Is this brick of substrate alright for a Selenotypus yellow enclosure?

alexbwkim

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I think I recall some people using this but I'm not sure. Bought from Bunnings Warehouse Sydney Australia.
 

EulersK

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Yep, it's pretty commonly used. Yours looks like it's made specifically for plants, so just make sure there is no fertilizer in it. There should be an ingredient list somewhere.
 

James Oswald

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I have been using this for 6 months now with no problems i recommend it and any tarantula would thrive in it
 

spotropaicsav

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Thought this might be another "Lugarti Premium" substrate question ha! Seems your brand is reputable
 

Dave Jay

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I've been using those blocks for years, with reptiles, frogs and inverts. There is no ingredient list as there is only one ingredient,coir peat. I believe that there may be similar bricks that have fertiliser added out there, but I've never come across them. They are mostly used as a component of various seed raising and potting mixes you make at home so fertiliser would make them useless for seed raising.
I avoid the larger blocks as they generally contain very coarse fibers, often in clumps.
After about 3 years of being moist they start to break down.
A 50/50 mix of coir peat and sand gives you a surprisingly sandy mixture, I've found 1 part sand to 6 parts coir peat results in a mix suitable for use where you want a very moist habit, add sand from there according to the preference of the species being kept, keeping track of how many parts sand you've added for future reference. Also you may find you've run out of mix and need to mix more to finish your enclosure , if you don't match the mix exactly you'll end up with a line where the sustrates colour changes and this makes it hard to judge moisture levels visually.
Also be aware that while it will expand and become usable in a half hour or so of adding water it takes quite a while (overnight) to be evenly moist throughout, one problem with not waiting is that it may expand overnight and you find your decor is now too close to the top of the enclosure,for instance when I set up my first scorpion tanks I woke up to find lids popped open due to the wood now being half an inch or so higher than when I went to bed!
 

RezonantVoid

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I think I recall some people using this but I'm not sure. Bought from Bunnings Warehouse Sydney Australia.
I had a few of the same bricks. No matter how moist, dry, loose or compact i've tried, my Selenotypus and Phlogius both hate the stuff. I ended up getting a massive bag full of finer textured Coco peat (I'll get the brand name of it soon) and they all love it. That said, anything other than spiders I've used the bricks with seem to love them. (scorpions, centipedes, geckos etc)
 

cold blood

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Any of the acceptable substrates can be used for any tarantula...substrate is more of a personal preference for the keeper.
 

Dave Jay

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I had a few of the same bricks. No matter how moist, dry, loose or compact i've tried, my Selenotypus and Phlogius both hate the stuff. I ended up getting a massive bag full of finer textured Coco peat (I'll get the brand name of it soon) and they all love it. That said, anything other than spiders I've used the bricks with seem to love them. (scorpions, centipedes, geckos etc)
I haven't found one finer than that one , I have found coarser bricks though . I generally add only 1.7 litres water and wait a day or two then crush it and mix it by hand, some of the inside bits are too dry while the outside is too wet, so any lumps are crushed and any clumps of coarse fiber are removed. I guess by the time I'm finished it has been crushed finer than it was. Our local Bunnings has recently stopped selling the small blocks and now only sells the large blocks which I have found to contain clumps of "hair", so last time I had to buy them from Woolworths for $3 instead of $2.18 at Bunnings. I'd be interested in knowing what it was you bought last. My spiders don't seem to have a problem with the Brunnings brand as pictured, but I'm open to the possibility that there is something better.
 

RezonantVoid

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I haven't found one finer than that one , I have found coarser bricks though . I generally add only 1.7 litres water and wait a day or two then crush it and mix it by hand, some of the inside bits are too dry while the outside is too wet, so any lumps are crushed and any clumps of coarse fiber are removed. I guess by the time I'm finished it has been crushed finer than it was. Our local Bunnings has recently stopped selling the small blocks and now only sells the large blocks which I have found to contain clumps of "hair", so last time I had to buy them from Woolworths for $3 instead of $2.18 at Bunnings. I'd be interested in knowing what it was you bought last. My spiders don't seem to have a problem with the Brunnings brand as pictured, but I'm open to the possibility that there is something better.
It was a large sugarcane-mulch-sized bag of it, I'll get the brand name this afternoon. It has some lumps in it but once they are removed it clearly looks and feels a bit different. Using the bricks the T's would spend days up in the corner of their containers but they are happy to burrow in this stuff
 

RezonantVoid

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I haven't found one finer than that one , I have found coarser bricks though . I generally add only 1.7 litres water and wait a day or two then crush it and mix it by hand, some of the inside bits are too dry while the outside is too wet, so any lumps are crushed and any clumps of coarse fiber are removed. I guess by the time I'm finished it has been crushed finer than it was. Our local Bunnings has recently stopped selling the small blocks and now only sells the large blocks which I have found to contain clumps of "hair", so last time I had to buy them from Woolworths for $3 instead of $2.18 at Bunnings. I'd be interested in knowing what it was you bought last. My spiders don't seem to have a problem with the Brunnings brand as pictured, but I'm open to the possibility that there is something better.
He's the stuff, brand is called Pro-Gro. I think the bricks have a more red appearance and are probably better aesthetically IMO, the Pro-Gro peat is more brown and definitely finer until compacted. I have a photo of the brand, what it looks like dry, and my P.Strennus burrow in it (strennus are awesome. Web and burrow alot and we very aggressive feeders. Highly recommended one if you get one)
 

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Dave Jay

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Canadian sphagnum peat? I found it online but with a different pack, same brand name. It's a mined peat, they dig up old swamps basically, I know they mine it in New Zealand too. Mining peat is a bit controversial , which is why coir/coco peat became popular. This particular company invests in 'bog restoration' projects to minimise their ecological footprint ,I read the write up but didn't watch the video. The amount used by animal keepers and home gardeners over their entire lifetimes would be next to nothing compared to industrial use, but the ethics of using it are still debatable. I might check it out when I run out of coir bricks, thanks for the info. :)
I have one small strennus atm, well my wife does, she decided she was having it when it arrived, it has been a good feeder, and lots more webbing than the stents of the same size. I was debating whether to buy another , that's all the guy I buy through has atm, I might order more when he gets the 'black's in that I've been waiting for.

For non Australians - Phlogius strennus, Phlogius sp. 'stents', Phlogius sp. 'black' or 'black presley'
 

RezonantVoid

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Canadian sphagnum peat? I found it online but with a different pack, same brand name. It's a mined peat, they dig up old swamps basically, I know they mine it in New Zealand too. Mining peat is a bit controversial , which is why coir/coco peat became popular. This particular company invests in 'bog restoration' projects to minimise their ecological footprint ,I read the write up but didn't watch the video. The amount used by animal keepers and home gardeners over their entire lifetimes would be next to nothing compared to industrial use, but the ethics of using it are still debatable. I might check it out when I run out of coir bricks, thanks for the info. :)
I have one small strennus atm, well my wife does, she decided she was having it when it arrived, it has been a good feeder, and lots more webbing than the stents of the same size. I was debating whether to buy another , that's all the guy I buy through has atm, I might order more when he gets the 'black's in that I've been waiting for.

For non Australians - Phlogius strennus, Phlogius sp. 'stents', Phlogius sp. 'black' or 'black presley'
Wow, I had no idea about any of that. I just bought it from my local nursery and the bag looks kinda old. I kinda feel a little bad now lol
 

Dave Jay

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I used to work in plant propagation nurseries, I wouldn't go through one of their weekly truck loads in my lifetime even if I dug it into every garden bed on my property as well as using it for inverts, so I don't think a bag here and there would make much difference. Imagine how much farmers use! You might as well feel guilty buying a potted plant or a tray of seedlings really, or even for eating fruit and vegetables grown in it!
 

Dennis Nedry

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I have one small strennus atm, well my wife does, she decided she was having it when it arrived, it has been a good feeder, and lots more webbing than the stents of the same size. I was debating whether to buy another , that's all the guy I buy through has atm, I might order more when he gets the 'black's in that I've been waiting for.

For non Australians - Phlogius strennus, Phlogius sp. 'stents', Phlogius sp. 'black' or 'black presley'
That strenuus is gonna get real mean, real fast. They're probably the most defensive Aussie T from what I've seen and heard

Look into Phlogius sarina as well, they're a very pretty dark T. And if you ever see black Presley slings for sale, I wanna know who's got them ;)
 

RezonantVoid

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That strenuus is gonna get real mean, real fast. They're probably the most defensive Aussie T from what I've seen and heard

Look into Phlogius sarina as well, they're a very pretty dark T. And if you ever see black Presley slings for sale, I wanna know who's got them ;)
My P.Goliath sling molted 2 days back and it has gone like jet black, pretty cool but tricky to spot without a torch :p. I'll check out Sarina as well
 

RezonantVoid

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I used to work in plant propagation nurseries, I wouldn't go through one of their weekly truck loads in my lifetime even if I dug it into every garden bed on my property as well as using it for inverts, so I don't think a bag here and there would make much difference. Imagine how much farmers use! You might as well feel guilty buying a potted plant or a tray of seedlings really, or even for eating fruit and vegetables grown in it!
Alright, that's okay then. Even this one bag is more than ill ever need, and for $60 i thought it was a fair buy
 
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