Coconut fiber Drying on pan

Maslorez

Arachnopeon
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Feb 7, 2017
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21
I have a question.I am kinda new to the hobby so hope it wont sound too stupid.So i was in need to make new enclousure in short term and i just soaked a brand new coconut bricket.It is very humid and would takes plenty of time to dry out at the heater or something like that.So read on the internet that people sometimes use pan or the oven for drying it out.So i dryed some amount of it on the pan and placed into the containers for the new T's.It has a smell of a woodfire\campfire now.My question is - can i place T's into enclousure with a smelly fiber and let it ventilate while its living there? Or it will be not a very good idea?
 

Venom1080

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Sep 24, 2015
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Well, I imagine you could burn dryed out coconut. So you might not want to do that again haha. Maybe I'm just a worry wart, but I wouldn't use it. Smoke plus tarantulas equals bad.
 

Walker253

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Jun 12, 2016
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554
How hot did you have your oven? I've heard 150F for 30-60 minutes. I mix mine ahead of time, using really hot water and less than it calls for. It seems to blend and dry faster.
 

Maslorez

Arachnopeon
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Feb 7, 2017
Messages
21
something like 100 or something like that by celsius and mixing it with a knifer while it fries
 

TownesVanZandt

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I have a question.I am kinda new to the hobby so hope it wont sound too stupid.So i was in need to make new enclousure in short term and i just soaked a brand new coconut bricket.It is very humid and would takes plenty of time to dry out at the heater or something like that.So read on the internet that people sometimes use pan or the oven for drying it out.So i dryed some amount of it on the pan and placed into the containers for the new T's.It has a smell of a woodfire\campfire now.My question is - can i place T's into enclousure with a smelly fiber and let it ventilate while its living there? Or it will be not a very good idea?
Wow, did you fry substrate in a pan? :wideyed:
 

Maslorez

Arachnopeon
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Feb 7, 2017
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21
Yess , i did, i have seen such advices in some forums ,even here i think so i decided to give it a try
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
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Dec 8, 2006
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17,851
I regularly dry out my sub when making new, at 350F. Smells like wood more/less, as expected.

I let it cool off, so cool to the touch, and put it in. No issues.
 

Rittdk01

Arachnoknight
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Oct 4, 2016
Messages
258
I buy strictly in bags. Don't have to piss with the mess, and the bricks dry out like crazy--bagged does not.
 

gypsy cola

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Jan 16, 2014
Messages
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I buy strictly in bags. Don't have to piss with the mess, and the bricks dry out like crazy--bagged does not.
I refuse to touch bricks, they make me itchy and kick dust up like crazy. I buy jungle soil from zoomed. Takes a while for it to dry out but, looks really nice and can hold burrows very well.
 

Walker253

Arachnobaron
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Jun 12, 2016
Messages
554
You guys like spending a lot of money. I mix my coir with sphagnum peat moss, sand and vermiculite. Significantly cheaper, holds burrows well, and doesn't get dusty.
 

Abyss

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I like peat personally, looks great and I dont have any burrowers so not worries about holding a tunnel :)
 

Rob1985

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I buy the loose bagged coco fibre stuff. But I really only use it alone for my arid/dry non-burrowing terrestrial species.

For the burrowers I mix in peat or topsoil and for moisture/humidity dependent species I'll then add vermiculite to that. No issues.
 

cold blood

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You guys like spending a lot of money. I mix my coir with sphagnum peat moss, sand and vermiculite. Significantly cheaper, holds burrows well, and doesn't get dusty.
You also spend more than you have to. Topsoil, and just topsoil....40# for $1.37. This is without question the cheapest substrate alternative short of digging up dirt yourself.
I like peat personally, looks great and I dont have any burrowers so not worries about holding a tunnel :)
Peat is light, spider's webbing holds it together very well. I put burrowers on peat specifically because I want to limit the weight of the enclosure, but also because its easily burrowed through. Its great for those requiring higher moisture as once it soaks up water, it holds it as well as anything....plus because when dry its hydrophobic, the water quickly runs right to the bottom, meaning the moisture ends up where it belongs...down in the burrow and not on the surface.
 

user 666

Arachnobaron
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You also spend more than you have to. Topsoil, and just topsoil....40# for $1.37. This is without question the cheapest substrate alternative short of digging up dirt yourself.


Peat is light, spider's webbing holds it together very well. I put burrowers on peat specifically because I want to limit the weight of the enclosure, but also because its easily burrowed through. Its great for those requiring higher moisture as once it soaks up water, it holds it as well as anything....plus because when dry its hydrophobic, the water quickly runs right to the bottom, meaning the moisture ends up where it belongs...down in the burrow and not on the surface.
Aren't you a big spender, buying soil and all. Don't you know you can find it outside for free? ;-)
 

cold blood

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Aren't you a big spender, buying soil and all. Don't you know you can find it outside for free? ;-)
At a mere $1.37 its not too far off and generally safer, although I have used dirt from outside...I just have to go to a natural area away from civilization to collect it...gas means its actually more expensive to do so.
 

Walker253

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Jun 12, 2016
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You also spend more than you have to. Topsoil, and just topsoil....40# for $1.37. This is without question the cheapest substrate alternative short of digging up dirt yourself.
I'd agree, but it seems like every bag of even just topsoil I bought had cedar in it. Maybe it's a PNW thing. I gave up and switched to the "soil cocktail" I currently mix
 

Sana

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Oct 26, 2014
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You also spend more than you have to. Topsoil, and just topsoil....40# for $1.37. This is without question the cheapest substrate alternative short of digging up dirt yourself.


Peat is light, spider's webbing holds it together very well. I put burrowers on peat specifically because I want to limit the weight of the enclosure, but also because its easily burrowed through. Its great for those requiring higher moisture as once it soaks up water, it holds it as well as anything....plus because when dry its hydrophobic, the water quickly runs right to the bottom, meaning the moisture ends up where it belongs...down in the burrow and not on the surface.
I might have to try peat for my burrowers. You make an excellent point and enclosures sure do get heavy with that much topsoil. Of course my burrowers are pretty spoiled and have a ridiculous amount of dirt to play with as they will.
 

Ellenantula

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Sep 14, 2014
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I only use loose cocofibre in bags. I don't have enough Ts to consider this a great expense. I tried the coco-brick once and once was enough.
 

HybridReplicate

Spectrostatic
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Jan 26, 2017
Messages
107
I just use a folding knife to separate the planes of the brick along its length. If you try to go at it from the dorsal or ventral surfaces you'll get nowhere fast. Once that's started you can easily break layers off then crumble them by hand. Then it's easy to add just the right amount of water.
 
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