# Substrate you use!



## Stuart89 (Mar 27, 2008)

Just looking for ideas as to what you guys use at the bottom, would a sponge work?


----------



## chrisboy101 (Mar 27, 2008)

yh sponge is good , also soil/peat sphagnum moss and paper towel


----------



## matt020593 (Mar 27, 2008)

I use moss, it holds water well and looks natural.

Matt


----------



## macro junkie (Mar 27, 2008)

sponge - vermiculite - sphagnum moss - paper towel


----------



## joossa (Mar 27, 2008)

Paper towels for ooths and small nymphs. Sphagnum moss for older nymphs and adults.

I might end up sticking with paper towels for all, though. The clean up is much easier.


----------



## Stuart89 (Mar 27, 2008)

cheers for all the replies, ive cut some sponge thin and put it at the bottom for now, might go to paper towels next see how it goes.


----------



## Picho (Mar 27, 2008)

Paper towels everywhere


----------



## OGIGA (Mar 27, 2008)

Papertowels for me! Yeah, they're easy to get and easy to replace. Sphagnum moss is nice looking but it's not as cheap as paper towels.


----------



## matt020593 (Mar 27, 2008)

Its free if you live near a forest  :lol: .

Matt


----------



## Rob Byatt (Mar 27, 2008)

Tissue all the way 100% of the time  



Matthew Whittle said:


> Its free if you live near a forest  :lol: .Matt


Sphagnum moss is not found in forests; it is a bog plant.


----------



## Rick (Mar 27, 2008)

I use spaghnum moss for nymphs and nothing for adults. I tried the paper towels but the food items get up under it.


----------



## hibiscusmile (Mar 27, 2008)

Yea, I'm with Rick, paper towels to much work, but the moss is nice, I usually use nothing, but lately...........well I like the smell of the new moss I got and it is very clean looking, The containers I use it in still smell good after a couple of weeks and the other containers don't, so I am starting to lean....way....over to the moss side. Never to old to learn! :lol: That's what I always say!


----------



## OGIGA (Mar 28, 2008)

Although food likes to hide inside paper towels, I find that paper towels make cleaning up easy. Just take the towel out and with it goes the poop and bug parts.

Oh yeah, cleaning up sphagnum moss is not very easy. :huh:


----------



## asdsdf (Mar 28, 2008)

I don't... :lol:


----------



## Rob Byatt (Mar 28, 2008)

Does no one care that peat bogs are an endangered habitat ?


----------



## Gurd (Mar 28, 2008)

Rob Byatt said:


> Does no one care that peat bogs are an endangered habitat ?


I do and I'm another tissue convert

Also peat free and organic in the garden


----------



## Orin (Mar 28, 2008)

I usually have 1/2 of inch of any dirt for L1s because of the cage setup, and nothing for later instars.


----------



## Rick (Mar 28, 2008)

Rob Byatt said:


> Does no one care that peat bogs are an endangered habitat ?


Actually never knew that. I will do some research and may change if that is the case.


----------



## chrisboy101 (Mar 28, 2008)

anyway :lol: all the the substrates mentioned work great


----------



## Gurd (Mar 29, 2008)

Rick said:


> Actually never knew that. I will do some research and may change if that is the case.


The rate that peat forms is roughly 1cm every 10yrs and with the extraction increasing for horticultural uses over the past decade or so it has become a more endangered habitat. I know there has been a move away from peat based products in horticulture but I just hope its not too little too late


----------



## Nick Heath (Apr 7, 2008)

Stuart89 said:


> Just looking for ideas as to what you guys use at the bottom, would a sponge work?


Hi Stu,my name is Nick and ive recently joined the forum after years of reading it and keeping many species of mantid...i didnt join sooner as ive always been a 'watcher' if you like,i like to see what people are saying first before i state my opinion.

With regards to your question,i personally use kitchen towel for nymphs &amp; ooth's,draped down one side of the container-it is great for creating humidity and also acts as a surface to which the mantid can cling to,or that the food item(s) can climb up. Ive used moss etc but it just dries out too fast for me and food items always got hidden amongst it. The kitchen towel (white) also makes a useful background when checking the mantid for problems.

For adults,i use the following methods; for Sphodromantis and other desert/dry species i use a thin layer of bird sand. Its clean and cheap and allows me to hoover waste out of the container easily. It also allows the heat from the heatmat to rise unhindered.

For adult mantids that require a moderate amount of humidity i use either coconut fibre (which i think is superb) or thick kitchen towel placed at the front of the container AWAY from direct heat (thus it dries out more slowly)..i have found this as good as anything and is certainly very clean.

For species that require high levels of humidity (this is where i have encountered most problems) i have settled on using half an inch of damp orchid bark covered with an inch of damp coco fibre,and then a further layer of damp orchid bark on top of this and a partial (50%) covering of the ventilation panel at the top of my viv's. This has allowed me to keep 70-90% humidity with ease and i have yet to have any problems with mould in years of keeping mantids.

Incidentally,i use Yeo Valley yoghurt pots (clear plasic with clear lid) for housing L3 and upwards and my own home made glass vivs for adults,i hope to post some pics of these soon....apologies for long reply!


----------



## Stuart89 (Apr 7, 2008)

Nick Heath said:


> Hi Stu,my name is Nick and ive recently joined the forum after years of reading it and keeping many species of mantid...i didnt join sooner as ive always been a 'watcher' if you like,i like to see what people are saying first before i state my opinion.With regards to your question,i personally use kitchen towel for nymphs &amp; ooth's,draped down one side of the container-it is great for creating humidity and also acts as a surface to which the mantid can cling to,or that the food item(s) can climb up. Ive used moss etc but it just dries out too fast for me and food items always got hidden amongst it. The kitchen towel (white) also makes a useful background when checking the mantid for problems.
> 
> For adults,i use the following methods; for Sphodromantis and other desert/dry species i use a thin layer of bird sand. Its clean and cheap and allows me to hoover waste out of the container easily. It also allows the heat from the heatmat to rise unhindered.
> 
> ...


Great reply! Very detailed and informative, you should register and introduce yourself mate, it seems like you have a lot to offer the forum! Will look out for the pics!


----------



## mr nick (Apr 8, 2008)

Stuart89 said:


> Great reply! Very detailed and informative, you should register and introduce yourself mate, it seems like you have a lot to offer the forum! Will look out for the pics!


you're welcome..i will get round to it soon,got quite alot to talk about but little spare time..incidentally,im off to Thailand and Malaysia in Oct/Nov and im absolutely sure i will be on the lookout for ooth's,ha,ha..but mainly for recreational purposes,ha,ha.


----------



## pedro92 (Apr 8, 2008)

I think humidity foam is the best. This is why

Humidity foam

Pros:

1. Neat no loose objects

2. Holds water good

3. Food cannot dig into it and hide

4. You can pull them out rinse, squeeze, and put back in.

Cons:

No natural look

Cannot fit any container or cage

*Moss.*

Pros:

Natural Look.

Good humid holder

Cons:

Loose object

Food can go under or in the moss

Can mold easily without proper ventilation

If mantid strikes food on moss then they could possibly grab moss also.

*Coco Fiber*

Pros:

Natural look

It says it cant mold but not sure

Cons:

Very messy

Mantids will need to clean more often if they go on the ground

food can burrow

It dries out somewhat fast i think

These are just what i have found when i tried it and other results may happen depending on situations. I hope this helps any.


----------



## Birdfly (Apr 8, 2008)

I use tissue/kitchen roll with every thing: ootheca, nymphs and adults, (unless im setting up a multi species vivarium, not just mantids) it lends itself perfectly to however you have to keep mantids.

More humidity = more depth of tissue &amp; spray.

Less humidity = less tissue &amp; less spraying.

If its pressed into the base when wetted it pretty much stays like it and prey is less likely to hide under it if you feed crickets, roaches and meal worms.

It becomes obvious when its soiled, especially white tissue and is easily changed with out carving out great chunks of the countryside.

Its also cheap as chips


----------



## xxtittlexx (Jul 28, 2009)

Hi im a new member and mantis owner. ive been using coconut substrate for about a week now and its great its held moisture since i hydrated it from a brick (which is a bit messy) and its good for nymphs that eat fruit flies because they are not the smartest of creatures and tend to go to the top of the enclosure as opposed to burrowing.


----------



## PhilinYuma (Jul 28, 2009)

ScytherIsAMantis said:


> Hi im a new member and mantis owner. ive been using coconut substrate for about a week now and its great its held moisture since i hydrated it from a brick (which is a bit messy) and its good for nymphs that eat fruit flies because they are not the smartest of creatures and tend to go to the top of the enclosure as opposed to burrowing.


Yeah, it and sphagnum moss have the big advantage that they hold moisture longer than for any other substrate. I have about six pots that use sphagnum, but I shant continue with it because crickets and roaches hide in it and sometimes hide well enough to die in there. I think (and many don't) that humidity for mantids is greatly overrated. Some folks only mist their pots every other day, and I am not sure why increased humidity for 6 hours or so out of 48 can be that important. One good side effect of muisting pots may be, though, that while evaporating, water vapour helps circulate the air in the pot. I like to use paper towels, as described above, except that I just fold half of a sheet until it fits in the bottom of the pot. I mist each pot (three squirts) once per day, but when I was away, recently, for eight days, the mantids seemed none the worse for wear on my return.


----------



## kmsgameboy (Jul 29, 2009)

Stuart89 said:


> Just looking for ideas as to what you guys use at the bottom, would a sponge work?


I use wood chips...like what you put in your garden. You can get a HUGE bag for $5 and it sokes up and holds water great!


----------



## ismart (Jul 29, 2009)

I use plain white bounty paper towel as my substrate. Bounty holds the most moisture out of all the paper towels. I always use white to better help gage how clean my enclosures are. Not to mention if you buy it on sale it's pretty cheap!


----------



## Katnapper (Jul 29, 2009)

Birdfly said:


> I use tissue/kitchen roll with every thing: ootheca, nymphs and adults, (unless im setting up a multi species vivarium, not just mantids) it lends itself perfectly to however you have to keep mantids.More humidity = more depth of tissue &amp; spray.
> 
> Less humidity = less tissue &amp; less spraying.
> 
> ...


+1



ismart said:


> I use plain white bounty paper towel as my substrate. Bounty holds the most moisture out of all the paper towels. I always use white to better help gage how clean my enclosures are. Not to mention if you buy it on sale it's pretty cheap!


+1


----------



## PhilinYuma (Jul 30, 2009)

ismart said:


> I use plain white bounty paper towel as my substrate. Bounty holds the most moisture out of all the paper towels. I always use white to better help gage how clean my enclosures are. Not to mention if you buy it on sale it's pretty cheap!


So Bounty is better than the store brand? I'll have to try it. I used to use Brawny, but then they changed Mr. Brawny's pic and the mantids didn't seem to like it as much.


----------



## ismart (Jul 30, 2009)

PhilinYuma said:


> So Bounty is better than the store brand? I'll have to try it. I used to use Brawny, but then they changed Mr. Brawny's pic and the mantids didn't seem to like it as much.


didn't they change Brawny's picture to all brolick, and diesel looking? I would be scared too! :lol: 

I find Bounty to be the most absorbant thus far!


----------



## massaman (Aug 2, 2009)

I just use common plain ole dirt for all my mantids and works well for me since i hardly ever mist my insects at all and have had no problems with mold or fungus or anything like that


----------

