gnats

[rubiks]

Have gnat problem in tank, it houses a crested gecko 5 months old doing very well, Tank has a dirt floor with growing moss which blankets the soil completely and a small fern and couple pathos plants. Tank is heavily planted and thriving very well, Only problem is gnats, How to get rid of them heard of these two plants that take care of gnats they are sundews and butterwart which both have a sticky substance on them which attracts gnats, Only problem is gecko, does anyone have any suggestions on putting one of these plants in with gecko or solving problem in other ways. Read many different ways, but which works best from experience. Thanks

[Kendrick]

I'm preparing, at least mentally, for the same future problem. I think I will go with the CO2 method. It's ingenious, all you need is a place to put your pets for a night.

Apparently, it functions as steroids for your plants, so even without a bug problem, you might want to try it! I know I certainly will be doing this before I introduce animals to my vivarium. I plan to have a stable ecosystem of plants in there before I get water dragons.

It'll pose a challenge when the water dragons reach bigger sizes. Seems like after you get rid of your pest problem, it's best to focus on preventative maintenance. Making sure new plants are super clean and stuff before putting them in.

[JoeG]

Are they tiny? Likely fungus gnats... I get them too and they tend to stay in the viv with the plants.

The least invasive way I have found to get rid of them is to reduce the moisture and fungus they feed on. If you allow the top 1 to 2 inches of the soil to dry out between waterings, this will eliminate the fungus that the gnat larvae live on. I find that watering on a Mon,Wed,Fri schedule for me has really eliminated them.