Eco Earth or play sand?
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Eco Earth or play sand?
I am getting ready to do a deep clean in the crab tank and was wondering if I should change to play sand instead of the EE. Does it stay cleaner? What does everyone else use?
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I use both. I've never had any problems with mold with my EE. In a way, it does stay cleaner than sand, because it decomposes their waste, but you still need to change it every few months. My Indos enjoy it the most, but all the others still dig through it occassionally. Why not try a small section when you set up the tank again? If the crabs (or you) don't like it, it'll be easier to remove.
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playsand lasts longer, and after using both playsand and FB (which is kinda like EE) I would have to say I'm happier with the playsand - first of all, it's way cheaper. maybe money isn't an issue, but it lasts longer as well - so you don't have to keep buying small amounts over and over agian.
however - while not needed - EE, FB, have their advantages. maybe you want to try half and half and see for yourself?
however - while not needed - EE, FB, have their advantages. maybe you want to try half and half and see for yourself?
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I think I am going to try the playsand and keep some EE on hand in case they don't like it after using EE so long! I, at one time, used calci-sand but not for long because I read it wasn't as good! The EE is just hard to clean as it is so dark and I don't think sand could be much messier. The cleaning and reusing factor is a plus! Thanks for all the advice!
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I use half eco earth and half playsand although my pp's like the eco earth side alot more and I mean ALOT more. They are always on that side and dig in the eco earth all the time ive never even seen them attempt to dig in the sand side. The only reason they would go to the sand is because thats where I keep the food and water dish's. So I would go with the eco earth or just try both it's up to you.
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I've found that whichever side has the most hidey places, that's where I find the most holes. for instance, all the digging used to be on the sand side when the cocohut, flowerpot drift wood and fake plants were on that side. now, all the hidey stuff is on the FB side and everyone digs over there. so in a way, you can almost choose which side you want them to like.
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I've done both substrates at different times, and I cannot tell you how much my crabs ADORE EE!!!! They are constantly digging in it, just to dig. I'll see them dig down and an hour later they're back on the surface goffing off. I always had trouble with the sand cuz I couldn't keep it damp enough. That's what killed my first two crabs.
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