Homemade bioactive substrate mix reddit So I whipped it up in a 5 gallon bucket, at the end it was about 3/4's full. In my 7 enclosures one has arcadia earth mix which is expensive reptile soil thats basically organic soil with worm poop added for plant food. Posted by u/Mayhem9698 - 5 votes and 13 comments Most commonly the word "bioactive" is used to describe terrariums and vivariums that include natural substrate and a clean up crew. And I covered the whole thing with leaf litter. Hoping to get some constructive criticism on my personal mix of substrate for my isopods! Some of it is… not ideal to me, but it’s what I can currently do either for affordability or on-hand availability. I've used it in mostly dart frog tanks, but used it in the last two gecko tanks I made and it's fantastic. bioactive substrate for pacman frogs I'm setting up my adult frog's forever tank and looking for good substrate to use. As for CuC. You can also mix in excavator clay, sphagnum moss, and charcoal to improve the mix. Worm castings (which can be bought pretty easily as a dry mix) could be used in the place of compost to some degree, if a good leaf compost is hard to find. A subreddit for all vivarium tenders She still seems to enjoy the feel of having real dirt to dig in, though, and immediately excavated a potted plant I put in her 20gal, which got me thinking about a soil mix substrate to give her that visceral "real soil" feel. **Eco Earth is appropriate to use as substrate for a humid hide or as part of an appropriate bioactive mix. . I’m currently going bioactive for my ball python and spent months researching this. Hello, first time making a bioactive setup here. A mix of peat, sand, and cypress much is what is most commonly sold as a bioactive substrate. Quick caveat though - while I love Biodude substrates, I find that using the Josh's Frogs Bioactive Booster works about as well as Biodude Bioshot, at a fraction of the price when you consider the number of uses. The best part is that you simply bury their poop. water collected into the drainage layer also wont help air humidity of the enclosure since the water is trapped I buy bags of Eco Scraps organic soil from Lowes and bags of washed play sand. if youre into the plants aspect as much as the rest for bioactive i strongly recommend the bio dudes terra firma substrate blend. See full list on terrariumtribe. but also leaving stagnant water down there wont be good, itll just encourage bad bacteria growth and the water will go gross. Substrate: My initial mix was coco coir, worm castings, sphagnum, and leaf litter on top which I collected from outside. Locked post. It’s mostly 1 to 1 ratios with the exception of the charcoal and sand which is probably half the others. -Sphagnum Peat Moss. Pros. It was really expensive though. It offers a lot of long term nutrients for plants and cleanup crew, and breaks down slowly while discouraging unwanted pests. My scorps love it. If you want to DIY substrate, simply mix together 1 part potting mix, 1 part peat moss, and 1 part sand. There are a lot of opinions out there about how to mix Hey all, I'm excited to get my first rosy boa later this year. Once again look at what they live on in the wild and give them good husbandry. I've calculated I'll need about 150L or so of substrate. They usually have some mix of coco fiber, topsoil, orchid bark, play sand, sphagnum moss, leaf litter, charcoal or other materials. This is not a topic of discussion or debate on this subreddit. Thanks for the help! -EcoEarth (loose) -Fir Bark chips. Snake Discovery on You Tube has a great homemade mix. I will be mixing my own substrate layer and so far I've been planning to use the SerpaDesign method of 2 parts coco fiber, 2 parts organic topsoil, and 1 part play sand. No smells. I used the biodudes terra Sahara because it was my first bioactive and I wanted a good arid mix since it seemed daunting to do myself. For hognose snake lovers, owners, and breeders! Please review the subreddit… I like to mix in a bit of water before putting the substrate in the vivarium because it just helps distribute the moisture. The issue is that the DIY substrate mix is quite dull in my opinion and I much prefer the lighter brown, almost orange color of the Terra Sahara mix. Been looking at doing a top soil/sand mix, I also have some left over blocks of eco-earth if they'd be worth adding to the mix. I’ve seen a lot of recipes online as well but I was wondering if you guys have any substrate mixes you prefer to use. Seems about right to be. I mixed organic topsoil, play sand, peat moss, and sphagnum moss. I have done bioactive before, but have always just done kits or premade substrates. Without live plants, you'll have to do periodic substrate changes. Fungus starts to decompose the wet organics (moss/coco fiber), springtails eat the fungus, and their poop is fertilizer. May 15, 2023 · This article addresses the pros and cons of making versus buying bioactive substrate, plus some tips on how to make a high-performing, long-lasting bioactive substrate mix! Most commonly the word "bioactive" is used to describe terrariums and vivariums that include natural substrate and a clean up crew. Going bio active is great for you and your leopard gecko and the soil mix is the cheapest option and works quite well. A lot of people recommend a mix including things like horticultural charcoal, sand, sticks, and other stuff I think is not ideal for burrowing species like pacman frogs. It’s a really thick layer of substrate and my clean up crew and plants have been doing well so far while establishing. But, final conclusion, the bio-dudes substrate is great and absolutely safe to use. Do these ingredients sound good? long fiber sphagnum moss coco husk, tropical melaleuca black earth. I often use Reptisoil and it's already damp, so no need to premix. The top dries into a hard crust and the substrate holds burrows really well. I use it as a part of my bioactive substrate (about 15%) since it’s good at absorbing and retaining water, but yeah I think it gets too dusty by itself. Bioactive substrates: Jungle mix, TerraFirma, TerraFauna, TerraFlora, Exoterra Plantation soil, Josh’s Frog Biobedding, ABG mix, Arcadia Earth Mix Sulfur – 1 teaspoon per gallon of finished substrate mix OR 50-60% play sand 30% organic topsoil 5-10% coconut husk I would include leaf litter and not have a drainage layer. I’ve tried many plants but the best seem to be spider plants, pothos, heart-shaped philodendron, English ivy, and Syngonium podophyllum , due to their consistent growth no matter how many leaves get pressed on by sleeping snakes lol. This is important. It needs to hold burrows and retain 60 to 70% humidity. 60%topsoil 30%playsand 10%excavator clay I also threw in some sphagnum moss to help hold humidity deeper down. Most commonly the word "bioactive" is used to describe terrariums and vivariums that include natural substrate and a clean up crew. I wanted to do a DIY bioactive substrate mix and found several posts recommending a 70/30 topsoil/sand ratio, or 70/20/10 topsoil/sand/clay with a small amount of coco fiber or sphagnum for bioactive. The Dude advises you use 60-70% organic topsoil, and 30-40% play sand. -Sphagnum Moss. You can get all the supplies you need from Lowe’s for a fraction of what you can purchase from the big name bioactive substrate manufacturers. I decided to add leca and charcoal to the bottom for the springtails to live in but threw the substrate mix on top without a screen or divider. It's the same as how a forest produces nutrients, as there isn't "fertilizer" in the wild. The snake will be about a year old and weigh around 16g. I know there are a lot of stores that sell pre made bioactive substrate, but I’d like to make my own. I’ve had good experience with joshs frogs but a word to the wise 75% of the “bioactive” products out there are a gimmick. i never said the substrate wouldn't be fine. you can buy large amounts of these supplies pretty cheap on amazon Most commonly the word "bioactive" is used to describe terrariums and vivariums that include natural substrate and a clean up crew. It is 150cm (4,9 feet) high and wide, 80cm (31 inch) deep and the substrate barrier is 40cm (15 inch) high. If the soil is dry, it can actually repel water. I bought coco fiber, sphagnum moss, reptibark, and charcoal. The plants I’ve had the best luck with so far are pothos, dracaena, syngonium, and sansevieria. And maybe more Coir. I adjust the ingredients as needed depending on the type of environment that it’s being used for. Business, Economics, and Finance. I used my standard substrate mix: crumbled leaves, coco coir, orchid bark, sphagnum moss, play sand, hort charcoal. None of them the best is organic top soil because most "specially formulated/treated" reptile soil is organic soil with a marked up price. 32K subscribers in the Vivarium community. The ABG mix is particularly effective because it balances each of those elements so well. I’d like to make my hermit crab tank bioactive. I went ahead and blended sphagnum moss into tiny pieces so that they can easily be swallowed (as opposed to causing impaction) and mixed that into the mix a little as well (MAYBE 5% with extra cut sphagnum mixed into humid hide substrate). I bought a bag of galapagos bioactive mix from my nearby reptile store, it was $20 and the 8 quart bag filled my 18x18x36 exoterra up a decent amount. I'd like to make my own since my snake has some specific needs that I haven't been able to find a premade mix for that ticks all the boxes. For an arid bioactive, entire drainage layers aren’t required, but bark chunks/leaves mixed in the soil are important to add a bit of drainage. Reply reply I’m in a beardie group on Facebook that bans anyone who mentions using any sort of loose substrate That's just incredibly lazy and is going to cause issues. the plants in each of my pacmanses terrarium have gone bonkers in it, so much so that i am upgrading them to bigger enclosures sooner than i thought 😅 it also holds moisture at just the right consistency to help keep humidity levels stable, AND holds the shape of I plan on making a vivarium to house some gray tree frogs as well as make an enclosure for some millipedes (separate from the vivarium) and I'm… An ABG mix is recommended for cresties and tropical plants but the Ingredients can be expensive and peat moss is not ethically harvested. in the r/ballpython information resources, i talked about the pros and cons of various types of substrate in the basic care guide, and provided links to a few specific brands i would recommend in the shopping list. There is a difference between play sand and natural sand as well. Another thing to consider is that not all isopod species (one of most popular cleanup crew) are safe to keep with stick insects, especially young ones. I highly recommend using plants to complete the cycle. Last deep clean I decided to do a test run of a 70% topsoil 30% play sand mix. Commercial bioactive substrates are pre-mixed substrates specifically designed to be used a bioactive terrarium or vivarium. i understand how a bioactive works, thank you! never saw the premium millipede and isopod substrate on the biodude site, i was just simply un aware and have not seen those green bags before, so i wasn't sure 70% topsoil 30% sand. ) The substrate: My own mix, which includes organic topsoil, sand, sphagnum moss, clay, and leaf litter. In terms of substrate I generally make my own based on the ABG mix, but obviously that doesn’t work for all conditions (I mainly keep dart frogs). I’ve been researching and plan on ordering the following for substrate: Zilla Jungle Mix for base layer Coconut Husk Sphagnum Moss + Leaf litter Is it safe to have the moss covering most of the substrate? Hey Everyone, I have had my Kenyan for about 8 years and she has been on aspen her whole life. I vastly underestimated the amount of substrate required to get the depth right, so I did a second batch which was Reptisoil, coco husk, more coir, sphagnum, and castings. I keep seeing inconsistent results online about whether or not to add topsoil, whether or not to add sand, etc. Addition of a compost/worm castings ingredient to the traditional substrate mixes may allow for better However, at that point you may want to consider just looking into a full bioactive using the biodude substrate barrier, leccea clay balls on Amazon, a 4x2x2 pvc enclosure that is water sealed, your substrate mix of choice, Porcellionides pruinosus 'Powder Orange' isopods and plants. Buying a pre-mixed substrate is a lot more expensive. I am making a vivarium for my leopard gecko and one for my bearded dragon after that, I looked into the Bio Dude terra Sahara but it is way out of my… My personal mix is 2 parts play sand or ReptiSand, 1 part Excavator Clay, 1 part organic mix (wood chips, crushed leaf litter, etc). Standing stagnant water at the bottom of the tank gets funky. 7 parts of top soil and 3 parts of play sand is a great and cheap substrate. The BioDude substrate is excellent although very expensive. Bioactive substrate Hello, I originally wanted to use Josh's frogs bio bedding but that's not an easy access for me, I was wondering how good the arcadia earth mix is? I would mix it with moss, Coco fiber , maybe bark pieces and a 4cm drainage layer While the substrate does not need to be changed, it is good practice to add in more clean up crews (CUCs) every few years. I have used this substrate. For my arboreal geckos I use a mix of homemade ABG substrate: coco fiber, fern fiber, Sphagnum moss, leaf litter, crushed charcoal, and bark! Several sites and breeders offer premixed substate bags. Same footprint as the 40, just shorter. I made my own mix using reptibark, coco fiber, sphagnum moss, and horticultural charcoal and then pressed it into gorilla glue. If you think you can mix a good substrate yourself I say go for it and you’ll save lots of money. Come in a ready-to-assemble kit Castings and orchid bark should be mixed in with the substrate, and the moss can be pulled apart and mixed in, or simply placed on top of the mix, whichever is easier for you. Crypto I’ve been doing bioactive 5 years now and I stopped having a drainage layer years ago and it’s WAY better. I like to recommend an adjusted mix using organic top soil, orchid bark, sphagnum moss, horticulture charcoal, and coco fiber as filler if needed. The problem is, hermit crabs require VERY deep substrate to molt safely; at the size mine is at, it requires a minimum of 10 inches, and i’d like to be above that so she has room to grow. Jan 9, 2022 · Commercial Bioactive Substrates. For my bioactive setup for my T. this is nutrients for soil and the clean up crew. Posted by u/LuckyDuck2442 - 2 votes and 2 comments siphon all of it. Take onto account that you need 40 to 50 liters of substrate to fill a 40g enclosure with. try an abg mix of some sort- a mix of coco fiber (or equivalent, coco fiber isn't always the best), orchid bark, sphagnum moss, and sand is a good tropical mix, just keep it slightly less damp than you would for a tropical setup and cover it with lots of leaf litter. I had the idea to mix up some coco fiber, coco husk, play sand and/or excavator clay, cypress mulch, and plantation soil because I really enjoy how bioactive substrates look and don't so much like the monotonous look of one substrate alone, however I currently am not planning on doing a bioactive build simply because I don't so much like the Most commonly the word "bioactive" is used to describe terrariums and vivariums that include natural substrate and a clean up crew. I used the substrate and gorilla glue method. So far for the substrate I have zoomed reptisand with some zoomed forest floor mulch mixed in to lock in moisture. -Leaf Litter. I have a female blonde hognose I want to upgrade to bioactive. i also have sphagnum around/under my water bowl for the CUC to have a humid area to stay in Most commonly the word "bioactive" is used to describe terrariums and vivariums that include natural substrate and a clean up crew. I’m getting a western hognose snake in about a month and I’m planning on doing a bio active enclosure. 209 votes, 16 comments. Mix it and shovel into the enclosure, then lightly pack it down with my hands. Each element of the mix plays a different role in supporting plants and facilitating a healthy terrarium ecosystem. Jun 17, 2022 · Generally, bioactive substrates for reptile tanks are made with five essential components: 1) drainage layer, 2) foundational soil mix, 3) biodegradable organic materials, 4) live plants, and 5) custodians or detritivores. Something like that could probably work for your setup, too. , the idea of spending more on plants and CUC is a bit stressful. I mix in whatever sphagnum moss bits I've got and charcoal from Springtail containers, etc. 33K subscribers in the hognosesnakes community. I used it for my first BD bioactive and quickly found converting all five of mine to bioactive with this substrate would be too pricey and decided with the other four to go with DIY. choosing the right substrate for your ball python can depend on several factors. 3 of them have miricle gro organic performance which I enjoy telling people as they usually gasp and say that's After all that was done, I had to let the enclosure sit in a well-ventilated area for a few days to offgas before I started adding my substrate mix and plants. This is my “pre-mix” substrate that I use for nearly all of my bioactive terrariums. 95 votes, 31 comments. I haven’t made a tropical substrate, so your recipe would be different, but I made a temperate one for my tegu setup. Most commonly the word "bioactive" is used to describe terrariums and vivariums that include natural… Genuinely I suggest doing the sand/soil/clay mix option and go bio active. Top two choices would include a prepackaged substrate and a DIY substrate. Most of the things I've read instruct one to skip this step as it gets rid of the beneficial animals and microorganisms you want in your bioactive substrate. In r/bioactive we want to use the broader idea of setting up any sort of enclosure in order to mimic the animal's natural environment. It’s very dusty material that turns into moldable clay when it gets in touch with water and turns hard as rock after drying up. higher humidity usually collects water in the drainage layer faster, so draining all of it gives you more time inbetween siphon upkeep. com Dec 8, 2023 · I use a mix of top soil and coco coir for most of my snakes (mostly mid to high humidity species) and even with that and the relatively high ambient humidity of the UK, the heating will bring the humidity down to 40-50% if I don't spray. Here's my question: I already got sand and soil for the substrate, but I want a 3rd mix-in, what should it be? Let's talk about the types of substrate out there! Our pick is homemade mixes, bioactive mixes, just plain old dirt! Affectionately dubbed "70/30" here, one of the most natural, safe, enriching substrates for leopard geckos is a mix you can make yourself. Posted by u/ImFromDimensionC137 - 1 vote and 3 comments Most commonly the word "bioactive" is used to describe terrariums and vivariums that include natural substrate and a clean up crew. I want to be able to hold burrows but also work for a clean up crew and life plants. The first would be The Biodudes Terra Sahara. Pretty much any commercial substrate you can buy online follows a similar mix but they charge 10times what it costs to do yourself. Nov 8, 2024 · For starters, substrate mixes are almost always superior to single substrate choices. Bioactive setup requires adding lots of substrate which would make collecting eggs super hard and you can have issues if all eggs you don't find hatch at once. this guide is I mix most of my own now, but still haven't found a mix I like enough to replace my (low) usage of Terra Sahara. 15K subscribers in the bioactive community. I list at the end things I In my bioactive BP enclosures I use a mix of approximately 65% plain topsoil, 15% coco coir, 10% play sand, and the other 10% smaller amounts of peat moss, orchid bark, and worm castings. I have thriving populations of isopods and springtails and the geckos have a thriving alternative snack. my substrate mix is topsoil, play sand, and forest floor/bark! with a handful of sphagnum thrown on top with leaf litter just for added texture. That’s the consensus that I have gotten on the substrate. That can be used for any BP, no matter the type of enclosure. There are some that are just bad (calcium sand, walnut shells etc. Soil can be anything that’s organic (no fertilizer or pesticides) and the sand can be the Home Depot play sand (Quikcrete I think?). I like to mix in some crushed leaf litter for the isopods, though I'm not sure how much that changes things. Make sure you have a good substrate mix and dont over water. Unless you were planning to build in a pump to get out the excess water it’s pointless anyways. Now I 'm looking for a good substrate mix that works for bearded dragons. It is not an appropriate or safe substrate for leopard geckos. Not worth the risk when it takes so long for a bioactive to get established. I personally found this substrate to be quite dusty whe Most commonly the word "bioactive" is used to describe terrariums and vivariums that include natural substrate and a clean up crew. radix I use a 60/30/10 mix of topsoil, coco coir, and play sand for substrate. I've been planning on compiling the typical 70/30 topsoil and play sand substrate mix, since premade mixes such as The Bio Dude's Terra Sahara are quite expensive (and I enjoy DIY's anyway). To me it sounds like they're saying it to use with another substrate when it says to use it as a 'layer' for bioactive (bioactive means soil) but I can see it being misunderstood ETA: You can mix it with soil or place the soil on top if you want to make use of it, you can google about how to make a drainage layer for terrariums for better Mixing some together with cypress mulch is pretty good, I used to do that when I had sterile enclosures. Regardless, the substrate mix I use is about 65% Scott's Topsoil, 10% play sand, and 25% mulch. found one ABG mix at my local pet store. Crypto There’s a bioactive guide in the welcome post that will be a really good starting point for you! Personally I use a substrate mix of topsoil, play sand, coco coir, peat moss, orchid bark, worm castings, and charcoal. ), but others are perfectly fine (soft play-sand, sand/soil mix, arid bioactive etc. They usually come in kits with ingredients like sphagnum moss, leaf litter, microfauna inoculant, and drainage material. For the last question, there are a ton of substrate recipes you can find online that people have success with. For that reason I would not mix it into bioactive substrate as very few plants will thrive in clay ground, especially arid plants will die quickly. You can mix it yourself for $10. I have been cautioned against bioactive for hermit crabs by members of the online hermit crab care community. for a bioactive to work you need to have organic matter to break down like moss, bark, etc. If not, recommendations? Live in Canada so please no joshes frogs, NE herp, or biodude! I’m moving up to a 4x2x2 and switching from aspen to a bioactive friendly substrate mix so going the extra mile for a bioactive is definitely something I’d consider. I have no clue why multiple people are saying that using a substrate covered background will prevent geckos from sticking to it or that the substrate will come off over time. ). My two Beardies have lived in Bioactive enclosures without any problems since I got them a year ago. Here's the substrate mix I use for my Hognose. I also release Discoids baby roaches and mealworms into the enclosures. However I feel like I’ve already invested so much money in the enclosure itself, new heating, substrate, etc. Also, I've read that TerraSahara arid substrate by Biodude was good, though I've also read that it was bioactive, and I'd like to avoid the complexities of that until I get the hang of basic care first, and an initial tank set up, since it is a bit of a crunch, due to the set up I received being inadequate for much longer. New comments cannot be posted. Here's my supplies, let me know if I'm missing anything or what the ratios should look like. I'm looking to do semi-bioactive (Monty TRAMPLES all of his fake plants, I don't think any real plants would survive that little chonker). The chunky coco coir like cocoblox would be better for a stand-alone substrate. GameStop Moderna Pfizer Johnson & Johnson AstraZeneca Walgreens Best Buy Novavax SpaceX Tesla. It keeps her burrows great I give her about 7 - 1… Most commonly the word "bioactive" is used to describe terrariums and vivariums that include natural substrate and a clean up crew. Does the ingredients for the cactus soil have anything that would mess stuff up? I am kinda skeptical on adding any fungi into the enclosure which is mentioned in the ingredients for the mix. I've used ABG mix in vivaria for years and it is my absolute favorite. Obviously, this mix has a lot of wood components in it, to feed the millipedes. Pics, videos, questions and discussion on any aspect of a bioactive enclosure are all welcome here. I'm currently in the "getting supplies" stage to get a bioactive enclosure going (I'm going to let it cycle for a couple months before getting the noodle). You could also opt for activated charcoal to help with beneficial bacteria and plant growth, which springtails will flock to. Looking for good bioactive substrates. Probably: 50%-60% coco a chunk of moss about 4"x5"x2" (kinda wish I used more) Planning to upgrade my New Guinea Frilled Dragon to an adult sized PVC enclosure (48inHx24inWx48inL) and I was wondering what some cheaper alternatives for bioactive substrate may be? I do not want to go with BioDude's TerraFirma or Josh's Frogs ABG mix as that would be extremely costly due to the depth I am looking for. 🤣 I just started to work on a huge new enclosure for my beardie. -Horticultural Charcoal. So, no guide but my garters have been in a bioactive for about 6 months without issues. Makes for great burrowing soil and has a nice humidity gradient, ime. I just created my first DIY ball python substrate! I used about 40% cypress mulch, 25% Reptisoil, 25% BabiChip, and 10%… ah, good to know! you'll want to mix this with something like fine sand or Stone Desert by exo terra for a leopard gecko, it's way too loose and dusty on its own for an arid species. I’m picking up my first crested gecko this weekend and wanted to set up a bioactive tank for him. this megathread topic: substrate - what kind, where to buy it, how much to use. yestkkc uvwb wjxpz jkdg esoi ycfv gbuur kee bglc qbdwun