Substrate preference poll

preferred substrate??

  • 100% potting soil

    Votes: 109 8.7%
  • 80% potting soil-20%mulch

    Votes: 22 1.8%
  • 100% peat moss

    Votes: 363 29.0%
  • 100% vermiculite

    Votes: 34 2.7%
  • 50/50 peat/vermiculite

    Votes: 95 7.6%
  • 50/50 potting soil/peat moss

    Votes: 104 8.3%
  • 50/50 potting soil/vermiculite

    Votes: 35 2.8%
  • 75% peat moss-25% vermiculite

    Votes: 61 4.9%
  • 75% vermicuite-25% peat moss

    Votes: 13 1.0%
  • other...please state in reply post

    Votes: 414 33.1%

  • Total voters
    1,250

Anonymity82

Arachnoprince
Joined
Aug 12, 2011
Messages
1,579
Coconut fiber. I might buy some peat moss and place it in a corner to hold moisture if I every own any that need more moisture than your typical desert T.
 

FelixH

Arachnopeon
Joined
Dec 25, 2011
Messages
1
I use potting soil with loamearth from the wood, or earth from molehills, digging Spiders get 100% molehillearth, 'cause it has very much loam in it and natural microorganisms which keep everything clean and healthy.

Greetz - Felix
 

tangoblue37

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jan 5, 2012
Messages
54
My vote goes for "other" - the coconut fiber EcoEarth.
Thats what i use as well. The t's don't seem to like it when i put it in at first because i put it in a bit wet to help the humidity, but when it dries out they seem happy enough (and no stuff growing in it).

Oh, and it doesn't stick to them unlike bark which my pzb jevee came in... Seriously, i would never use that stuff.
 

jbm150

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 18, 2009
Messages
1,650
Back when I voted in this poll (whenever that was), I was straight coco. Now you couldn't pay me to use the stuff. All about the peat now


...well, actually you probably could pay me to use it ;)
 

arachnofab

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 16, 2012
Messages
118
I've always used crushed walnut shells sold in the pet stores - i think my G. rosea is used to it now since its all she's ever had but my little G. pulchripes keeps walking all around the walls and ceiling of the cage so def. consider trying something else. This thread was very helpful - thanks guys!
 

Josh75

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 21, 2012
Messages
8
Why isn't eco earth listed in the poll? It's obviously the predominant choice.
 

macbaffo

Arachnolord
Joined
Sep 27, 2012
Messages
652
eco earth is the name of a product. but yeah curious that it doesn't list coconut fiber.
 

sugarsandz

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jul 28, 2012
Messages
144
Eco Earth! not the brick though, I make to big of a mess with the expanding brick lol!
 

Formerphobe

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 27, 2011
Messages
2,336
I use coconut fibre as a basis. What I add to or mix with it is dependent on species. Some get 100% coco fibre, others 50/50 coco/peat, others varying combinations of coco/peat+/- vermiculite. The last bag of peat I got must have had some fungus spores in it. I've been picking mushrooms out of enclosures for months. AARRGGHH! Not a problem I've had in the past.
 

zonbonzovi

Creeping beneath you
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 20, 2008
Messages
3,346
The last bag of peat I got must have had some fungus spores in it. I've been picking mushrooms out of enclosures for months. AARRGGHH! Not a problem I've had in the past.
I kinda like it;) I'm not certain yet but my recent reading suggests that these are spores common to Canadian peat. So far (in that reading) it seems that these break down the dead sphagnum even further. Curiously, my biggest infestation is in an H. maculata tank that stays dry except for a monthly spritzing. It started in the base soil but has really taken off where where the tube webs become more or less horizontal. I guess that the moisture collects in these spots and encourages spreading of the spores. I had a Phlogius tank infested with mycelia that produced mushrooms regularly. The inhabitant would break them off at the stem or flex them and cover with copious webbing.
 
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