer any cuttle bones? The only times my turtles chew on things that aren't food (and don't taste like it) are when they're craving calcium (especially if I've been slacking off on cuttle bone distribution).

Jeremiah wrote:Also, this just came to mind now, but do you offer any cuttle bones? The only times my turtles chew on things that aren't food (and don't taste like it) are when they're craving calcium (especially if I've been slacking off on cuttle bone distribution).

Yes Jeremiah, I give Exo Terra Sepia Bones time to time.

So, I decided to go with sand for the bottom of the tank. Read the following topic:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=17268

My brother went to Home Depot and bought Quikrete Play Sand 30kg (2). We have the following now:

Tank length: 48 in
Tank width: 18 in
Sand depth: 2.65 in
Amount of Sand: 132 lbs

Thank you very much for all your suggestions. I really appreciate it. I can always count on you guys.

My are now.

Let us know how it works out!