Cocoa Fiber?

[Deleted]

I'm going to acomb this week end with £10.00 to spend on the snails at Acomb Pets, I think they sell Cocoa Fiber but on this website it doesn't say if its suitable or not i don't think it comes under Sand, Gritty or stony but i was just checking so please could any one tell me if i should buy cocoa fiber and if i can re-use it please

[coyote]

If by cocoa fiber you mean coir, or coconut husk fiber, it's my preferred substrate. It is not the only acceptable substrate, however.

[Deleted]

Coconut Fiber it was called i dont remember the lady saying it was coconut husk fiber (i usually go to acomb pets its so close to my home) but she said just put it in warm water for half an hour to seperate it then when its a bit damp just keep playing with it so it isnt lumpy and so far it looks good because after school i went there and bought it and a food dish

[poekai]

ah so coir is coconut fiber... ive tried that with my snail, and all it does is trying to stay as far away from it as possible (it doesnt want to touch it) He stays on the glas wall and roof from the tank. If he goes down to eat he takes a route that's not through the soil (in the water bowl etc..)

[coyote]

Maybe it is too wet or too dry for his liking?

[crossless]

My snails didn't like wood chip/peat/bark mix so I guess some snail don't like some subtrates at all.

[ultrapoi]

Is this the round stuff used in hanging baskets? Do I soak and dry it first? I tried some coco matting but it dyed things green so I removed it.

[foghog]

cocoa mat is made out of the same stuff, just like a coconut husk is...but it is long strains of it. coir comes in many different coarseness. including one which is like potting soil, which is what I like for snails.. but yes, it is the same as the hanging baskets in composition. There is also various mixes (And I'm talking here in the US...things may be different elsewhere of course.....we tend to have a lot of variety available for consumers here.) you can get it in 'bricks' or loose coir which is in bags. the bricks will tell you 'expands to blah blah amount' and yes you soak it, ad it expands, then you squeeze out the extra water, basically, until whatever moisture content you wish to have. you do not want it dry...thats just murder on a snail crawling over it, absorbing its slime.
many people as a added means of protection moisten the coir and then put it in the oven at 200 degrees for a hour or two, to make extra sure there is no parasites/etc inside it. If you by a produced version I highly doubt there will be though, but it is also how you will be cleaning it when you clean your habitat/etc. more then likely.
Your dying things green experiance should be a good lesson to you, and one that honestly has no doubt cost many people their snails lives....sometimes when you buy something, even though it is 'technically' made from the same stuff...it can have added things in it...and those things can kill your snails. ie, when you buy 'plant' stuff it can be treated to kill bugs even. those treatments can kill snails easily, or even if it is not if you take it from the bottom of a old hanging plant for instance, just like soil/etc, someone could of at one time fed that plant/etc plant food or other things which leeched salts and minerals like copper......and if you add such things to your tank, your snails have a good chance of harming your snails......The compost for my garden is really really great rich stuff, but there is no way I'd ever consider using it for snails.....regrettable but true....I have hardly any if any snails in my gardens.....there's a reason for that I think...and it isn't because they wouldn't love eating my veggies and plants.

[ultrapoi]

thanks for that foghog. i went straight back to using organic peat free soil, they seem to like that well enough. luckily with the coco matting, neither of my girls would go near it (id only covered half the tank with it then the other half with their usual soil).

[foghog]

ya. if you feel inclined, go to a petstore that sells substrate for reptiles that like moist environments (tropical.) and grab a brick or two of coir and try it. it really doesn't cost much (or order it online.) and it is a lot different then coconut mat. much much different.or stick with the peat if you like it.
the problem with peat from most snail perspectives is it has a high ph value. that can damage snail shells.

[ultrapoi]

foghog,
bought my girls some coir from the reptile shop. its so much nicer (and smells better...) than the soil i was using. pfeiffer and libby are very content with it. wasnt at all expensive given the small amount needed. likely works out cheaper than what i was using for them.
thanks for the advice

[foghog]

no problem....and now I'll give you some even better advice. don't buy it from the reptile store, check around for the same stuff at a hydroponics store, or garden supply. you can find it various places. the normal rules apply, make sure they do not add stuff to it. hydroponic stores are notoriously clean about stuff, since the nutrients always come from the solutions, and we don;t like things we cannot account for in the mix.

The difference in price for me is $6 a 8.8 litre brick or 8 quart (and you have to watch this also cause some are more and some are less.) compared to $3 for the same. USD of course.

[muddydragon]

may i recommend this site, i've always bought my coir from these guys and they're very good, blocks also get cheaper the more you buy:
www.fertilefibre.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=29&products_id=49
some info from the site: www.fertilefibre.com/reptile-area/

[ultrapoi]

thanks for that. il check out the hydroponic shops nearby.
muddydragon - thanks for the link, looks a little cheaper than i paid at the reptile shop.

[foghog]

wow I'd but 20 for that price in a heartbeat. thats like $1.44 USD they do not go bad, so it's not like 'eventually' you wont need or use them, and it's only like $30 total.

[muddydragon]

yeh i tend to buy a load and store them in the shed (off the floor to avoid possible damp) in the strong plastic bag they come in. last forever.
but it's whatever is convenient really.

[ultrapoi]

muddy - i see now!! lol...0.88p! thats a great way to do it. and since im hoping to breed for a few people id be able to sell the excess on when i re-home the snails. have bookmarked the page...
now...any idea where is cheapest for a thermostat?!

[muddydragon]

Aug 17, 2011 19:08:15 GMT ultrapoi said:

now...any idea where is cheapest for a thermostat?!

i can't really help much with that it seems to vary when i wanted some i surfed various pet and reptile stores to find the best deal. also keep an eye on ebay and classified of forums with vast numbers of members likely to use thermostats e.g. RFUK (i've got a few second hand mats and thermostats from members on there before)

hope that's of some help