Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey i have live plants...pothos..in my crestie cage and there are lots of gnats. are they caused by the plants? How do I get rid of them without getting rid of the plants? I had the same problem in my frog tank and i removed the plants and the gnats are gone. but i like to keep the tank as natural as possible for them and also i dont like the fake plants quite as much. I really hope to find a way to keep the plants and loose the gnats. please help! thanks

gnats can be caused by the plants. personally i would just get rid of them, nut if you really like them so much then do this. take out everything in the enclusure and clean it real good. when it comes to live plants put them under running water. The gnats could also be caused by aging, not super well cared for crickets that occasionally get little buggers in with them due to smell. This usually happens to less experienced cricket keepers who refuse to change the cage more often.However, i dont think this is the problem if you said yuve taken away this plant and the problem still persisted.

thanks alot i am going to clean the cage now and wash the plants now. i hope it works. i appreciate your time.

There are bugs that feed on the roots of plants and so spend part of their life cycle unseen, so to be thorough, wash ALL of the dirt off of the roots, and replant them in sterilized medium. Good luck!
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Terri
4:8:5 crested geckos: Popcorn, Goldfish, Harley, Bear, Big Red, Olive, Smudge, Blackie, Belle, Brilliant, Tina, Brick, Avis & Subtle, Toni(y), Kermit & Zipper