Substrate for your tarantulas

[Craig Toon]

Hi,

All I have recently Purchased around 28 new vivarium's for the majority of my Ts from custom aquaria, which leads me on to my request for information with regards to substrate. I will soon require a lot of substrate to fill these tanks and in the past I have used eco blocks (the dry ones which you place in water) these are ok and have done me No harm in the past but to fill all the tanks with eco blocks it will cost a bloody fortune.


I would like to try a bagged compost but not sure what to get (obviously one with out a pesticide or any other chemical mixed in) and was wondering what you other tarantula enthusiast use.


Regards


Craig

[Jamie Cooper]

Hi,

All I have recently Purchased around 28 new vivarium's for the majority of my Ts from custom aquaria, which leads me on to my request for information with regards to substrate. I will soon require a lot of substrate to fill these tanks and in the past I have used eco blocks (the dry ones which you place in water) these are ok and have done me No harm in the past but to fill all the tanks with eco blocks it will cost a bloody fortune.


I would like to try a bagged compost but not sure what to get (obviously one with out a pesticide or any other chemical mixed in) and was wondering what you other tarantula enthusiast use.


Regards


Craig

Hi Craig,

I use a 50/50 mix of vermiculite and peat. You can buy peat in 100L bags at most garden centers for around £8.00. It goes a very long way.

Peat is very acidic and inhibits mould growth, while vermiculite can hold large amounts of water to assist with humidity. After playing around with several different substrate mixtures, I've found that this works best.

Jamie