can ground coffee be used as a substrate?

[subic_spiderworld]

Those who buy coffee from Starbucks know that they wrap the used ground coffee in 2 kilo bags and gives them away for free to anyone who wants them.
The labeling states that the almost all the acidity have been removed by the brewing process so it has a nice pH balance.
I have been using it in my garden, smells great and does wonder for my plants.
So I was going over it yesterday and it came to me that it has alomst the same consistency, texture and moisture/dampness as the coco peat I use as substrate. They hold moidture a little more than cocopeat.
So MAYBE it can be used as a substrate on my enclosures , I have 80 pcs 5-gal tanks and a couple of hundreds of small ones so you can see the logic of why I am looking for a substitute (read as FREE) substrate (not to mention that it should smell nice in my spiderworld room)
Has anyone tried this or even thought about this?

 

[Hedorah99]

when i leave coffe in my pot for more than a few days it molds up terribly. i cannot imagine that it would make a good substrate, but thats just me. that and i don't think any of my OBT's, Haplopelma's, or Pokies need the caffeine

 

[subic_spiderworld]

I never thought about molds, I think what I will do is try to make an enclosure using the ground coffee except I wont put a spider in it. I'll try to observe it for a month and see what happens.

 

[Scorp guy]

That sounds worth doing, and do all the things you'd normally do, misting, all taht good stuff, good idea

 

[kraken]

That is a good idea! I would treat it as if it had a blondi in it,keep it nice and humid.Let us know what happens!

 

[jojobear]

I agree it will mold very quickly and I can remember my mom using it in her flower beds to repel pests. So I can't imagine using it for a T enclosure. On the bright side it is good for your plants.

Check out this web site:

http://www.sustainableenterprises.com/Business/coffeefert.htm

 

[syndicate]

that sounds like the worst idea haha sorry

 

[Brian S]

Just get a big bag of peat moss. I wouldnt use cofee at all for this

 

[MRL]

a 10 lbs bag of peat costs 7 bucks.. come on now

 

[rospin]

it sure is going to smell nice

but i know coffee grounds are used as fertilizer...

peat moss isn't very popular here in the philippines, that's why the lot of us use coco peat...

 

[metzgerzoo]

a 10 lbs bag of peat costs 7 bucks.. come on now

LMAO More like a 20 lb. bag for $5

As far as coffee grounds....that's a nightmare waiting to happen.
You would have to be able to keep it *bone dry* in order to have any hope of it not molding, plus, it will deteriorate and rot quite rapidly, not to mention that coffee is, as someone else mentioned, used as a fertilizer in some soils, but it also has a ton of chemicals in.
Oh and it wouldn't hold a burrow very well either.

 

[subic_spiderworld]

Yup, peat moss is virtually non-existent here in the philippines....coco peat gives a very foul odor (like kerosene with eggs) while soaked in water.

I have finished setting up the enclosure.
5 gal tank
acrylic cover with 1/8 in holes
Damp ground coffee
water dish
juvenile crickets

he he he.....lets see what happens.........

I was thinking of putting a juvenile h.lividum in it just to see if it would burrow and if the burrow will hold up but decided against it. Lets see if molds will build up first....

 

[rospin]

good luck... hehehe

 

[Scorp guy]

Your best bet is not to put anything at all in there, follow Metz's advice, and if your gonna do it anyway, at least try it out, THEN put a T in.

 

[kyle_de_aussie]

Just get a big bag of peat moss. I wouldnt use cofee at all for this

Gotta agree with that.
Coffee's for the cup

 

[Sunar]

I paid $1.70 for a 40lb bag of peat...I wouldn't use something like that at all...even if it was free.

~Fred

 

[Brian S]

Yup, peat moss is virtually non-existent here in the philippines....coco peat gives a very foul odor (like kerosene with eggs) while soaked in water.

I have finished setting up the enclosure.
5 gal tank
acrylic cover with 1/8 in holes
Damp ground coffee
water dish
juvenile crickets

he he he.....lets see what happens.........

I was thinking of putting a juvenile h.lividum in it just to see if it would burrow and if the burrow will hold up but decided against it. Lets see if molds will build up first....

I honestly think you are screwing up big time.

 

[stargell]

My C. fasciatum seems to DRINK coffee as it is. I can't imagine it ingesting coffee grinds.

 

[Leiurus87]

ive seen pics of spider webs made by spiders that were exposed to trace amounts of caffine. The web was a horrible, drug-addled mess. Coffe grounds do mold up since their acidity is diluted from brewing and they should stay in the garden. imagine a T drinking water from the substrate and ingesting caffine. i dont want to know what would happen!

 

[Leiurus87]

http://www.media-post.net/spidersondrugs.php website of interest! note the caffine exposure ;-)