Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know I have always been told to STERILIZE, STERILIZE, STERILIZE!, but recently I was discussing with somebody the benefits of the microorganisms living in dirt and plants taken from outside. I have heard that the organisns are beneficial and that they will help to get rid or harmful bacteria and decay waste. Anybody have any opinions on the subject??
Thanks
-Stage9

Soil contains a tremendous variety of bacterium, fungi, nematodes and protozoa along with a host of other micro-organisms. While some are beneficial, such as Azobacter vinelandii, in “fixing” nitrogen to be utilized by plants, others can be down right dangerous, such as Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, some of which have developed into strains that have developed resistance to the antibiotics, including vancomyin and methicillin, commonly used to combat them.
Personally, I would use substrate prepared for use within the vivarium only, as such is readily available and poses a lower risk to the flora and fauna within your vivarium, rather than use soil excavated from an unreliable source…

Best regards,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

You will be deluged with sterilizaion freaks. I am normaly modest in my replies, but in this case they will be dead wrong. What they fail to realize ( I am a Zoology PhD with many years in medical research) is that turtles normally live in a bacteria-rich environment, but that excessive steriliation can disrupt the delicate balance between different natural strains of bacteria and fungi, causing an overgrowth of one or the other. Needless to say, routine hygene and cleaning of your tank is great, but EXCESSIVE steriliation can cause more problems than it prevents.