Zoo med's excavator substrate opinions

pperrotta03

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 29, 2013
Messages
109
So ive been trying out this stuff, its made by zoo med. What it consists of is clay, sand, and some other type of filler. Does anyone have experience with it? And would you use it is the question I am asking. My scorps seem to love it so far, and it makes me more comfortable knowing that it is less likely for the tunnels to collapse, and it makes it SUPER easy for them to make. What do you guys think?

tappy tappa taparoo
 

Smokehound714

Arachnoking
Joined
Mar 23, 2013
Messages
3,091
It's okay.. overpriced IMO. I can find the same exact thing myself, for free, so it doesn't impress me lol

It's really great for reptiles. I used some for my reptiles, they loved it, especially my Elgaria.
 

shebeen

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jun 24, 2011
Messages
383
If you use it straight out of the bag, it'll dry rock hard. Most people mix it with play sand, 20% clay and 80% sand. When moistened and allowed to dry, this mixture supports tunnels without being excessively hard to excavate. It also saves your pocketbook.
 

Greenjewls

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 10, 2008
Messages
388
I almost always agree with Shebeen. Mix 20% clay with 80% sand, wet it, pack it down, let it dry. don't pack it down so hard you break the glass on the bottom of the tank :) In a 10gal I use 40lbs sand and 10lbs clay, 40oz water. Use too much water and you'll be waiting weeks for it to dry. as the scorp kicks out loose sand, damp it and tamp it down again. expect any plants/hides to get buried. see my video if you haven't already: http://vimeo.com/74772099
[video=vimeo;74772099]http://vimeo.com/74772099[/video]
 
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