Question about crushed coral and other things…
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Hello all, I am thinking about switching to crushed coral soon as a substrate and I know many of you have used it without problems. I have been reading about it but I wanted to see what other people thought. So my question is, if I am using a freshwater setup, if I add cruhed coral as substrate will that affect the salinity in any way? (as in will it turn it somewhat brackish so that she cant use it as drinking water) I’m sorry if that is a stupid question. I read that CC is used as a buffer and raises the PH and I think the alkalinity, though im not really sure what raising the alkalinity will do. I would like to keep the freshwater setup but I also would like for her to have something to chew on. Also, as I’ve posted before, my little terp still isn’t basking but she she also seems to be as healthy as a cow. She goes up on her basking dock for a couple minutes then goes back down if she doesnt find anything interesting. I don’t think it’s too hot, but the air temp is between 80-90 degrees. I’m not too concerned yet because she is still very active. I tried putting her in her feeding tub a week ago for about an hour with the baking light on and she seemed to enjoy it, but still no basking. I did notice though, that there seemed to be white grains/crystals that formed above her eyelid. Is that normal? I didn’t think too much of it at the time and I attributed it to her eating the reptoguard conditioner in her tank. Last, I was reading up on respiratory infections because i see a bubble or two on her nostril every now and again. She is not coughing/sneezing and I put her up close to my ear to see if she was wheezing but she wasn’t. Again, she is very active and seems very healthy. Should it be something I need to worry about? Thanks again for any and all comments and thank you Kate from California for your comments on my previous post. -Miguel
Hello Miguel, I think switching your substrate over to Crushed Coral is a great idea. It is a very useful substrate for DBT’s and it looks good in the tank as well. This is the brand that I have used for years and I am extremely happy with it. Please read the “customer reviews” on this web link as well. I wrote the “anonymous” one. http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=7322 The crushed coral will have no impact or effect on any salt levels in your tank water. No worries there, but it WILL have a positive impact on your water quality. The Florida Crushed Coral will boost your Alkalinity or buffering capacity of your water, so you should never have a pH crash and the increased or sustained buffering capacity in your tank water will also help “feed” the beneficial bacteria that lives throughout your tank and in your filters. It’s a “win-win” deal for sure! And don’t worry about your turtles eating it. You actually want your DBT’s to eat this substrate (unlike regular gravel that many people keep in their tanks). They don’t swallow it whole…………they chew it up or crush the coral, so there is no worries about any type of impaction……….you can actually see puffs of white powder coming out the sides of their mouths as they eat it. The CC also keeps their crushing plates from over growing and it is a great natural source of calcium as well. It sounds like your little guy is still young and every hatchling that I have ever raised always have spent a good amount of time on their basking stations (and adults as well), so my guess is that something isn’t “just right” or perfect up on your basking area………….it may be too cool or too warm or the quality of the UVB bulb isn’t up to snuff…………not sure???? I would double check your temps. As long as your guy still has a healthy appetite, he most likely isn’t sick, but I would watch him closely and let the group know if he starts to go down hill in any way whatsoever. Good luck to you, Jimbo
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