soil (answer)

[sezzy5889]

So how many people still use soil in their tanks?

I'm asking because i am thinking of going back onto soil as the moss just isn't working, but when i looked in the bag of soil i have there were little white things, i don't know whether they are mites or lice or what, but they are 1mm, whitey/yellowy, you can visibly see the legs and they are quite fast. Does anyone else get these?

[sezzy5889]

I need to know now! I want to clean them out and it gets dark in an hour...

[Kevin]

I dont use soil, I use coco humous (coir) with a layer of moss (which I soak in boiling water first) on top of it, Ive never had mites in any of my snail tanks.

Personally I wouldnt use the soil if its small bugs in it, they could be harmless, but If it were me I wouldnt risk it.

[copigeon]

Personally wouldnt use any form of substrate which had unknown "legged" things in it. But I use peat for my adult tanks, as I get a better success rate with breeding in a natural substrate rather than solo moss or capillary.

[section8angel]

Why isn't the moss working?
I'm never going back to soil lol way too annoying to clean. But as said it might not be safe with bugs in.

[sezzy5889]

because since i've been using moss i have been infested with mites

[KathyM]

I don't use soil, I use sphagnum moss and organic compost. No probs here

[section8angel]

Strange. I've not got them and I've been using moss for ages.

You could always put it in the oven which might kill the beasties, but I still don't know if it would be worth risking.

[sonicsnail]

kathym said:

I don't use soil, I use sphagnum moss and organic compost. No probs here

Same with me. Since I have stopped using chipped bark and started using peat I have noticed a difference. There are no more mites!!! Strangely, yes I do mean there was mites in bark. I don't think bark is totally pest free. I use some sphagnum moss in the corner of the tank, they like to bury themselves in that.

[sezzy5889]

I did put all of the moss in the microwave for 5mins whenever i cleaned them out and reused it, but after 2 days the mites where back, i switched to moss because i got infested with mites when i was using soil, so nothing is working for me, but now i have decided that if i am going to have mites then soil is easier because there is no microwaving or putting in hot water then rinsing etc, you just chuck it away, wash and refill.

[Daniel]

i use copost and i somtimes see some little bugs but only a few i just tack them out

[sonicsnail]

Sarah, here's an idea. In the past when I have had problems with mites in the tanks I have poured boiling water in the tank and lid. I made sure to get right into the edges and over the sides. I further found that this is very useful for getting off snail slime. However, there is an obvious risk in doing this - the tank may crack. I poured boiling water onto plastic tanks that were already cracked slightly and no harm was done. However, I don't know about glass tanks to whether they will crack or not. I did find that this got rid of the mites for a longer period of time.

Hope this helps

[sezzy5889]

maybe they lay eggs on the sides and lid of the tank, so changing the substrate doesn't work!

[sonicsnail]

Yes, that was my point. So pouring boiling water kills the eggs. Well I think it does for a short while until the odd one or two mites left lay more eggs. Oh i forgot to mention since I have got new tanks there have been no more flies!

[Paul]

I don't think mites have much to do with the substrate, if you can get them in moss, it seems you can get them in anything. They just breed like crazy because there is nothing to eat them. I suppose moss is just easier to clean. I've had mites, even in sterilised soil, they come in from outside on you. For example, spider mites that infest plants can travel very long distances on air currents. I think it is inevitable that you'll get mites at some point, especially if you bring wild snails inside.

The things you describe Sarah, sound like springtails. I've seen them in bags of soil and peat. Do they jump when you touch them? If they are, they won't affect the snails but they'll breed like mad and that isn't good.

[sezzy5889]

no they don't jump, they just look like mites but bigger. I know what you mean though

[section8angel]

The soil was what I meant for microwaving, to get rid of those bugs you said were in it.

Have you had a totally bare tank and still had mites? I know you didn't like keeping it totally bare, but if you do/have and still have/had mites then in theory they must be on the sides

Good luck with getting rid of them, and as these mites seem to appear in anything you use, I'd just stick with whatever is easiest and cheapest.

[sezzy5889]

i didn't have them when the tank was bare, but the snails couldn't live like that, it was too cold and slimy

[sezzy5889]

anyway i checked the soil again and i couldn't see any mites so i have put soil in one of the tanks and also in an empty tank to see if the mites appear even without snails and food in there.

[Val]

Sarah, why don't you try coir blocks?? It is similar to soil in consistency but it is sterile!!

Val

[sezzy5889]

because i don't wan't to be ordering off the internet every week or so just for some substrate, if theres a shop i can get it from then thats a different matter, but i don't think you can.

[Arno]

Ofcourse you can,a lot of reptile shops sell it.....

[copigeon]

Whats wrong with good old fashioned peat? You can microwave it for a few minutes if youre that conscientious about its possible living content, but bales of peat from your local b&q or garden center are pretty much sterile anyway? £5ish a bale?

[sezzy5889]

I don't have a reptile shop near me

[copigeon]

As loathed as I am to talk to myself, sarah, do you use peat? Not multipurpose compost, or john innis or anything that may contain fertilzer... just, plain old irish moss peat.