Question: Upgrading to slate maybe??

[ladygodiva35]

So I was pricing slate at Home Depot for my bearded dragon's tank and decided it would be nice to get some for my axolotls since I'm really tired of my sand clouding up my nice clean water.

What dimension would I need for a 20 gallon long for a nice good fit? And is there any type of slate that can be harmful to my axies? What is the best and cheapest to get?

 

[vlcuXX]

Sand shouldn't be clouding up water unless its recently added or stirred up often.

It should only be stirred every few water changes, and usually only if you have a lot of sand, if my memory serves me correct.

 

[ladygodiva35]

I stir it up every few cleanings as you mentioned but I notice it has tons of particles in it. I've had my sand for about 6 months. First few months it was fine but now it's so dirty even after cleaning it. I'd rather just be done with it since my water isn't as pristine looking as it used to be.

 

[blushed]

I stir it up every few cleanings as you mentioned but I notice it has tons of particles in it. I've had my sand for about 6 months. First few months it was fine but now it's so dirty even after cleaning it. I'd rather just be done with it since my water isn't as pristine looking as it used to be.

I actually agree with this, it seems like the sand refuses to come clean, and the slightest water movement stirs up particles.

I also do the rubberbanded chop stick to the siphon trick, and still, it's just bleh again before the next water change, so I'm basically cleaning it every time...

And I have large rocks covering a good portion of the sand in my 20 long.

I would imagine that you would definitely need to make sure none of the slate was sharp, or pointy, so sanding the edges? But I'm not sure on types or dimensions.

Good luck!