Bed-A-Beast grows WAY to much fungus... Potting Soil?

[Deliverme314]

I am going to dump the bed a beast and want to get a new substrate... thinking pure potting soil since I cant find peat moss or vermiculate... Is potting soil pretty universal? Good for all species?

 

[MrFeexit]

I would not say that it is universal, I have 3 different bags of potting soil and all 3 are different texture. Depends on where it was dug from. This time of year it might be a bit hard to find peat but potting soil in my opinion only should do fine. you might want to mis in some vermiculite to help keep the soild from packing too tight thus keeping your burrowers from burrowing.

 

[Deliverme314]

Originally posted by MrFeexit
I would not say that it is universal, I have 3 different bags of potting soil and all 3 are different texture. Depends on where it was dug from. This time of year it might be a bit hard to find peat but potting soil in my opinion only should do fine. you might want to mis in some vermiculite to help keep the soild from packing too tight thus keeping your burrowers from burrowing.

Tomorrow night when I hit home depot I will check for Vermiculate as well... but last time I couldnt find any and being a guy couldnt ask anyone to "help me"... cause well.. were just not supposed to do that. But I may bite the bullet and ask since my lil monsters well being is more important than the ageless wonders of male pride

 

[Immortal_sin]

peat moss, peat moss, peat moss!!!
that's what I use, I love it, and no problems with mold. (or fungus)I use either that, or a mix of vermiculite and peat.

 

[Deliverme314]

Originally posted by Immortal_sin
peat moss, peat moss, peat moss!!!
that's what I use, I love it, and no problems with mold. (or fungus)I use either that, or a mix of vermiculite and peat.

Where can you pick up peat moss? What does it look like exactly? I know what filter peat moss for aquariums looks like... but I cnat imagine that they are the same because that doesent seem that it would be good for burrowing....

 

[Immortal_sin]

it's in any garden center (like Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes etc)
It comes in a bag like potting soil does. It just says Peat Moss, or Canadian Peat Moss on it. It's NOT the spaghnum peat moss, it's the stuff that looks like dirt!
It comes pretty dried out (very dusty) but you can mix water with it to make it nice and damp for your moisture loving species, or you can add a tiny bit of water to keep the dust down. My Ts can burrow in it. If you add a bit of vermiculite to it, it holds a burrow better.
I swear by the stuff, and buy in in those large 50lb bags!

 

[scorpio]

Yeah, I also use peat for almost all of my inverts. Here it comes in the 50 lb bags, but they are always nice and moist for me.

If you clean up the leftover meals of your inverts, you should never see mold again. Ive completely stopped using bed a beast.

 

[Mendi]

Yeah, peat is the way to go for your Ts! I doubt you'll find any vermiculite at Home Depot anymore, but you can find it at strictly garden centers with no problem. Likely the reason you didn't see the peat is that Home Depot doesn't carry small bags of it. I think the smallest I've gotten from there has been 6 cubic feet, might have been more in the bag... But, they huge bags are quite light and cheap, and it will fill up plenty of T enclosures

 

[Aculeus]

Hi all new to the forum, though I am a veteran Lurker, anyway what's wrong with Spagnum peat moss?

 

[esmoot]

I will be so bold to say you have a care problem. Your humidity % is way too high for whatever t's you are keeping. I have over 200 juvies-adults + another 200 slings on Bed-a-beast or some other brand with out any mold problems. If Chip were to care to post I think he would agree too.

 

[Deliverme314]

Originally posted by esmoot
I will be so bold to say you have a care problem. Your humidity % is way too high for whatever t's you are keeping. I have over 200 juvies-adults + another 200 slings on Bed-a-beast or some other brand with out any mold problems. If Chip were to care to post I think he would agree too.

maybe not enough ventiliation then in my tupperwares?

 

[esmoot]

Yes that will do it. If you are stacking them or do not have enough holes it will mold. If you ever see mold something needs to be changed.

Eric

 

[Mojo Jojo]

Lowes is an awesome place. You can get both the vermiculite and the peat moss (sphangnum). It is way less expensive than coconut bark. And I haven't had any problems with this mixture.

Jon

 

[danielr6543]

bed a beast is pure crap its made of 100% coconut bark which is a wood product and we all should know that it will set up mold vert easily not to mention its a waste of time and money first off oyu have ot waste all that time soaking it in water to get it to expand second off it costs way to much i myself have started using scotts redi-earth IMO its a pretty good substrate its sterile potting soil with vermiculite and its real cheap if im not mistaken your local garden center should have it for like 10 bucks for a 30 lb bag or so

 

[Kugellager]

I use peat moss in mixtures for all my inverts to varying degrees from as little as 10% for desert scorps to 100% for burrowers or high humidity species. The peat is very acidic and therefore has a low susceptability to mold growth. The only time I see mold is if I leave a food scrap somewhere.

The peat comes in a large cube-sized bag. You get one compressed cubic yard for about $5-6US at Home Depot. Lasts a long time even if you have alot of inverts.

John
];')

 

[stu]

I use that cocunut fibre stuff for all my T's and pedes and have never seen mold growing in their tanks yet.

My guess, as people have said, is the problem is more about ventilation and humidity than the substrate you are using.

Although I have never used anything but coconut fibre - what are the plus points of using peat, apart from mold probs (which I dont get anyway)?

Im assuming that mold will grow on anything if the ventilation isn't good enough? or will mold not grow on peat?

cheers,

Stu

 

[Inuleki]

I've found, that with how arid my apartment is, I have switched away from potting soil/peat moss due to the fact that after about 3 weeks, it turned solid. there were very few ways I could keep the humidity up short of soaking the entire enclosure every few weeks. With the coconut fibres, after you soak it, let it dry out a little. at least the top two inches, then mix it up and you should have a very good consistency... not too moist, not overly dry either. Keep up the ventilation, remove prey remains, should be all good.

but that's my experience.

-Joshua

 

[Ultimate Instar]

I live in the land of mold, aka the border between CA and OR, on the coast. There're a number of different species of fungi and mold. I wouldn't assume that ventilation and humidity are the only causes for a mold problem, just the most likely. It is also difficult to completely rid the room of all mold and fungi spores, so even if you completely clean out the cage and dump the substrate, you may still have a reinfection.

Karen N.

 

[Telson]

I currently use the bed-a-beast exclusively in all my enclosures, and as stated, as long as I'm not keeping the enclosure too humid for the T, and there is adequate ventilation, I NEVER have a mold problem. I don't know if this is a central California thing, or if this holds true elsewhere, but I personally am looking in to canging the material I use simply because now that I have so many Ts (24) it is just too EXPENSIVE to use this stuff for all of them! I'm inclined to hit home depot and get the peat as so many have suggested, simply for the price difference.

 

[Buspirone]

I started out using coir(AKA Bed-A-Beast) and then moved to peat. Peat is tried and true. Its been used long term by keepers worldwide, it works and its cheap. Coir is fantastic in the garden as part of a soil or potting mix but as a T substrate it supports pests, molds and fungi more readily than peat,IME. Coir isn't too exensive if you get a large compressed bale from a garden center or hydroponics store if you have your heart set on using it but its still more expensive than peat or vermiculite. Peat, vermiculte or a mix of the two is all you need.