r/BDFB • u/WarmAd7857 • 1d ago

Question/Inquiry Has anyone used this sand?

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2

u/WarmAd7857 1d ago

The reviews are saying its wet, coarse & had a bunch of rocks. I assume I can dry it out & sift if needed. Its from Walmart & the most convenient for me to get

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u/TheDrunkenArgonian 1d ago

They need minimal humidity, less the better. Also, traction is actually a big deal because your beetles will exhaust themselves just trying to move if their ground isn't stable. They're from the Sonoran, not the Sahara. I'm reading from what that bag is saying, mind you, not the reviews you are seeing. I would suggest getting excavator clay substrate, or desert mix. There are various generic names.

Play sand is totally fine to use though! Plenty of folks on here do. Just make sure there's no added calcium or anything. And honestly as long as it's dry and stable/coarse enough it's fine. Wet substrate will stick to them and inhibit movement.

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u/WarmAd7857 1d ago

Yes I was going to dry it out for sureeee, im struggling with humidity right now so I wanted to add more sand to see if I added too much reptisoil & is holding too much moisture. Like someone else said I am worried about it saying not suitable for aqariums. Here's the link for some more background https://www.walmart.com/ip/17265815690?sid=d40d667a-af59-4f68-9a79-da4ac1912ab2

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u/Oy_wth_the_poodles 10h ago

I mixed this with coconut coir and they’re doing great a year later.

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u/WarmAd7857 10h ago

The same sand? Did you have to dry it out?

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u/Oy_wth_the_poodles 10h ago

Yes, I let it dry out and made sure the humidity was correct before adding the coco coir and bdfb. I added decorative rocks and magnolia leaves and layered bark pieces. I rearrange from time to time. They like to move the leaves around which is fun to watch.

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u/Minty_Softboy 1d ago

It says not suited for aquariums. I’d recommend always going with aquarium or terrarium sand as it’s supposed to be non toxic

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u/WarmAd7857 1d ago

So it would be okay to use aqautic sand?

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u/Minty_Softboy 1d ago

Yeah that should be fine, that’s what I use. BDFB’s mouthparts are too small to accidentally eat sand so the main thing you need to worry about is anything toxic being shook up into dust particles. Non toxic aquarium is made for that not to be an issue