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ponetony
Mr. BananaGrabber



Registered: 01/07/08
Posts: 128
Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada
Last seen: 15 years, 5 months
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Perlite replacement?
#8120992 - 03/08/08 07:40 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Hey I am about to but 2 cakes into a terrarium and dont have any perlite nor any money (sadly not even enough to buy perlite) is there anything else I can put in the terrarium to put the cakes on the keep the humidity up? I have checked out some guides but they all say perlite so I was wondering if any of you knows how to do it well without. Thanks
-------------------- Word to your moms I came to drop bombs I gots more rhymes than the bibles got psalms
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LeftyBurnz
Mr. I Eat Butthole



Registered: 06/21/05
Posts: 24,570
Loc: FL
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Re: Perlite replacement? [Re: ponetony]
#8121006 - 03/08/08 07:45 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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ive seen people use the red lava rock successfully. i have also seen people have good success with just a fish aerator pump and a bottle.
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Luce
Noob



Registered: 03/01/08
Posts: 87
Last seen: 15 years, 7 months
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Re: Perlite replacement? [Re: LeftyBurnz]
#8121135 - 03/08/08 08:15 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Perlite is like $4 a bag. Check your seat cushions.....In the meantime, spray the sides and soak some paper towels and put them in there. It'll help a bit.
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LeftyBurnz
Mr. I Eat Butthole



Registered: 06/21/05
Posts: 24,570
Loc: FL
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Re: Perlite replacement? [Re: Luce]
#8121206 - 03/08/08 08:33 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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be sure and add a few drops of bleach or a few cap fulls of peroxide.
and yes, perlite is really the cheapest way. a giant bag is less than $10.
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FooMan



Registered: 02/02/05
Posts: 8,957
Loc: Earth
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Re: Perlite replacement? [Re: ponetony]
#8121411 - 03/08/08 09:42 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Use a wet paper towel.
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Quick WBS Prep
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dumbfounded1600
Stranger

Registered: 07/29/07
Posts: 2,624
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Re: Perlite replacement? [Re: FooMan]
#8121474 - 03/08/08 10:06 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Lava rocks, geolite. Perlite is your best option though, readily available and cheap.
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deadatdusk
Stranger


Registered: 12/02/05
Posts: 295
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
Last seen: 14 years, 4 months
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I think you've invested this much time and effort at this point, there's no good reason to not have a 3$ bag of perlite. Just panhandle, look for lose change, or offer to clean some windows. Borrow from a friend or family member?
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ponetony
Mr. BananaGrabber



Registered: 01/07/08
Posts: 128
Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada
Last seen: 15 years, 5 months
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Re: Perlite replacement? [Re: deadatdusk]
#8122020 - 03/09/08 12:29 AM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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ya I guess I should just bum 3 bucks and get some it seems.. thanks all.
-------------------- Word to your moms I came to drop bombs I gots more rhymes than the bibles got psalms
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deadatdusk
Stranger


Registered: 12/02/05
Posts: 295
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
Last seen: 14 years, 4 months
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Re: Perlite replacement? [Re: ponetony]
#8122226 - 03/09/08 01:54 AM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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perlite really is one of the cheapest and useful tools in mycology. if mixed with water and fully drained it will humidify a tub for months at a time with no upkeep.
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Xare
Stranger
Registered: 03/08/08
Posts: 5
Last seen: 15 years, 10 months
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Re: Perlite replacement? [Re: deadatdusk]
#8122464 - 03/09/08 05:41 AM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Reusing the Perlite is not a problem is it ?
I would think you can sterilize it between batches with some Bleach or Peroxide water and then rinse it VERY WELL.
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Luce
Noob



Registered: 03/01/08
Posts: 87
Last seen: 15 years, 7 months
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Re: Perlite replacement? [Re: Xare]
#8122521 - 03/09/08 06:38 AM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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At that point, you aren't super concerned about contams. You can probably reuse it. I wouldn't since it's so cheap to replace, but I don't see the issue of reusing it once. I wouldn't reuse it more then that.
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RoYaL_fLuSh
Stranger


Registered: 01/04/08
Posts: 499
Loc: UK
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Re: Perlite replacement? [Re: ponetony]
#8122522 - 03/09/08 06:40 AM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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id just dump the rest of my verm in there and soak it .. done it b4 np
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deadatdusk
Stranger


Registered: 12/02/05
Posts: 295
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
Last seen: 14 years, 4 months
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Re: Perlite replacement? [Re: RoYaL_fLuSh]
#8122562 - 03/09/08 07:09 AM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Perlite can be reused, likely numerous times. I believe some folks just wash it thoroughly and bake it in the oven for a short while. It's not meant to be sterile, but it shouldn't be noticeably dirty or covered with contaminant spores more than can be avoided with minimal effort.
Verm is absorbent and will hold water very well, which is necessary for use in PF-Tek substrates, but it's this same property that makes it counter intuitive in trying to increase humidity. If you can afford vermiculite you can afford perlite. Vermiculite will not provide the high levels of humidity needed. Perlite has a large surface area and will readily evaporate slowly over a long period of time which = high rh
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