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Post by bloodhawk on May 22, 2010 13:22:49 GMT
buying coir block has got just too expensive so im going to swap to an organic compost is there any possible probles i should look out for?
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Post by brgwnth on Jul 14, 2010 14:27:01 GMT
It depends on if you buy an organic compost or not. Non organic ones are usually sterilised so may have chemicals in.
-Taran.
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Post by lee2211 on Jul 16, 2010 19:34:32 GMT
I'd bake it first as organic compost can contain minute bugs or something similar, they may not harm your snails but if it was me I don't like them in my soil unless I put them there specifically
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Post by brgwnth on Jul 19, 2010 8:19:36 GMT
i think that sometimes a small amount of untreated compost would be ok as some bacteria is beneficial to snails.
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Post by SnailsPace on Sept 29, 2010 19:58:31 GMT
I use Irish moss peat which is £8 for 100litres from the garden centre. I sterilise it in the microwave for a couple of mins
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Post by slimeballsquidget on Sept 29, 2010 22:08:42 GMT
I use the same thing for Squidget, mikaela. It does the trick and Squidget loves burying in it Slimeballsquidget xx
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Post by muddydragon on Sept 29, 2010 22:36:42 GMT
have you tried here for coir?: www.fertilefibre.com/shop/index.php/cPath/29i bulk buy some blocks so it's only 80p per block if you buy 20 or more so thats £16 for 160 litres (20 blocks)! or £13.02 for 130 (2 bales) litres if you buy them in bale form and even cheaper the more you buy, but blocks are much eaiser to deal with.
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aerliss
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 281
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Post by aerliss on Oct 2, 2010 12:58:35 GMT
o.O that's amazingly cheap, muddydragon. Thanks!
Though where I'd store 20 blocks/3 bales of coir I don't know...
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rosiesnail2
Achatina immaculata
3 Albino Achatina Reticulata on sale with tank ♥️
Posts: 242
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Post by rosiesnail2 on Jan 20, 2012 10:49:53 GMT
If people are still reading--> bake it or you can buy cheap coir and coco substrates on eBay
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jessicamartin
Achatina achatina
Jessica and Drew's Wonder Zoo.
Posts: 58
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Post by jessicamartin on Mar 16, 2012 11:57:19 GMT
I know this is an old thread, but not enough people are posting on here everyday anymore, so I think that posting on old threads is better than having 20 threads about the same thing.
I'm currently, at this very moment in time, changing from compost to coir blocks. No matter what compost I bought or how long I baked it for, it was still always full up with tiny bugs and parasites and the last batch even had a load of fruit fly maggots in it, which I didn't notice until I had put the snails back in there and they had been living in it for some time.
I will keep this thread updated on how the snails like the coir and any other substrate changes.
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Post by PennyFarthing on Mar 17, 2012 0:00:39 GMT
My mother told me that coir can be salty. Is this true? Has anyone here had problems with it? Also, what is sphagnum moss like? I know our native snails love it, because Mum mentioned once that one of her tasks in the flower shop was removing snails' eggs (poor things ). Is it any good for GALS?
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Post by copigeon on Mar 17, 2012 14:43:34 GMT
Be wary of cheap coir - coco shell husk is prepared in sea water, which is why your mother warns you of the salt. Salt residue is frequently still within coir fibre which has not been heavily rinsed.
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latebloomer
Achatina immaculata
The Snail Botherer
Posts: 251
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Post by latebloomer on Mar 19, 2012 11:06:10 GMT
I always find sand in the bottom after rehydrating it and rinse it again a few times. I only use the one sort, even if it is a bit pricey. I wonder if it would be worth rinsing and reusing or if it would be more trouble than it was worth.
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jessicamartin
Achatina achatina
Jessica and Drew's Wonder Zoo.
Posts: 58
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Post by jessicamartin on Mar 22, 2012 14:19:35 GMT
copigeon - would types of coir that are sold on reptile sites and specially for animals be all okay though? surely if they are designed for frogs and stuff, they should be clean of anything that could harm them? what do you keep your snails on?
surrey pet supplies is also suposed to be another good site that sells coir and any pet supplies for quite cheap.
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Post by PennyFarthing on Mar 30, 2012 15:44:41 GMT
I was just about to ask the same, JessicaMartin.
Also, I can only find ExoTerra substrates, aside from compost. Is that OK?
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latebloomer
Achatina immaculata
The Snail Botherer
Posts: 251
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Post by latebloomer on Apr 3, 2012 11:11:42 GMT
I use the exo terra tropical terrain bricks, I am very happy with it. the only problem is if you only need half a bricks worth of coir and need to saw it a bit to make it easier to break. The three brick size is better value for money, it goes a long way.
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Post by PennyFarthing on Apr 3, 2012 22:00:53 GMT
Thanks! I might try that if I continue to have problems with compost. The snails don't seem bothered, but the organic stuff I bought I hated - it was always either dry as a bone or boggy, nothing in between, and stuck to everything. After cleaning the snails out, my nails would be black for days on end. Horrible! My mother was kind enough to use it on her plants and buy me a replacement; so far it's much better, but I've only used it once.
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latebloomer
Achatina immaculata
The Snail Botherer
Posts: 251
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Post by latebloomer on Apr 4, 2012 10:59:06 GMT
I used to work in a garden centre and the compost was awful to work with, hard to get damp if got a bit dry, stuck to everything, went sour quickly and particles seemed to get up your nose into the bargain! Coir is so much easier and less mess.
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Post by PennyFarthing on Apr 4, 2012 14:06:12 GMT
I've put aquarium gravel in the bottom of the tanks, and that seems to be helping. They've also got a water dish each, so they can "paddle" if they get too dry. That seems to have made them happy.
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latebloomer
Achatina immaculata
The Snail Botherer
Posts: 251
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Post by latebloomer on Apr 5, 2012 11:17:51 GMT
Mine like their water dishes so much one is always sleeping in it in each tank. I have got two bigger dishes for the biggest ones so it remains to be seen if two will sleep in it at once.
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jessicamartin
Achatina achatina
Jessica and Drew's Wonder Zoo.
Posts: 58
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Post by jessicamartin on Apr 9, 2012 13:56:36 GMT
pennyfarthing - Putting gravel underneath the substrate was an idea that I had quite a while ago, however I worried about having the heat mat underneath and the stones heating up too much? Do you heat your snails?
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Post by dierentuin on Apr 27, 2012 19:17:44 GMT
I have a question about coir. I was told that some snails eat the coir and then die. I always go to the forrest and collect soil there. Back home I put it in the freezer for 2 days before using it. I just came from the hospital after 2 operations and going to the forrest colleting soil is a big no no for me at the moment. What is a good and safe alertnative for me to use for my snails? I see coir bloks online but i am afraid my snails will eat it and than die.
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bugz2go
Achatina achatina
Posts: 56
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Post by bugz2go on Apr 27, 2012 20:24:11 GMT
Hi Dierentuin, firstly I hope your making a great recovery after the visit to hospital. Coir substrate - this is our prefered substrate and we keep many different species of land snails on this without any problems at all. We have never lost a snail to substrate so I really don't understand why some are saying it can kill snails. I hope I have made you feel better on this subject but if you ever need anything else please feel free to get in touch. Regards Paul. www.bugz2go.com
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