What's better? Vermiculite or Perlite

[Neo.Reptiliac]

Perlite is easier for me to find. But is it better or just as good as Vermiculite?

 

[mynewturtle]

I use both with equal sucess. I use perlite more often though.

 

[THE WHISPERER]

I use vermiculite, works great for me.

 

[Jorgevill]

I use both too, I think perlite hold the humidity better than vermiculite..

 

[DarthGekko]

Hatchrite. Worth the little extra $. Never worry about the moisture levels.

 

[BuryinDespair]

anyone using superhatch? it seems to be WAY cheaper than hatchrite, and I like Allen Repashy, his products are generally solid.

 

[serialzombie]

I've only ever used vermiculite and perlite in potted plants....but I know in that application, vermiculite molds and algaes up like nobody's business.

I would be loathe to use vermiculite in an incubator.

 

[BalloonzForU]

I make my own version of hatchrite, which basically is just perlite and water retaining crystals. :main_thumbsup:

 

[dng123]

I have only been breeding for a year, but use perlite. I have had a very high hatch rate. What ever you use thats working for you, I say stick with that!

 

[lillith]

I had both vermiculite and perlite mold up this year, killing three (what were!) healthy, fertile clutches of eggs. Dismay!! I used perlite last year without any problems, so it was a little confounding. I am planning on using a bleach solution on the innards of my hovabator after my last few clutches hatchout this year. I keep all of my lizard stuff very clean, but the mold got in somehow...so I plan on sterilizing, or replacing if necessary, my hovabator.

I am currently using cocofiber due to its mold-resistant properties (everyone seems to be okay so far now, set to hatch right before or around Thanksgiving). I would very much like to try the combination of superhatch and a SIM-type incubator for the 2010 season, once it gets going.

 

[Bob]

I tried Hatch-rite, but didn't have very good hatch rates. So now I use a mix of SuperHatch and Perlite, I have had the best hatch rates with this combo.

 

[MXWreptile]

I use Perlite.


Max

 

[sammer021486]

I use super hatch.

You can either buy Allen's brand or you can purchase Aquatic Plant Soil (APS) from a home & garden center or from a pond supply store. I purchased Allen's brand because I thought that my local pet store (LPS) was out of their APS supply. I think I paid $10 for 2 lbs of Allen's where as I could have gotten 2kg for $10 or $15 from my LPS. The 2 lbs bag was more than enough for what I needed.

 

[Anthony Caponetto]

Both work equally well. Vermiculite is way more messy, though...to the point of being a nuisance when you're putting up lots of babies every day. I think the reason people like it is because it feels better to the touch and you can see if it's getting dry. We just weigh and "top off" our egg boxes monthly and we never have to worry about that.

HatchRite is a good product, but like others said...it's just perlite and water crystals to hinder evaporation. We got a bulk bag when we tried it, so I think it got a little dry. We added a little water and it was good to go. We go through a lot of perlite, so we buy it in bulk (basically a kitchen size trash bag full for about $40). When you're comparing those, the cost difference was pretty drastic. And I don't think it's because they're marking it up a lot...it's just more expensive to offer a product that contains water because it's heavier and expensive to ship. What they should do is sell it without the water and then have instructions for how much to add to the bag.

Allen's super hatch is cool too, but it's so freaking heavy. Works great, but I didn't trust the wire shelving in our incubator enough to hold a couple hundred pounds of clay...at least not enough to bet all our leopard gecko eggs on it. lol

 

[Anthony Caponetto]

I use super hatch.

You can either buy Allen's brand or you can purchase Aquatic Plant Soil (APS) from a home & garden center or from a pond supply store. I purchased Allen's brand because I thought that my local pet store (LPS) was out of their APS supply. I think I paid $10 for 2 lbs of Allen's where as I could have gotten 2kg for $10 or $15 from my LPS. The 2 lbs bag was more than enough for what I needed.

You might look again at the store. When Allen was testing the superhatch (I designed all the labels for his stuff), his main concern was finding somewhere that would sell him enough of it in bulk that he could at get it cheap enough to match the prices they're charging at local garden stores. I only remember this because I thought it was pretty cool that he wasn't just trying to buy a common product and sell it for twice as much to people who don't know what it is. Allen is an entrepreneurial capitalist pig at heart, so I was pretty impressed. lol

 

[strobe]

i use vermiculite but my lady is not 2 impressed with it so ill need 2 try Perlite some time, but my friend's LG's love vermiculite

 

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

I am a big vermiculite fan

 

[David Evans Reptiles]

I tried perlite for my first time last year and love it. I don't plan on ever using anything else. I use it in my lay boxes and in my egg boxes. My eggs stay snow white and I am able to candle with no issue.

 

[Neo.Reptiliac]

I would be concerned with using Perlite in my nest boxes. It has a bit of a rough texture to it in my opinion. I would be afraid of an egg getting tore while the gecko mommy tried to roll it around.
I was curious what other people thought about the different options. Ive personally always used Perlite, cause its all my local garden store had out of all the options. I continue to use it cause Ive never had any trouble out of it. =)
Its great to hear everyone's opinions and experiences with stuff.

 

[bro paul]

I use vermiculite...mainly because I'm used to it's properties (and I'm too cautious to change anything!)