Habitat - Indoor :: Yay Sand!!

[untsmurf]

I was so jealous of everyone else's pretty sandy tanks, so we put sand in Mikey's tank today. My hubby went out and got two 25lb bags of play sand from Wal-Mart. They cost a whopping $6. We dumped it all into the 30 gallon rubbermaid tub and started rinsing. We filled it up all the way and let the water run off for a bit. Then we dumped out the water. Then we filled it up half way, let it set, and dumped it out. We did that four or five times. Then we ran the water really slowly and it was clear. So we proceeded to empty out the tank. We used our shopvac to get the last 10 gallons of mucky water out. Then we scooped the sand out of the rubbermaid with two big cups and dumped it into the tank. We filled it back up with the python, added the water conditioner, and turned everything on. It was almost completely clear, so after about a half hour, we put the turtle back in. He swam down to the bottom and immediately started scoping out the sand. We think he likes it.

While it was filling:


Within minutes of filling it up all the way:





I just wanted to take a second to thank everyone for answering all my questions. I'm loving the new look and so is Mikey! Thanks everybody!!!

[Daniel3507]

your tank looks really good with sand

[untsmurf]

Thanks! I think it really helps with the authentic look. I love it!

[Chrisbarnett]

Looks very nice!
Great job.

How many pounds did you use?

[Daniel3507]

she said they got two 25 pound bags but not im not sure if it was all used

[emma]

That looks really good!
I was also thinking about getting sand for my 55 gallon tank.

Although i dont know what to do with the filter.
Right now the xp3 is only about 2 inches from the bottom, maybe less than that.
If i got sand what kind should i get and how far should the sucker in for the filter be from the bottom of the tank?

[Daniel3507]

3 or 4'' away from the sand to be safe
if your thinking about sand read the Sand FAQ sticky that chris made

[mat012]

It looks great - Im glad Mickey likes it!

[untsmurf]

Thanks for all the comments you guys! Mikey loves it! We used all 50 lbs and we got about an inch or two's thickness.

[Chrisbarnett]

Good to know, and you have a 125 gal right?
I'm only asking because I am trying to get an idea of how many pounds are needed for different sized tanks. and then i wanted to come up with a good average of how many pounds per gallon tank of sand you'd need so I could put it in the sand FAQ thread and people could have a rule of thumb to go by. I think it would make it a lot simpler.

[untsmurf]

That's a great idea!! Mine is a 125 gallon tank, filled all the way up. 50 lbs gave me 1-2 inches of sand.

[Chrisbarnett]

Thanks!

[AllisonChains]

....looks great!

I used just 25lbs for my 55 gallon, but it isn't as deep as some others.

[steve]

Looks nice. I guess sand is the trend this year Last year was ATBAs...

[untsmurf]

Well I'm caught up on all the trends now I guess, Steve