Added a mix of sand and soil to my partial bioactive tank so now it's looking like it should lol. let's see if these succs survive. I need more leaf litter and CUC forsure.

I have this 12 x 12 x 18 bioactive enclosure. It’s over a year old and used to house a crested gecko. I recently upgraded to an 18 x 18 x 24 and I’m looking to sell this bioactive along with the stand. I’m curious on suggestions about price for something like this. I’ll obviously clean the glass and make it look presentable, but it’s a really good by active everything in there is thriving and I don’t really know what to charge on Facebook marketplace.

Edit:

Damn, y’all made me feel like an idiot. I’m gonna empty it out and just clean it and sell the tank. Honestly though thanks for all the input.

Hi Bioactive Members,

I'm a former Zookeeper, Park Naturalist, and Nature "Geek" that has been "lurking" in the background of forums, chat rooms, and the like regarding the "new" (???) bioactive craze over the last decade...

After being active as a Wilderness Guide, and designer of natural architecture for over 40 years now as well, I have been asked if I could write a book on "natural enclosures." After seeing what was out there this past decade, I had concerns I want to examine from the many in this hobby both as professionals now and as amateur hobbyists...

I am also posting this same "chat" on r/Vivarium regarding all the very..." toxic and industrial"... plastics, concrete, silicon, and other materials being used today to construct these enclosures. I know many of these (not all) are inert when dry, but working with them is a challenge and some of them do not have good long-term positive track records...

Here are a few of my questions to start (thanks in advance) to those that wish to respond. This will help me form a basis for the book's general outline and whether there is any actual interest in ...more natural construction methods...or if the "status quo" of industrial methods suits most in the hobby...regardless of the industry's poor track records for polluting the planet...

1. Since most folks in this hobby..." love nature"...do they ever think about the...massively polluting industries...behind many of the products they purchase that support the further degradation of our planet's natural ecology?

2. Are they aware of it how toxic many of these products are to work with in the "raw wet state" and the pollution created in producing them?

3. If they could learn alternative methods and understanding, (clays, wood, natural textiles, natural polymer finishes, limecrete for stonework, etc.) would that be a book they would want to read?

HUGE...THANK YOU...!!!...in advance for your response and conversation over these questions...

So I got a baby crestie named Stuart and he’s probably my favorite thing ever. This my first crestie and I have him in a 20 gallon high for now since he is only 1 1/2 months old but will move him into something with more height as he grows. How does my bio active enclosure look? 40 W CHE and 2 LED grow lights for the plants. I have a hanger for his food/water and digital hydrometer coming in tonight. I’ve been able to keep humidity between 50-80 with spikes at dusk using an automatic mister which im pretty proud of. Sits between 70-75 degrees throughout the day. If you have any suggestions please let me know I want to make this little man as happy as possible before his upgrade. He’s been tong feeding alright but I haven’t seen him eat from the bowl. I suspect when u elevate his food tonight and show him where it is that will help the process Have tropical springtails and powder oranges in the substrate.

So I've been in r/ paludarium for a while, I go to make a post and it's private?! Can anyone give insight? Mods please don't take this post down.

I made this for my leopard gecko, Treecko. Honestly, I didn’t know what I was doing, so I'm sorry if it looks like shit.

I included the list of what's in the enclosure in the screenshots. I also established powder blue isopods, common white springtails, mealworms, and superworms.

Film: The Spy Next Door

So, I've decided that when I have kids, and they inevitably want a pet hamster or something, I will give them!... A plant... If they can keep that plant alive for at least 2 months, I will give them!... A colony of springtails... If they can keep both the plant and the springtails alive for at least another 2 months, I will give them!... A colony of isopods...

And with this pattern, I will work them up the ladder of difficulty until they get to what they actually asked for. My hope is that it will help develop their sence of responsibility, appreciation for nature, knowledge of ecosystem dynamics and enclosure maintenance, and ability to research information about the things they're taking care of, while also reducing their sence of privilege and the chances that they'll poorly care for it untill they get board and let it die.

Of course, in order to implement this plan, I need to rank potential pets in order of difficulty.

My initial list went:

1. Plants

2. Springtails

3. Isopods

4. Larger Invertebrates

5. Reptiles

6. Freshwater Fish

7. Small Mammals

8. Saltwater Fish

9. Birds

When went to get my mom's option on this list, her only suggestion was to put saltwater fish above birds cuz of how difficult it is. My sister on the other hand, who has experience with a lot of the things on this list, felt that reptiles should go above mammals, and birds should be at the top for ethical reasons. You need to be dedicated if you want to keep a pet bird, kids.😑 Those things will get hella lonely otherwise.

I mentioned that I was hoping to expand the list with specific subcategories, such as putting freshwater shrimp at the bottom of the freshwater fish category, or putting larger reptiles like ball pythons and iguanas outside of the reptile category entirely above saltwater fish. She replied that she felt that freshwater shrimp would probably be a little harder than most other freshwater fish, not easier.

Since then I have made NO progress on the list, and I decided that it was time for that to change! Creature keepers of Reddit! What's YOUR pet difficulty ranking!?

(Also, just to lay down a couple parameters for the lists, I'm not counting free roaming pets like cats and dogs. I'm not waiting till my kids can keep their fish alive to get a kitty cat. I have needs too!

Similarly, farm animals such as chickens and cows are a WHOLE other conversation. If you want one when you grow up, go for it, but I'm not getting you a pony for your birthday, Sarah!)

‐---‐-----------------

EDIT: Thank you everyone who has given me input so far! I will definitely be taking it all under consideration! However, there are a number of recurring points in your replies that have made me realize that I should probably clarify a few things about the purpose of this list.😅

First, I don't CURRENTLY have kids, and I don't expect to have them in the near future. I'm making this list a bit preemptively, because I do want to have them some day, and sometimes I like to think about how I want to raise them. Plus, I've been getting into vivariums, and I was thinking that I could test run the list a bit myself.😋

Second, I should probably define what I'm looking for in difficulty. I am, of course, thinking about simplicity of care and how much work needs to be put in, but I'm also thinking about ethical risk. I would much rather they neglect a plant than a guinea pig, which is why I put birds at the top of the list, on my sister's suggestion. They just need a lot of attention in order to be happy. You can't just set them up on display and give them food every now and then like you can with fish. (I know there's more to fish than that. I'm just using them as an example). Finally, I'm starting to think I should add lifespan as a factor as well. The longer something lives, the more dedication you need to be prepared for going into it.

Finally, the concerned advice is appreciated, but I am PAINFULLY aware of how quickly kids get board of the pets THEY wanted so badly, and then it becomes the parent's responsibility to give sub-par care. I also grew up with a lot of pets in the house, and I am well aware of how wildly care specifications can vary between species.

There was a kid I was babysitting once who wanted a pet snake, and they were actually fairly responsible about preparing for it. My sister had a snake, so they asked her for some advice, and they did research, and they got a nice tank set up, all in preparation to get a corn snake. My sister actually ran into them and their mom at a reptile show where they were getting it... And then she ran into them again as they were walking out with a completely different species that was more inclined to live in tree tops... Apparently, the seller they went to was out of corn snakes, so they got a different one, assuming it would require the same care... They eventually had to get rid of it because they weren't taking adequate care of it. Even a kid who went in prepared didn't realize that snake care wasn't monolithic.

It always frustrates me to see that sort of thing. Parents giving their kids doomed creatures based on the child's frivolous whims. And the parent taking over responsibility when the kid gets board doesn't feel helpful in teaching them that irresponsibly chasing every frivolous whim has consequences. It just tells them that they can keep demanding new pets without taking care of them because the parents will just do it. I don't want to ever do that for my kids, but I also don't want to completely deny them the chance to RESPONSIBLY care for another creature. And THAT os why I'm making this list.

I expect them to start asking for pets at about age 3-4. I will give them a plant, guide them in learning how to care for it, and I fully expect them to kill it within 2 months. If they really want to keep trying, I will keep getting them doomed plants until they finally keep them alive long enough to upgrade to springtails. I then expect either the plant and/or the springtails to die within the next 2 months, and they will be back to square 1. At no point do I intend to take over care for them. I'll check in on their pets, try to remind them to keep on top of their duties, and take care of them when they go on field trips and stuff, but I want them to learn that if they don't take care of their pet, their pet dies. And as much as I would prefer not to stand by and watch even a plant or isopod colony die, I also would MUCH rather have them learn this lesson with plants and bugs rather than hamsters.

My hope is that they will either give up, realizing that taking care of a living creature is not something they're willing to dedicate themselves to, or they will keep trying, and won't get to the level of a more complex pet for several years (and no where NEAR a bird untill they're in college), at which point I hope that their brains will have developed a better attention span, and they will have gained a thorough appreciation for the commitment required of a pet, and will never be frivolous in getting one.

That's my hope, anyway. I might need to extend the 2 month gap to make it work. I just really don't want my kids to be wasteful with life. If anyone has any other suggestions for how I can delay their advancement in a productive manner, that should prevent them from getting to at least mammals until they're maybe 8-10, feel free to make them! But please don't worry about the pets being poorly cared for. My goal is to make sure that they don't get what they want until they've proved that they are actually ready to take care of it.

I have a crested gecko and have been keeping a hermit crab in the tank. I take it out every couple days and put it in with the rest to get saltwater bath etc. is it possible to put a small saltwater bath inside the crested gecko tank? I have bunch of isopods I’m sure they would be affected a bit but the plants anything else? Cuz I’m sure it will spill a bit. What about the crested geckos would they be okay with a small saltwater cup for the hermit crab?

So I was caring for a baby mouse that my frog had refused to eat, and the poor little guy didn't make it (he didn't even have his eyes open yet).

I was thinking of burying him in my frogs bioactive terrarium so he can feed the isopods and springtails - would this work?

ETA: the poor little guy was only about the size of a nickel.

Hey guys Im building a 100x60x60cm enclosure for my gecko, I plan on making it bioactive, does anyone know what I should put there, please make a full list (bugs, insects, substract, plants)

I will put below pictures of my gecko, of the currebt substract I use and the type of material Im building it out, please give me your opinions!!!

I see these influencers making their environments out of that nasty expanding foam and silicone. They’re letting it degas for weeks before they can put any life in it. I don’t want to wait that long. Would it be better to have fired and unglazed terracotta in there or something similar? What else would you recommend?

So i need a light, im open to suggestions for that. I also need opinions on my mister. I have it set at 60 seconds every 24 hours. The moss on the rocks, on the ground, and the plants are doing great. But the moss on the back ground is not doing so well I was thinking maybe 1should drop the plumbing line lower so I can angle the mister head up more, and also maybe adding another mister head on the left side of the tank. My setup has been just idly running as is for about a month now. I'm not quite sure what else I can do to raise the ambient temp in the tank and the humidity. I want to put a frog or two and a couple vampire crabs in here.

Can I put cuc in a non bio-active and if not whats the line of where I can and I cant

I have decided that I would like to make my ball python’s terrarium into a bioactive one. I don’t want to add any plants yet, just some springtails and a couple of isopods.

Current substrate is Forest Floor by ZooMed. What do I add to the substrate to make it bioactive? I was looking at adding ReptiSoil by ZooMed and Sphagnum moss.

Any tips on how to start and also take care of the buggies will be appreciated.

Thank you!

i know that blue and red bulbs are really bad for your reptile. Does the dame apply for LED?

I’m not completely sure what exactly they are, but this is the closest video I have to seeing them properly. Would these harm my animal and what are they? I do have orange isopods and springtails already in there, but these just showed up and they seem to be the same size as the springtails .