#bioactive enclosure

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

worldly torrent
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Does anybody have tips and tricks on how to make a bioactive maybe even a shopping list I have a 50 gallon right for it

dim pumice
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-Growlight
-Substrate
-CUC
-Safe plants

essentially

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we have a growlight/led on the leo shopping list that some of us have used and our plants do well with ElmoReee , we have a pinned list of safe plants over in #plant-chat by brie (plants can be found in person, online on etsy or nursery websites :D)

Powder blues/powder oranges and giant canyons are common isopods used as cuc 👉 👈 springtails are important . Some other CUC can be things like mealworms / darkling beetles

worldly torrent
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And right now he's just a baby he's four or five months so I'm not sure about the mealworms but I will definitely consider that when he's older

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Also what substrate do you recommend it's been a lot of controversy about this and I'm trying to get as much information as possible because the substrate specifically makes me extremely nervous

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Anywhere from eco-earth to Tara Sahara to topsoil and play sand

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I was told to go to website called Josh's frogs I just

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I what I want to know what would be best for my boy

dim pumice
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sadly in america premade mixes are not ... the best and need a lot added so you end up spending more for additional stuff

dim pumice
# worldly torrent So sorry can you tell me what I CUC is

Clean up crew! For a tank to be truely bioactive you need both live plants and clean up crew as they work together!

isopods are this. They eat decaying matter and things like poop :D Springtails do the same and eat mold and other stuff.

worldly torrent
dim pumice
merry voidBOT
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When picking a soil for your substrate mix, you want to find organic topsoil. It is worth noting that topsoil is different from potting soil.
In general, the topsoil you use should not have any additives such as fertilizers, manure or perlite/vermiculite. However, there are a select few additives such as charcoal and worm castings that are safe.
You can normally find topsoil in hardware or gardening stores, and if none is available, Reptisoil is a safe alternative.

Be aware that the soils listed in this graphic may have ingredients that vary across regions. Be sure to read the ingredients and labels to ensure they do not have any fertilizer or other harmful additives.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/917259635847737375/986308558448636024/image0-1.png.jpg

worldly torrent
dim pumice
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like the command suggests you mainly want to avoid bags with fertilizer and manures in it! and it's best to check the bags in person to make sure that they're safe cus it varies based on each place blushy

worldly torrent
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When I check a bag what should I go and be looking for

worldly torrent
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Thank you so much

dim pumice
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<3 we are here to help you along the way

worldly torrent
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I am out of questions for the moment because I need to investigate the other the squid channels to look at the grow lights and save plants but would it be okay if I continue to use this thread for any help

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I don't know if you delete the threads after a while or not

dim pumice
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if it's still gonna be used i won't close it later so don't worry ElmoReee <3

worldly torrent
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💚

worldly torrent
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Um

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What is play sand

dim pumice
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this stuff :D

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it's meant for sandboxes for kids and stuff but commonly used in mixtures for multiple different species and stuff :D you just rinse it off before mixing it in

worldly torrent
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Is this the stuff you would recommend

dim pumice
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it's a commonly used brand yep :3

heavy smelt
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NQA but that’s how I checked mine

worldly torrent
worldly torrent
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I just got some powder blue and orange I isopods

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!Shoppinglist

merry voidBOT
worldly torrent
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All right I got a starter isopod of colony and spring tails things things are starting to move

worldly torrent
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Especially because it's starting to see more and more like bioactive enclosures for leopard geckos are pretty niche

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I went to a reptile expo ticket today and a lot of people were like yeah it's been done with leopard geckos

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Which is weird because you're such a strong community of bioactive keepers in this leopard gecko

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Also do you have a grow light or grow light recommendation

dim pumice
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it's on the shopping list bestie x,D

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!shoppinglist

merry voidBOT
dim pumice
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under the LED section

worldly torrent
worldly torrent
dim pumice
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i hit enter too soon lol

worldly torrent
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O

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Lol

worldly torrent
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!bioactive

merry voidBOT
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Bioactive enclosures are a system of multiple components working together to create an ecosystem. This includes plants, clean up crew (cuc), and proper loose substrate to be a true bioactive system. When one of these components is not there, it is not a true bioactive tank.

In order to get started with setting up a bioactive tank for a leopard gecko, you should have proper overhead heating in the form of a halogen or DHP, UVB, and most likely will need an LED for plant health. Choose plants that will do well in an arid environment and that are safe. Common clean up crew includes temperate springtails and powder oranges/blues, darkling beetles or giant canyons.

Substrate should be the same loose substrate we advocate for, a 70:30 mix of organic topsoil without additives and play-sand, with possible additives like excavator clay and leaf litter. Please note that baking topsoil kills microorganisms and beneficial bacteria within the dirt, meaning that dirt can become overwhelmed with bad bacteria. Because of this, we do not recommend baking dirt before adding it to your bioactive tank.

When starting a bioactive tank, we recommend quarantining plants outside of the tank and culturing cuc as well. It is ideal to then let the tank establish for at least a week once you put those components together. However, that is not possible for all keepers, and that is okay. You will just need to keep a close eye on temperatures, humidity, cuc population, and plant health.

worldly torrent
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So I would like to know when it comes to the soil how do I make sure the soil is good for isopods do I throw leaves in the soil and Moss or do I make a side for them will that affect the gecko

worldly torrent
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Dirt is being

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Acquired

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What do I need to add to this

worldly torrent
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<@&443773497429196810>

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Exo Terra Stone desert right

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Just like a normal washed play sand

winged skiff
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if thats the visual look/soil composition you’re going for yeah you can add stone desert instead of playsand but they arent the same thing and stone desert is far more expensive than playsand

worldly torrent
worldly torrent
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The place and the stone dessert

dim pumice
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I mentioned that last night in leo chat

worldly torrent
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I'm sorry I completely blanked

worldly torrent
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😑

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I had to order it offline no one seems to carry exo Terra products

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Which is weird because they're like one of the most reputable companies one of the most popular companies

worldly torrent
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Cut the last part of the substrate

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Would someone mind helping me so it's 70% of the topsoil and 30% of the sand so putt putt put 20 quarts of topsoil in there then I'm going to need to put in 6 quirks of the sand?

worldly torrent
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It's not enough

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I'm going to try to go find some placy sand

winged skiff
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ratios do not need to be exact. generally yes a 70 topsoil 30 sand is what is said but if its a little off then thats fine

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as long as when you put your finger in and it holds its shape, you’re good

worldly torrent
winged skiff
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when you make your substrate mixture it should be something that is able to hold burrows

worldly torrent
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I didn't know leopard geckos burrow

winged skiff
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they dig yes

worldly torrent
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Okay I see yeah I knew they dig

winged skiff
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wouldnt want them to dig under something and it completely fall in on them

worldly torrent
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So do you have a good test for this

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Oh so now I'm concerned about all these like clay pebbles in here should I break them up

winged skiff
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stone desert is honestly one of the greatest substrate additives as it will do lovely for burrow holding. i do a 60% mix of stone desert as i love it for leo enclosures. and you can definitely break up all the pieces if you want, its easiest to wet them first as theyre rock solid. i dont worry about breaking them up but i can see why people would

worldly torrent
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Okay I was told to make sure the stone desert was dry

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All right so if that's the case I will order like two more bags

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Worst case scenario plants get more substrate

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It is so hard to find Stone dessert anyway I have to order it

winged skiff
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i mist my stone desert topsoil mix and then compact it down into the enclosure

worldly torrent
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Compact?

winged skiff
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press it down

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so it holds burrows and all

worldly torrent
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Okay that makes sense

winged skiff
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and yeah stone desert can be a pain to find in stores which is a shame given its a lovely product

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and shipping is usually terrible with it however ive found reptilian arts (website) has cheaper shipping for it

worldly torrent
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O

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I will check it out

worldly torrent
winged skiff
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of course, if im not available then someone else will be able to help out. peachy here also has experience with stone desert mixes as well :)

worldly torrent
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Thank you so much so much this whole process has been very nerve-racking because I really want to do right by my gecko and you have been the greatest help you are awesome I really appreciate you putting my mind to rest

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I will also try to get like about a bag or two more I think that should be good and if not well

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As much as I would love to put spring tails and stuff in there I probably won't yet my sphagnum Moss is going to dry out but you know oh well just rehydrate it and everything

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Although I might let him sit in the dirt and just get like accustomed to it for a second or two and then put him back in his quarantine

winged skiff
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of course , i get it can be anxiety inducing! however do keep in mind leos are very hardy lil creatures. if loose substrate is the thing causing anxiety then the best way to help with that is assuring you have proper heating as itll help with digestion :)

worldly torrent
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The whole process has been anxiety inducing but that's no fault of the gecko or myself it's just a fault of a mental illness I guess you could call it

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Like I did my research just the reason I chose Leo's is because they're Hardy and not a chameleon even though chameleons are my favorite or a bearded dragon because I don't think I would be ready for one

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Or start out with like a blue tongue skink which people try to push because I want one someday but I need to learn how to take care of a reptile first

winged skiff
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totally understand i was like that too at first. hopefully after a while when you get more comfy with husbandry your anxiety calms down a bit

worldly torrent
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I also went to all my local pet stores and they say stuff that gets in my head that is wrong but it gets in my brain and eats away

worldly torrent
winged skiff
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mis info can be a pain yeah. when it comes to finding if husbandry someone is saying is good then ive found best to examine the animal in questions natural environment and if the care they are stating doesn’t correlate with that or they dont have scientific evidence to back it up, then it likely isnt the best for the animal

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here we like substrate, heating, lighting, and everything else to be natural to their environment and we do have sources to back it up. i believe our guide even has a whole page of sources

worldly torrent
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Ya I am following that guide as best as I can I probably made a few mistakes but you know that's how we start

worldly torrent
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@tawny ferry

tawny ferry
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Tyty