Best Substrate For Planted Enclosure?

[KrabzAga]

I'm thinking of setting up a planted tiger salamander enclosure. Which types of soils/mixes do you guys use and are there any concerns? Also are wild collected plants safe? Thanks

 

[JM29]

Hi, I'm not in America, so I cannot give any advice about the plant species you could put in your enclosure.
Your choice of plants may be different whether you make your enclosure outdoors or indoors (in the last case, select shadow growing plants).
Last point : if the plants grow near the edges of the enclosure, they can help the salamanders to escape, so be careful with that.

 

[JoshBA]

I'm thinking of setting up a planted tiger salamander enclosure. Which types of soils/mixes do you guys use and are there any concerns? Also are wild collected plants safe? Thanks

The best soils for tiger salamanders facilitate the burrowing habits of this species. In my experience, topsoil (containing clay, silt, and loam) works best. If it has a high clay content you can add an organic filler, such as coconut fiber, to prevent it from getting overly packed down. Regular topsoil (untreated/unfertilized) sold at a farm/garden store should work just fine. And is way cheaper than the overpriced substrates from pet/terrarium stores. Finally, providing a deep layer (5-10+ inches) will allow your tiger sal to create some truly epic burrows.

Honestly I wouldn't worry about messing around with the fancy plant mixes and whatnot. They're not ideal for burrowing species as they typically are very course-textured. Wild-collected plants should be okay, but they probably won't acclimate to terrarium conditions. Some of the commonly available tropical houseplants would be more ideally suited to your setup. I once had a densely planted setup consisting of a variety of robust tropical species (e.g., Epipremnum, Tradescantia, Syngonium, Spathiphyllum) that were able to put up with salamanders' abuse. And yes, they did just fine in calcareous topsoil rather than acidic tropical plant mix.

Hope this helps. Probably a bit too much info... Good luck with your enclosure!