Capillary matting

[alan]

I'd like to hear from anyone who has experience keeping any sort of amphibian on capillary matting as substrate.
I've been advised to do this for some of my Mantellas - any tips?

 

[matthew]

Hi Alan,

I don't quite fall into the category of response you're seeking but I have used this for non-amphibs, so have some familiarity with it.

I basically just wanted to jump in and say this is a superb substrate whose advantages are yet to be explored and appreciated.

It was recommended to me by my chameleon-guru and I use it for my two chams. It retains moisture well, aiding humidity levels, removes the possibility of animals ingesting lumps of substrate such as bark, and suffering from impaction. It helps cleaning because you can just roll it up, bin it and cut a new piece to the size of the viv. I buy it from my local garden centre. I would recommend it to more people but I am always afraid they will confuse it with the Repti-carpet stuff.

 

[alan]

Thanks Matthew, that's what I was hoping to hear.

Anyone else?

 

[jennifer]

Can someone explain what is capillary matting (or show a picture)?

 

[matthew]

Sure Jennewt.

It is a type of green "felt" material that you can buy at a garden centre. It usually comes on a roll and you say how much of a length you want cut off. Quite hard to find. The Net is full of companies that make it and sell it wholesale but it is hard to find outlets that actually sell it to the public.

It looks a bit like the green surface (baize?)of a (new) snooker or pool table, but it is a little coarser and thicker. Sometimes it seems quite dry and rough, other times it appears quite shiny and smooth, almost oily.

Maybe there is a biologist or physicist out there who can explain a process called capiliary action or capiliarity - it is how and why water molecules travel up tree trunks through the small tubes in the trunk. The matting consists of small fibres that retain water (typically, gardeners put it on benches under flower pots because it retains moisture so well, better than gravel or even clay balls might); they also use it in "self-watering" trays because the matting can be placed under the plant trays and the water will be drawn up through the capiliaries.

I think of it as a cross between carpet and kitchen tissue!

(I think for amphibs you'd have to keep it really soggy though; even mine dries out in a warm lizard viv and I mist twice daily.)

I think it has bags of potential.

Phew!

 

[matthew]

Or it is a bit like a piece of astroturf from your local all-weather sports stadium... that has been given a shave.

 

[alan]

It's a felt-like, synthetic (polypropylene, I think) rot-proof, soft, smooth mat, not rough like astroturf. Used to stand plant pots on. Comes in various colours (green, black, grey). Quite easy to find in garden centres in the UK.
http://images.google.com/images?q=%20%22capillary%20matting%22&num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&safe=off&sa=N&tab=wi

 

[matthew]

Not easy to find in the garden centres down here Alan!!!

 

[alan]

Homebase, B&Q ...

Capillary action explained: water molecules like to hold hands. Want a better explanation? Ask a smart Irish chemist, I'm only a microbiologist!

 

[aimee]

Well I'm no smart Irish chemist, but I did study A-level biology for a while!
Capillary action is the up take of water through very fine tubes or capillaries, hence the name capillary action. It has something to do with the pressure inside the tube causing the water to be 'sucked up'. I hope that clears things up a bit, I can't remember the specifics of it all but that is the basics! I guess 5 months of a-level bio didn't go to a complete waste

 

[morg]

Thanks to Alan Cann sending me some matting[thanx Alan], I was able to try using it as a substrate in some of my set ups.
The first ones were toad set ups in which I had been using kitchen paper.
Although it was a pain to get the sheeting flat, and crickets added to the tanks headed straight underneath it, first impression was, that it looked much better than the paper.
At the end of the first weeks trial here are the good and bad points.
GOOD
1-The green matting looks a lot better than white paper.
2-Water stays only in the area it is sprayed giving the toads a choice of damp or dry.
3-Waste is easily seen and removed.
4-The matting does flatten down after a few days.
BAD
Well I haven't noticed any bad points as yet.

I will be removing the matting today to give it a clean then put back in the tank, and if that goes ok, Id say that capillary matting makes a great substrate.
I will also now be using it for Salamandra species.
If anybody knows of any bad points in using the matting could they please post them.
Cheers

 

[jesper]

I'm pretty much a chemist but I am not Irish or smart

Anyway, the climbing of water in a capillary is due to hydrogenbinding with a surface(ie hydrophilic surface). You can see this in a glass tube filled with water that the surface of the water is not straight but tend to go up when water interacts with the surface. Remember that almost all surfaces are charged. The water will then try to push up to "straighten" the surface due to surface tension. This will result in a climbing motion.

This phenomenon is only halted by microgravity and is greater the thinner the capillary - this is why plants can grow pretty damn high. What's the name of that giant american tree for example(redwood??).

 

[jesper]

I should add that water always tries to reduce the surface area towards air since air is quite inert(or as some would put it hydrophobic...).
Take the formation of a water droplet for example - efficient reduction of surface towards air.

 

[mike]

How's the experiment going Alan, Morg?

Have you found any negative points?

 

[alan]

Morg & I discussed this yesterday - I'll let him answer for himself. Suffice to say I was sufficiently encouraged that I will try it for my Salamandra when they are settled in their Contico boxes.

 

[morg]

Well, I am to carry on using the matting for Salamandra,and possibly my larger toads[Bufo viridis], but have reverted back to paper for the smaller Bufo calamita and Bufo raddei.
The only reasons for not using for the smaller toads is that as previously mentioned, small crickets head straight underneath the matting when added to the tanks, where most stay.
Also when using food items such as flour beetle larvae, very small waxmoth or lesser waxmoth larvae, they seem to be able to hold onto the matting, making it very difficult for the toads to pick them up, leaving the toads very frustrated and needing help at times

 

[matthew]

I am using it on a limited basis for some of my Hylid treefrogs. No down-points noted hitherto.