Habitat - Indoor :: Is there something i should look out for river rocks?.

[kornygerm]

I'm starting to pimp my acuarium a little bit, so i got a small bag of river rocks at a 99 cent store.
Well, my question is if i should like wash them or something before putting them into the aquarium.
Also do i have the drain the tank first to put the rocks in?.

Its what i have came up with so far.
they are big enough, so my turtles wont eat them..Although im sure they will bit them as everything new it gets in their territory hehe.

Thanks!.

[steve]

A few people boil them. I'd double check the size of them and don't use the ones with cracks in them. Make sure they are much bigger than the size of your largest turtle's head!

No need to drain the tank and no need to put too many in there.

[SpotsMama]

I wouldn't just drop them in from high up - they will crack the bottom of the tank. You'll have to reach in the water and set them on the bottom.

I think boiling is very good.

[kornygerm]

well i put a few,i still havent finished.but in a matter of minutes they were already covered in poo...yuck haha.

Oh, and as i was placing the rocks..the water was freaking cold..I dont know if it means that is cold for them too, as i sleep with a celling fan turned on.
i just dont want them to get sick.

[industrial_girl_2000]

What's the temp of the water? Do you have an underwater heater & thermometer in the tank?

[megcornell]

Leo's tank water feels a lot cooler than the 77 it says to my touch. I think that's just because the air is so much warmer, the water naturally feels cooler to us. Check your thermometers to make sure they're accurate just in case.

[SpotsMama]

Yes, the ONLY way you can tell what the temp is either in the water or on the basking platform is to measure it with a thermometer. We just cannot judge it by touch. 72 degree water feels very cool to me.

[kornygerm]

hmm, i have one of those sticky digital thermometers, so it takes a while or something o determine the temperature..
I have a heater but its not underwater, if i put it on, the water level meter on the heater wont reach, so it doesnt heats very well.

I hope that the store i go to, has one of those already.

[adam85491]

Yeah, you shouldn't use a heater that requires it to hang on the back of the tank. All-glass aquarium heaters have to be partly above the water but have suction cups so you can place them at the appropriate level. Though, I would suggest getting a heater asap..the visitherm stealth is submersible and can be pricematched at Petsmart for under twenty bucks. 75 degrees water will feel cool to you while 82 will be fairly warm, so it is best to have a thermometer.

[turboturtle8]

make sure they don't have any pointed edges that could hurt your turtle.

[adam85491]

River rocks are round, curved, and shiny/polished. I just rinse mine first.

[kornygerm]

Last night i checked the thermometer was on 78 f.