Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Any one have any good recipies for a naturally biodeagrading substrate? I know that the vivarium magazine had a really good one but i cant find it.

I use a fairly simple recipe that i got from reptiles magazine.
it has great drainage and my plants do great with it.

2 parts partially decomposed leaves
2 parts orchid bark
1 part coconut fiber that comes in the brick, like eco earth
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Nate
1.1 alanis tincs
0.0.2 Azureus (soon)

Nate left out the fertilzers. Heres a link to a scan I made of the Reptiles article Nate is talking about; imageevent.com/audiomaster/soilrecipies/
-David Taylor

I just got my stuff premixed from T&C Terrariums. I added up the cost of making my own VS. their price and in my case their price was cheaper.

aj
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Click Here to see my vivarium and steps on how to make a basic vivarium UPDATED 7.18.03 Now complete! All that is needed are some New River Tincs!

kungfu28181: My god. You are insane. -Mon Jun 30 21:41:05

3 parts coconut husk fiber, 2 parts orchid bark or fir bark and 1 part sand. You can mix in tree fern roots or extra orchid bark in areas where there are plants like bromeliads that need well drained soil. You can also mix in some leaf compost from outside to introduce some little bugs into the tank that will help break down waste. I have this mixture in 6 terrariums, so far so good. Talk to you later,
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Devin
devin@amphibiancare.com
www.amphibiancare.com

I've grown carnivorous plants for years and find that a nepenthes mix works for virtually every type of terrarium plant and won't break down for at least 6 years. The key is an open mix. I use the following ratios:

2 milled spagnum (spagnum moss shredded to a fine consistency)
2 peat moss (you can use Coco fiber, but the carnivorous plants you grow in the tank won't appreciate the added salts)
2 orchid bark
2 tree fern fiber
2 sand
1 pumice
1 charcoal
1 gypsum (optional if you grow mexican pinguicula in the tank, otherwise it is very cool to grow them on top of an abalone shell and they love the excess calcium)
1 osmunda powder (optional)

Hope this helps,
Drew Martinez
AZ Froghut

I've grown carnivorous plants for years and find that a nepenthes mix works for virtually every type of terrarium plant and won't break down for at least 6 years. The key is an open mix. I use the following ratios:

2 milled spagnum (spagnum moss shredded to a fine consistency)
2 peat moss (you can use Coco fiber, but the carnivorous plants you grow in the tank won't appreciate the added salts)
2 orchid bark
2 tree fern fiber
2 sand
1 pumice
1 charcoal
1 gypsum (optional if you grow mexican pinguicula in the tank, otherwise it is very cool to grow them on top of an abalone shell and they love the excess calcium)
1 osmunda powder (optional)

Hope this helps,
Drew Martinez
AZ Froghut

I've grown carnivorous plants for years and find that a nepenthes mix works for virtually every type of terrarium plant and won't break down for at least 6 years. The key is an open mix. I use the following ratios:

2 milled spagnum (spagnum moss shredded to a fine consistency)
2 peat moss (you can use Coco fiber, but the carnivorous plants you grow in the tank won't appreciate the added salts)
2 orchid bark
2 tree fern fiber
2 sand
1 pumice
1 charcoal
1 gypsum (optional if you grow mexican pinguicula in the tank, otherwise it is very cool to grow them on top of an abalone shell and they love the excess calcium)
1 osmunda powder (optional)

Hope this helps,
Drew Martinez
AZ Froghut