Greetings from wild and wonderful West Virginia

[arachnohippie]

Greetings fellow arachnophiles. I am the proud owner of a juvenile (2 year old) Mexican RedRump female and a Greenbottle Blue spiderling (approximately 2 months old). I am trying to design a compatible environment for my greenbottle. I have the coconut coir but I was wondering if it wouldn't be a good idea to maybe lay down a foundation of say vermiculite (a drying agent) underneath the coco coir? Any thoughts on this? I know my little greenbottle is happiest in a dry environment.

 

[Enn49]

Hello and welcome.
Coco fibre will be fine, vermiculite is very dusty unless its damp which would defeat the object of using it.

 

[Dave Jay]

Hi, welcome to the forum!
Vermiculite would be redundant, the peat has the same water absorbing properties you're looking for. Dry vermiculite would certainly suck the moisture from damp peat but so would a layer of dry peat. A layer of polished pebbles might be advantageous, allowing excess water to drain, avoiding having saturated peat on the bottom of the enclosure which can go stagnant because only anaerobic bacteria can survive. Really though, that is not needed if you are careful with water but might safeguard a bit against overwatering mistakes, water wicking out of water bowls can be a problem sometimes.

 

[arachnohippie]

Hello and welcome.
Coco fibre will be fine, vermiculite is very dusty unless its damp which would defeat the object of using it.

Thank you for your help. I'm getting a new salmon pink birdeater this week so I 'm sure I will need more help in the future. It's nice to know I have a place to come to get my questions answered.

 

[arachnohippie]

Hi, welcome to the forum!
Vermiculite would be redundant, the peat has the same water absorbing properties you're looking for. Dry vermiculite would certainly suck the moisture from damp peat but so would a layer of dry peat. A layer of polished pebbles might be advantageous, allowing excess water to drain, avoiding having saturated peat on the bottom of the enclosure which can go stagnant because only anaerobic bacteria can survive. Really though, that is not needed if you are careful with water but might safeguard a bit against overwatering mistakes, water wicking out of water bowls can be a problem sometimes.

Thank you for your help. It is very much appreciated. I am still learning, but I really love my little buddies and want everything to be right with them.

 

[Enn49]

Thank you for your help. I'm getting a new salmon pink birdeater this week so I 'm sure I will need more help in the future. It's nice to know I have a place to come to get my questions answered.

Any questions just ask, there's almost always someone around to help.

 

[RonC]

Welcome to the forums.

 

[WolfSpider]

Personally, I like vermiculite. Except for fossorial species, I have had good luck with it. I use it frequently at the base of substrate. I know that our most experienced keeper, @Arachnoclown likes one side of the enclosure moist and the other side dry for many species. Who am I to argue?? But I have found that It helps keep dry substrate dry and for wetter substrate, it prevents stagnation at the bottom.

 

[Arachnoclown]

I love vermiculite but using it dry is dangerous. It will wick the moisture out of your spider. It's designed to slowly release moisture when used correctly. You should never let it dry out completely. For My Gbbs I just use dry coco fiber and just keep the area around the water dish moist.

 

[Dave Jay]

I was just composing a reply myself, I guess that like the stones vermiculite will give a layer of inorganic material on the bottom which avoids having wet peat being decomposed by anaerobic bacteria in a moist enclosure so it could be of some use there. Apart from the redundacy of having a moisture absorbing material (vermiculite) to absorb moisture from a moisture absorbing material (peat) it sounds like in a dry situation it could actually be dangerous if brought to the surface.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Perlite and vermiculite are often confused. Perlite being a volcanic glass and vermiculite being a type of mineral. Both used in soil improvements.

 

[Dave Jay]

Both extremely irritating to the lungs! As a former horticulturist I shudder when I hear of people using them dry out of a bag without even the basic precaution of using a dust mask at least. Both would be dangerous to inverts in their dry state.

 

[Whitelightning777]

For a dry spider, EcoEarth Coco fiber is just fine. For my more moisture dependent species, even those who just appreciate a bit of moisture, I use organic 100% chemical free peat with maybe a very thin layer of coco fiber on top.

I do use moist vermaculite, but only as a base layer on the bottom and not mixed in with anything above it but only for a moist enclosure.

Peat is highly resistant to mold, which makes it preferable in moist conditions. Lasiodora species such as L parahybana do appreciate some extra moisture as well as a bit of frog moss by the water dish. Any Lasiodora is a great choice and many species are available. Care requirements are identical.

 

[LC72uk]

Welcome to the Group...............