peat moss?

[shogun804]

peat moss rules!!!!!!! all that other crap is a waist of money IMO.

 

[hairymary]

dampness and condensation

>>If you have condensation you probably don't have enough ventilation.Ventilation is much more critical than humidity.Up the ventilation and if that doesn't help you've got it just too wet in there.Although it's fine to keep the substrate completely dry(make sure there's access to water at all times though ie:waterdish,periodic mistings for spiders too small for waterdish) some like to keep the substrate moist,especially with young slings.There's a big difference in keeping the substrate moist and having it wet.By the sounds of it when you say it's growing you've got it too wet and in fact it's not your peat that's growing but rather molds/fungis.It will also sooner or later lay the welcome mat out to unwanted pests like mites and phorid flies.That's not good.Moist is when your peat/substrate(wet) will make a ball when compressed but will "easily" fall apart when touched.Too wet is when it stays in a ball and doesn't fall apart easily when touched and excess water comes out when squeezed.It takes a bit of practice to find the line between wet and moist but can be reached with time/practice.Some such as myself do a wet/dry thing.Sort of like keeping a plant.Water the substrate then let it go dry before watering/moistening again.When you do water it again though make sure not to overly wet/saturate the substrate but just to the point of "moistened".Again that takes time and practice to find the right level.When in doubt though it's best to keep things on the drier side with adequate ventilation,supplying needed moisture through periodic mistings or waterdish.Your spider's chances of survival are much better with less humidity/drier conditions,adequate ventilation than things just too wet with poor ventilation.Be careful not to go too dry either with small/young spiders as small slings can dessicate easily through drought like conditions.Larger more mature spiders can tolerate a wider range of conditions.You'll just have to practice finding just the right conditions for your spiders needs.Temps will play a factor also.Cooler temps(room temps) will allow for less moisture needs for your spiders than higher temps will call for.Try to keep your temps moderate and enclosure conditions on the "slightly moist" to dry side,adequate ventilation and your spiders should be fine.

Thanks for the great info.

Now, I'm fairly sure that I have myself a Selenotypus Plumipes (Whistling Tarantula). Although of recent times I've discovered that a lot of Oz Ts are wrongly named as there is a lot of unamed species out there.

She defeinetly comes from a damp tropical area in Queensland. My enclosure is fairly large and the heat pad only covers one side. Consequently, the peat has never dried out after the initial misting where there is no heat pad. And when the other side does dry out I mist it again.

Why I've been wondering if it's too wet, is when she is out and about, she spends an awful lot of time at the top of her enclosure. I've had her for three months and wonder if this is normal behaviour?

 

[Jmadson13]

I use 100% peat, I enjoy the high PH of the product. Really does seem to combat mold problems that are common with some of the commonly available coconut substitutes.

 

[jbrd]

ive found 100% peat moss to be more than adequate.i hate that coconut crap though , i found it can promote mold.

i have have been using bed-a-beast for the last two months with no mold as of yet and thats with 65 to 70 % humidity.

 

[pelo]

Why I've been wondering if it's too wet, is when she is out and about, she spends an awful lot of time at the top of her enclosure. I've had her for three months and wonder if this is normal behaviour?

>>Some species abhor wet substrate and indeed constant climbing may be a hint the spider doesn't like it.Try a dry substrate.

 

[Schlyne]

You might want to keep in mind that even if it's from a tropical area, the humidity is not constant. You've got dry times and wet times.

 

[Jaden]

I use 100% peat moss.

I haven't been keeping tarantula for that long (About a year.) but I found peat moss meets all that my tarantulas need without all the fuss. It's easy to clean, keeps wet a bit longer, and doesn't cost alot (Which is nice when you've got over 80 tarantulas.). The only thing I've found that you got to watch is not wetting it to much. A little water goes a long way.

 

[ConkreteDisko]

I have had my T's for just about a year now. i use this stuff called C-I-L its peat moss. i havent had any problems with mold or anything. i do keep a water dish for the spider tho. i mist on occasion (if the peat moss seems extremely dry). hope this helps in some way.

 

[Arach-attack]

Peat moss is definately the way to go.

I used to use vermiculite but found that most of my T's hated it so I started mixing peat in 50/50. T's were much happier. Now I use 100% peat in everything except slings still get 50/50 mix.

 

[Lorgakor]

So, for all of you who use peat, have you not found that when it does dry out, it pulls away from the sides of the enclosure? It has done it in every one of my tanks. Crickets are able to get down the sides because it has pulled away. It gets so dry and hard, like a brick, and when I do spray it, I guess it doesn't remoisten very well and I get mold on the surface. Anyone else noticed this? I was thinking about mixing some black earth potting soil in with my peat/verm to see if it would help. Any thoughts?

 

[ConkreteDisko]

So, for all of you who use peat, have you not found that when it does dry out, it pulls away from the sides of the enclosure? It has done it in every one of my tanks. Crickets are able to get down the sides because it has pulled away. It gets so dry and hard, like a brick, and when I do spray it, I guess it doesn't remoisten very well and I get mold on the surface. Anyone else noticed this? I was thinking about mixing some black earth potting soil in with my peat/verm to see if it would help. Any thoughts?

no, my peat doesnt do this at all, i dont moisten it at all. its still soft (ish) and hasnt pulled away from the sides...thats odd thats yours does it. i havnt heard of peat moss doing that either (but then again, im no peat moss expert) what color is the mold your getting? and are you sure its 100% peat moss, not a mix. does it contain any form of chemicals or anything like that? i use this stuff called C-I-L peat moss. it can be bought at and home depot, or canadian tire, or white rose (for those of you in canada). im sure you can find it somewhere in the states.

 

[Lorgakor]

I'm in Canada too. It is pure peat moss. No chemicals, it is from a local garden supply store. I don't know the brand off hand as it is late and the peat is out in the garage. The mold I've seen is very fuzzy mold, white in colour. Almost looks like cotton candy. Though I haven't had any for a couple weeks. I have it mixed with vermiculite. Maybe 75% peat to 25% vermiculite. It's just so dry. I used my forceps tonight to fluff out the sides so crickets can't get down there again. The peat forms hard clumps that I had to break apart. I tell ya, I'm ready to change to something else.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

8 leg wonder and I use a 50/50 mixture for some, some have all peat and some have none.

 

[ConkreteDisko]

is it possible for peat moss to go bad over time? i was just wondering that...maybe thats what happened to yours Lorgakor...but then again. i dunno. just a thought. how long have you had the peat moss in your tank?

 

[Lorgakor]

They are all different. I've only had my B. emilia sling since beginning of March, and the peat in her little container is doing it just like in the tank that has been set up since December. And I mist the sling a couple times a week. Though it's more like misting the sides of the plastic, but I do drizzle some water down the sides so the substrate gets a little moisture. The only difference is the peat is not hard in the sling container. It has stayed more fluffy, but I think that is because she has burrowed into it and mixed it with alot of web. I think I'm going to go buy some new peat, and mix in a little bit of soil and vermiculite and try that. Soil doesn't mold does it?

 

[Lopez]

So, for all of you who use peat, have you not found that when it does dry out, it pulls away from the sides of the enclosure? It has done it in every one of my tanks. Crickets are able to get down the sides because it has pulled away. It gets so dry and hard, like a brick, and when I do spray it, I guess it doesn't remoisten very well and I get mold on the surface. Anyone else noticed this? I was thinking about mixing some black earth potting soil in with my peat/verm to see if it would help. Any thoughts?

If you let peat dry out totally, it does indeed shrink and become almost brick-like.

So I don't let it dry out that far.

 

[Lorgakor]

I've let it dry out because even spraying a little bit was causing mold. And I've had a pinhead outbreak in one tank that was already dry. There is no problem with ventilation, all my larger tanks have full screen lids, and the sling containers are very well ventilated. The only thing I could think of was that our bedroom (where they are kept) itself was maybe not getting enough air circulation. But our house is so damned cold (we're in the basement) we had to keep the door closed and a heater going in there 24/7. Now that it is warming up I've been keeping the door open and the air is circulating more. But I have a couple Brachys and I know they like it on the dry side, actually all of mine exept my T. blondi are dryer species. So I thought maybe adding the potting soil would prevent so much shrinking?

I would keep in more moist, I'm just so afraid of mold. So I've kept them all dry with a water dish.

 

[Tarangela]

The only thing I don't like about peat moss, is that it is SO dusty. Does anyone else have this problem? I buy it in large cubes, at walmart usually.
And it is 100% peat moss. But when I get cups of it out, it has a heavy fine dust that gets everywhere.

Does anyone else experience this?


Thanks!

 

[rospin]

is the peat moss used in fish tanks the same as the peat moss that can be used as a substrate for tarantulas?

 

[Mushroom Spore]

I was thinking about using my existing combo of Eco-earth coconut shells and jungle earth wood chips

I'm surprised nobody has pointed this out--if you're using shells and wood chips as substrate, DUMP THAT GARBAGE OUT. It's not good at all for the Ts. Go to 100% one of the other substrate types that people are talking about.

EDIT:

is the peat moss used in fish tanks the same as the peat moss that can be used as a substrate for tarantulas?

Doubtful. Peat moss looks and feels like regular dirt.