Substrate Questions?

[Mel&Rob]

ok right now i have the bark substrate but as i have been told it isnt that great. so if you can help me find or if you have a home made idea that works well i also hace crested geckos in another tank should i go the same for them ? oh ya i also have live plants in the henkelis tank how do i plant them cuz as of now there still in the pots i bought them in ?


thanx everyone

sorry i have been putting up so many topics and asking way to many questions

 

[Hilde]

You might want to re-think the substrate after reading this post: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8066

 

[Mel&Rob]

ya i have been lossing my mind when i seen that i want to know that i should use cuz i have live planst in my tank so if someone could help me with what i should do that would be grreat

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

Use potting soil. Just make sure it doesn't have any nutrients or anything "pre-mixed" in it (ie Mircle Grow brand). I use pro-mix potting soil from premier in many of my enclosures.

 

[thrower]

I use the compressed block substrates that you just add water to. They usually don't have any kind of pieces that could cause impaction. They also tend to stay soft even when they dry out a little, which may not be the case with some soils. Most times the blocks aren't super expensive either.

Tarl

 

[Scott F]

i use the same stuff that THROWER uses. has worked great for me over the years for the same reasons he stated. never once had any kind of a problem with it, and i use it for all my uros.

doom

 

[Mel&Rob]

thanx guys and i can use that stuff for crested geckos too??

 

[Mel&Rob]

thanx guys and i can use that stuff for crested geckos too??

 

[Hilde]

I use coco-fibre for all the geckos who need moderate to high humidity. You can save a few dollars by getting the bricks at the local garden centre - they sell it as seed starter mix.
Just make sure you completely crumble it once it's wet. Don't leave any dry chunks, no matter how small they might be. If even a tiny one gets eaten, it will swell up inside the gecko once it gets wet in the stomach.

This is a good time to stock up on the stuff, the garden centres are clearing out for the winter. I just bought some a couple of weeks ago - 6 bricks cost me less than 2 would have at the normal price

 

[Mel&Rob]

kool thanx alot
do you think home depot has it ?
what city in ontario your from and what kind of geckos you have ?

 

[Brian]

The dirt is actually cheaper then bricks if you get a 2 cubic foot bag. L:ike ~$5 total.

 

[thrower]

I was always just kind of nervous about getting dirt, mostly because you never know how clean the stuff actually is. I think that I usually end up getting gnats and things from potting soil sometimes. Unless it mentions cleaning the soil in some way, I wouldn't see them doing it.

Tarl

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

The stuff that I use, "Pro-mix" is actually a peat based professional potting soil. No actual "dirt" in it. I've never had any gnats or anything. It holds humidity very well, doesn't turn to mud when it gets wet, and doesn't get hard when it dries out. It's wonderful for plants too btw!

 

[Protean]

I used coir for a while but i aways end up fungus so I use a mix of orchid bark and organic potting soil that i let sit in a bucket mixed together for about a month. seems to work well. my elok like it. Then mix birch leaves into it.

Really nice mix.

 

[Kevin McRae]

I use Peat Moss, its really cheap and you get alot.

 

[the moof]

Peat moss is cheap for you!? You lucky person. Here it costs like 10 dollars for a square foot. urgh.

 

[Kevin McRae]

For a nice big bag here its like 3-4$.

 

[the moof]

well, thats the difference between North America and switzerland i guess

 

[Kevin McRae]

Not sure if it grows out their, but it does in Manitoba. Could be one of the reasons.

 

[the moof]

perhaps. i think it does grow here, they just like putting outrageous prices on everything.