water crystals
- Thread starter ray
- Start date
Bear Foot Inc
First Instar
Guys, go with crystals! It is soooo much cheaper and is better! I would not trust anything from flukers! I have a pound of crystals and even with 11 colony's of roaches i've been using it for like the whole year! Thats a $9 investment! Once a week i make up two quart jars of it, sometimes more!
Where is the best place to order the crystals? Also do I really need to provide a second source of water if I keep the cage humid and include leafy greens and fresh fruit in the diet? I've been feeding my hissers just about the same mix of food I feed my sugar gliders but I think I'm going to go get them some dog food today to throw in there as the staple. I noticed they especially liked the little cubes of peach.
Bear Foot Inc
First Instar
If they are getting a lot of fresh veggies then they should be Ok, though it wont hurt... I ordered mine off eBay, just do a search for water crystals... Good luck with your roaches! They are awesome bugs!
~Samuel
~Samuel
Chris Driggers
Third Instar
I buy my water crystals at garden shops, walmart, anywhere with a gardening section. 16 oz. container was like 6 bucks at walmart the last time i bought any, I make up a gallon at a time, and just make more when i need them. I also mix some crystals in with the substrate for the other humidity loving inverts I keep.
Yesterday I found something called water gel or something at my local garden shop. The description was something like" Can holde water for flowers up 14 days" or something. I don`t know what it is made from, and tought i might contain fertilizer or something other harmful to my roaches... Any oppinion? Some "safe" brands?
Regards
Robin
Regards
Robin
Chris Driggers
Third Instar
The brands I have used are..
Soil Moist, cant remember who makes it though
and Shultz Moisture Plus
I used 2 containers of the Moisture Plus, then had to switch to the Moisture Plus and have used nearly 3 gallons of it with no problems at all.
Chris
crepsis
Third Instar
So I made a half a quart jar of crystals that I've been keeping at room temperature, I washed out the jar really well, and used filtered water that I boiled in the microwave prior to hydrating them. I've been really careful about using a clean spoon when scooping them out. Here's my problem: It seems to me like the crystals have been turning sort of cloudy white (barely)...when I initially made them they were clear as water and the only way you could tell they were crystals was the lumps up on top. Now you can sort of see the outlines of them if you look closely...and it looks like there may be dust in there now, as I can see a couple clear fibers floating between crystals, and specks.
Have the crystals been contaminated some how? I detect no sort of odor, either moldy or rotten or otherwise...
Should I throw them out and restart a new batch ya think? :huh:
Thanks!
Have the crystals been contaminated some how? I detect no sort of odor, either moldy or rotten or otherwise...
Should I throw them out and restart a new batch ya think? :huh:
Thanks!
Matt K
Eurycotis
Unless you are working in a sterile room, chances are you are seeing bacterial growth. Probably harmless bacteria, but bacteria just the same. I would suggest using tap water, or filtered spring water, dont bother with the microwave activity, and only make up what you might use in a day or two or three. You should not need to add crystals to the enclosure every day as it is...just once a week generally.