Eco Earth question

**dlg.sparky** · 04-25-2010, 05:33 PM

Okay so we bought a crested gecko about 2 months ago and it was recommended to use the Eco Earth. We have an aquarium that is 48x18x18, I have put some large rocks, hanging plants, non-hanging plants, a couple large branches, a mushroom ledge and one live plant that is growing very well.
I clean any feces out daily, at the end of March I cleaned all the decorations and turned the eco earth over a couple of times and sprayed it down with Healthy Habitat. I put it all back together again and continued with cleaning any feces out daily, which hasn't been much because she tends to use the restroom on myself or my oldest son when we have her out of the cage. Anyway, I planned to go through the whole cleaning process the same way at the end of this month but when I was misting the cage down the other day I noticed little white bugs and brown bugs moving around in the eco earth. Are these harmful to our gecko? We have bought more Eco Earth to replace the old stuff but I am reluctant to put it in if we will continue to get these bugs. Where did they come from and how can we keep them from coming back if we replace the current substrate. Has anyone else seen these bugs that use Eco Earth?

**saint** · 04-25-2010, 05:42 PM

you need to boil or bake (or both) the eco earth to kill eggs that are inherant in it. otherwise yeah, you'll get bugs. bring your water to a boil and pour it over the ecoearth in a bucket and allow it to hydrate like normal, after it cools break up any clumps and spread it out on a cookie sheet, then bake at 250 degrees, stirring and turning it over every 15 minutes or so, until it's dry. that should kill any pests that have hitched along for the ride.

you could also go to a mushroom grow website, like mushbox.com, and get substrate starter, it contains a nematode that feeds on fly eggs, just mix a few tablespoons into your ecoearth and then use it. I found it online and have been using it to keep my organic planted tank from having fruit flys or other flys in my tank. I have earthworms, roaches and pillbugs in my tank and haven't noticed any adverse effects upon their population.

**dlg.sparky** · 04-25-2010, 06:15 PM

So they're flies.....do you know if they are harmful to the gecko?

**saint** · 04-25-2010, 07:42 PM

they shouldn't be. just annoying, and they will lay eggs in the cgd

**dlg.sparky** · 04-25-2010, 09:31 PM

oh yeah my wife is already upset about it, last year i planted her some lilies in pots in the house and the potting soil I used had gnats in it so we had a house full of pests. Got rid of those just to get more with our gecko, these didn't look like fly or gnats so I wasn't sure but now that i have looked a little closer I can tell thats what they are.
So, they will lay eggs in the CGD that could be dangerous for our gecko. Great.....I guess I better just clean it all out then. Hopefully none of the flies get out into the house, might have to just carry it out side to clean.
I did check out mushbox.com gonna order some substrate starter and try that out because the wife wasn't real happy with baking the eco earth. I probably put down some egg crates till I get that substrate starter. Kinda is a drag because of my live plant I might lose it in the process.
Thank you so much for the useful info.

**saint** · 04-26-2010, 01:45 AM

well think, in nature, they are going to be eating rotting fruit with fruit fly eggs in it all the time, just extra protein. it's more annoying to us than anything IMO. oh and if you toss old food dishes in the trash and don't take it out right away your alot more likely to see fruit flys too.

**tsunamee** · 04-26-2010, 09:21 AM

If you don't want to start from scratch you may want to try the dry ice method to suffocate the critters and give your plants a C02 boost. I've never tried it, but saw it HERE