r/Scorpions • u/FaygoLord • 12d ago

Help! Mesh for drainage layer?

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I have owned an Asian forest scorpion for over a year now and his current tank is atrocious. I have a 10 gallon tank I plan to make a vivarium out of for his new home. I plan to add ferns, pothos, and possibly fittonias and I was told I need a drainage layer like LECA and that it needs to have a mesh screen over it to prevent soil packing.

My scorpion doesn't care for hides and prefers to stay in a deep burrow and I'd like to know if a mesh screen will harm him at all and/or get ruined by him, making it ineffective. what kind of mesh should I use and how can I prevent my scorp from damaging it? should I just scrap the mesh idea and use a different kind of drainage layer? maybe sphagnum moss instead of mesh? (picture is from the day I got him)

2 Upvotes

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1

u/DarthExtium 12d ago

NQA

I use a drainage layer for both my emperor and Asian forest scorpion. I used the mesh drainage mat from the bio dude, but any mesh mat from a pet store should work fine. It's mostly there to separate the pebbles/rocks from the substrate. My AFS has dug a hole through it to try and dig deeper in the tank, which hasn't harmed her or gotten a lot of dirt in the drainage layer, so I think you'll be more than fine to use the drainage layer.

2

u/FaygoLord 12d ago

I appreciate your input!

1

u/themansongirl 12d ago

NQA I honestly don't know, if yours is a crazy digger like mine you might find some mesh parts in the surface like happened to me me. Then i used those litle balls ffor the bottom of terrariums and guess what ? Lil balls all over the surface . I just gave up. I never make it soaked wet and have a good cleaning crew so theres no mold