one thought I had was what type of tubing does your rainmaker system use?
I just recieved a kit from promist (very skookum by the way) and noted the use of white hose,
my thought is that perhaps this was chosen to inhibit the growth of algae and other growths that might enjoy the light coming through a clear line.
An alternative might be to periodically disconnect the system and run a solution of food grade(35%) H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) through the lines, this strength MUST be diluted heavily however as it is dangerous, like at least ten parts water to one part hydrogen peroxide.
I use it to sterilize branches etc. before use in a cage, I cannot overemphasize how important it is to rinse and let dry anything treated with this stuff though, my mum discovered it's strength when traveling in mexico and having an entire bottle break open in her bag, she only found out later that ALL her clothes had ended up like swiss cheese...
This might sound scary but I suggest it because it is a far superior alternative to bleach, no matter how harmless the FDA claims the stuff to be.
In the correct dilution it (H2O2) is used to oxygenate the roots of plants, I like it because it is so simple, just one extra oxygen molecule and hey presto you've got the devils soap..
I shall check out the homeopathic vet this week and get an idea of what sort of applications this medicine might have for small reptiles, it certainly will have limitations due to the fact that it has been mainly developed for humans however it is advancing quickly in the vet. field so maybe a few surprises.
Over all it is an extremely gentle method.
Ok over and out big guy, later,
Orion.
ps. my U. fimbriatus "dwarf" has just decided to grow hemipenes....I wonder whats next..
From: Neil Meister <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [gecko]Uroplatus skin disease followup Date: Sat, 05 Apr 2003 00:18:01 -0400
Hi Orion,
The best I can hope for is some answers, and hopefully a treatment.
Both affected vivaria were set up exactly the same way at the same time
and have been working well until now. An addition to my rather complex network of
tubing for one of my misting systems may be partly to blame. I added some new cages
which may have changed the amount of water draining into the existing ones as they
are on the bottom tier. When I set the cages up, there wasvery little dripping from the
system, so I planted a bromeliad underneath to catch it and all seemed fine.
Just now I realized that the additions I made after Christmas could have dumped
more water into these two units. The first one I cleaned out completely and it was
saturated, but had a dry layer of moss on top. The second wasn't as bad and the geckos
seemed fine, so I installed a reservoir to catch excess water.
I use some "living" leaf compost in my vivarium mix, so fungus and bacteria
would be present. I found using substrates that were supposed to be sterile led to
nasty molds often taking over as there was little competition from other microorganisms.
Keeping the right balance has a lot to do with Uro care (and other gex too!)
I find herp homeopathy an intriguing idea, if I have to treat several geckos, maybe I can try
an alternative method on one or two.
Neil
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