What sort of soil do you use???

[frogfreak]

Originally Posted by mikeyd

in this hobby theres way too much misleading and confusing info, cant seem to get any straight answers.

I hear ya, we've been in the hobby for a couple of years now. I've ripped apart 5 tanks and changed the way I do my lids, twice now. We're just getting into Orchids, so now we need fans in our tanks. That will prolly take at least 2-3 tries to get it right. I'm already thinking about doing some stuff different, again. I honestly don't think it will stop, to tell you the truth. This hobby is just one big learning experience and expect it to take years.

I think this hobby is still fairly young compared to others. There's a ton of research, trial and error. Problem is Mike, there is no right or wrong answer really, just people doing things different ways. Some work better than other's is all.

It can be frustrating, but eventually you get where you want to be. I wouldn't take it to seriously. I can almost gurantee your first few tanks, will all end up rebuilds, down the road. Didn't like this, can do that better, different wood, etc.

Hijack over

We will eventually get into a clay based substrate. That seems to be very successful but is a lot of work. Something I just don't feel like atm.

This is what we use for now...We just use the Zilla jungle mix and toss in some extra Zilla reptibark for extra drainage. It's available at most pet stores. If you want toss in some peat and sand, that's ok too. Done...It does the job...

Glenn

[mikeyd]

Thanks for that post, at least i feel a little calmer about this whole thing.

really , if a plant grows an extra leaf or two over 2 years i dont care about that. lol

i just want to make sure everything is safe, and wont be the cause of a death or sickness.

my frog supplier was adimant on the vermiculite.. but others seem adimant that it is a hazard for impaction.


so i compramised.

my substrate mix:

layer of live sheet/java/pillow moss
100%clay kitty litter mixed with 100% pure pete
100% organic soil(compost,humus,perlite,pete) /mixed with 20% vermiculite
spagnum/orchid moss
screen
hydroton


any problems there??? i can still re-do before frogs arrive.

merry x-mas

[Ozymandias]

at the vary least i would not do the perlite i know for a fact that stuff just isn't natural and it is a pain to deal with. vermiculite at least is natural i would also skip the kitty litter and add alot more leaf litter, sand and maybe some charcoal you want the soil to retain moisture but still drain well.

also did the person that said coco-fiber over time is harmful say how it was harmful?

[mikeyd]

thats so weird, how can it say 100% organic soil with perlite LOL
anyways, does it have chemicals or somthing? or just impaction if swallowed.
the layer with that and the vermiculite is the bottom layer above the spag moss.
so it cant be reeched. :/

he did not say excatly why to coco is bad, or mabey i just dont remember :/

but somthing along the lines of releasing somthing bad after a while that killed many of his frogs a while ago.

[Ozymandias]

technically it is natural (a volvanic rock actually) but i think for what it's used for there are better alternatives. even so i shy away from mass produced soil mixtures that say thay are organic because there is nothing keeping them purly organic and just calling it organic and there are plenty of organic fertilizers that can be harmful to frogs or other reptiles and amphibians. i personally prefure to mix my own substrates for this reason, this is the mixture i use personally, i think i posted it you're other thread.

- milled peatmoss
- cocofiber
- sand
- crushed sphagnum moss
- crushed and whole leaves (oak and maple)
- roach fras (poop, as a fertilizer)
- charcoal
- orchid bark

also coco-fiber is inter which is why it's used in hydroponics quite alot so i don't think it killed his frogs i think it was probably something else like toxins that built up in his soil, or even a parasite or something else.

[OKCMike]

I have a set up such as you describe. I don't have frogs in the land part but do have plants. I have 2 saxifraga stolonifera, 3 selaginella mosses, 2 nephrolepis cordifolia and 2 fittonia sp They are all doing very well in the following mix:

1 part*sand
2 parts*gravel
10 parts milled*sphagnum
7 parts*coco*fiber

To place the plants, you should "bare root" them to eliminate the possible harmful elements of the potting soil they will have been bought in. Mine did great. This should not Result in any soil elements that will Hirt your frogs -- I think. Good luck!

[cuervo25_1]

here is my method

clay pellets from a local pets store, they have to be rinsed off to remove the dust and soaked in water to saturate them. it is designed for these applications so no worries.
I then spread them out over the bottom of the tank. They do soak up alot of moisture so to battle that I pour a couple cups of water down a pipe I set for this reason about every 2 weeks.
I then place a layer of landscapers cloth that is rinsed off over the pellets to seperate the rest of the layers from the pellets.

On top of that I put a mixture of 1 part repti bark to 3 parts unfinished compost, followed by finished compost .

Just to clarify unfinished and finished compost. I make my own from lawn clippings, ash from my fire pit, leaves , and the soils from my tank. I never use fertilizers, weedkillers, insect killers or lime so that isn't an issue. I only burn Oak or ash in the pit so that isn't a problem. I also don't drop in food....well unless you count the redworms that are used for composing and your a frog or lizard that eats them.
Unfinished compost still has large pieces of leaves, moss, and charcoal. thats why I don't use as much repti bark. The finished compost every thing has become soil except the charcoal which I pick out if I find any.

[seemasaiyom]

Hi,

i am using top soil and it works great ..

Thanks.