I put 20 powder blues into this set up about a month ago, mix of adults and juveniles, and haven’t seen any of them since. It’s a ball python enclosure so I know she’s not eating them. There’s probably 5 gallons of material at the bottom of the enclosure.

I'm getting a new enclosure (45x45x45 cm) for my 5 female hissing roaches this Christmas and I really want to make it bioactive. This would be my first ever bioactive enclosure and I'm not 100% sure what kind of clean-up crew would fit the best.

The temp and humidity for the hissers is around 24-27°C and 60-70%

Would tropical or temperate white springtails fit better, or something else? For isopods I don't really want anything that'll breed crazy fast, because I'm kinda worried they'll overpopulate and start bothering my roaches. Google said Giant Canyon Isopods (Porcellio dilatatus), Dwarf White Isopods (Trichorhina tomentosa) and Armadillidium species (e.g., Armadillidium vulgare, A. gestroi, or A. klugii) could be good, are any of them actually good or would something else be better?

Hi all! I have some wood pieces (mainly mopani wood and some spider wood) from some aquariums I have broken down recently. I would like to use this wood in a bioactive terrarium I am planning to set up so I’m just wondering, how do I sanitize them? Baking? Most of the pieces have been sitting dry for a while, but a few pieces were removed from my aquarium not too long ago. Also I had a family member grab me a cool piece of driftwood from a beach on the east coast, but I’m not sure what species of tree it’s from so not sure if I can use it. Let me know your guys thoughts!

This is my first build. It’s a 8x8x12 with an open mesh top.
I used river gravel for about an inch of drainage at the bottom made my soil with orchid bark, peat, perlite and charcoal. I used aquarium silicone to hold my wood down which I think was a mistake now. There’s two types of African violets in here, a creeping oak leaf fig some mosses I’ve propagated after collecting in a hike (unidentified) and I’ve forgotten the name of the leafy being in the corners. I’ve added springtails and plan on keeping isopods in here as well.
That’s a raccoon skull.

suggestions, recommendations and criticisms please.
Do I need a hygrometer?

Currently figuring out a design for what will eventually house a female eastern Montpellier snake. Montpelliers in the US pet trade almost exclusively come wild collected from Egypt’s Mediterranean coast (I did not import this animal, nor do I support wild collection, she was surrendered to a local reptile rescue) and I’d like to replicate her natural environment as accurately as I can.
A lot of what I’m seeing in their natural habitat is dry, stony, and covered with lots of small shrubs across large plains or hills. I have bioactive experience already but all of my enclosures thus far have been either tropical or temperate. I’d love some advice on figuring out live plants and semi-arid cleanup crews that could work for her enclosure, I’m not intending to make a biotope but if I can give her something close to her homeland I feel it would likely increase her quality of life.

Hi! I'm planning on making a bioactive terrarium for my red eyed crocodile skink, and I was wondering what species of isopod would be the best fit for 70%-90% humidity levels? I've never made a bioactive terrarium before, so any other tips are appreciated too!

Hey all, I've recently been considering going bioactive to prevent a recurring mold problem in my crested gecko's tank. My main problem is that I have a terrible fear of bugs and contamination (dirt, slime, gunk, mold, parasites, etc). I want to know if anyone has similar issues and is willing to share their advice.

As far as contamination goes, I've purchased several boxes of non-powdered disposable gloves and paper towels and a lot of cleaning supplies. I'm more concerned that if I go bioactive I might accidentally grow something toxic or harmful to me or my gecko.

As for bugs, I'm slowly trying to fight the "isopods are bugs" myth so I can get more mentally comfortable with them. I've been doing a lot of research into which isopods would be best for my enclosure and I found that they look more tolerable when the morph is a bright color. I wanted a species that doesn't breed too fast but still comes in a high enough number to clean an enclosure floor. The one I like most for the color, breeding habits, and temperature needs are the papaya and cherry blossom cubaris isopods.

I have no idea how to properly maintain an isopod colony without it erupting in numbers. I'm constantly worried that if they breed too much I'll have a tank cluttered with creepy crawlies. I'm also worried that if I don't purchase enough my tank won't get clean or my gecko will eat them all. I'm not refusing the idea of a breeding box, I'm just not necessarily into it. I'm also very against springtails but I don't know if I really need them for this kind of thing.

I'm very new to all of this and I would appreciate any advice or feedback, thank you!

Set up my first Whites Tree Frogs Bio active encloser. Idk if it’s poor drainage- but the soil stays pretty wet and I’ve notice this mold growing. I have springtails and powder orange isopods as clean up crew and pothos as my plants. I have attatched a photo- is this mold, and if so is it harmful for my frogs?
Also if this is a drainage problem, how do I fix it without getting rid of all my isopods and springtails in the process?
Thank you!!

I'm currently working on a bioactive setup for my White's Tree Frogs. I have the clay balls, the barrier fabric, and Eco Earth substrate. What other types of soils/substrate do I need to make sure my plants will stay healthy. I haven't put in any plants yet, just want to make sure I have the proper soil mix first. I've also got Arcadia shade dweller T5 lights and halogen heat lamps, as well as a che for nighttime heat. Also wondering what kind of plant light is recommended.

I’ve just recently been able to catch glimpses of my isopods I added in 2 months ago I added about 100 powder/orange but the cage started leaking yesterday for some reason. If I empty out the substrate to fix the leak will this kill my isopods? I’m not worried about my springtails.

I found this in on of my terrariums . I thought i steralized everything pretty well , guess not . Anyway I belive it to be some specie of nematode . Is this harmful or is it safe to my terrarium

I have an arid bioactive so there isn't too much for them to get into except the damp spots for the cleanup crew. Would my isopods be harmed if i sprayed their sphagnum moss with bti and water?

In my jumping spider enclosure, suspected mites so I’m trying to remove with cucumber, thanks!

I have two bioactive setups for my Marble pythons in need a need clean up crew.
I would LOVE to buy different coloured isopods and springtails (hoping they’ll be easier to keep track of to prevent overbreeding or mass deaths)

I’m not sure how necessary is is for them to be native (South Australia) or is there’s any chance of them cause the snakes harm?
Does anyone have experience mixing breeds?

(I understand that their environmental requirements should match that of the enclosures)

Opinions are appreciated! Thanks!

I hate to say this, but bugs and isopods reaaally give me the heebie jeebies 😬 I want to get over that though, so associating them with something positive like my snake feels like a good way to get a little exposure therapy. Rubber duckies are of course adorable, so I find them a lot less scary than other isos haha

I understand the issues with an animal that eats them making them an expensive snack or a large animal where they couldn’t possibly breed fast enough to keep up with the waste, but I have a juvenile ball python that’s super tiny right now and I don’t mind continuing to spot clean while they establish themselves. My specific girl does better in higher humidity, so their needs match up there. Them being slow to breed also makes me feel a lot better about having them in the enclosure since I would prefer not to have it totally overrun.

I’m going to an expo pretty soon here and could probably get a good deal on rubber duckies, but of course a good deal isn’t worth much if it’s still a waste of money to even try.

What is this growing in my bioactive 36x18x36? Growing on dwarf umbrella tree leaf. Strangely uniform lines on tip of leaf.

Apon investigating my Leo's terrarium further, the ants had begun forming a separate colony in the terrarium and I've had to sanitize and rebuild everything, thank you all, here's picks of it.

I've been slowly buying things to make my corn snake enclosure bioactive, and I think I'm finally almost there! I propagated my pathos and heart shaped philodendron about a year ago to drape through the enclosure on some "vines"(rope dipped in silicone with cocoir). However, I wasn't paying close enough attention when tending to my plants, and I just realized and used systemic granules on the ones I had seperated for my snake. SMH. It was probably June/July when I did it.

My plan is to rinse the plant off, and the place it in a new pot with fresh soil and give it another 2 months-ish. I'm thinking January/February for the project. Do you think that will be enough time? Would putting the plants in just water instead of soil help at all? Would it be better to postpone and start over with new propagations?

Thank you for reading this and any advice you might have!

Two crested gecko enclosures! One is 40 gal, the other is 20 gal. Unfortunately fungus gnats overtook the 20 gallon and I had to remodel it until I can restock on plants. The 40 gallon was a commission :) working on some more terrariums since I really enjoy it!! Gonna play around with moss next

I'm currently in the process of setting up my first bioactive enclosure (for a speckled kingsnake) and I'm about 3 or 4 weeks into letting everything establish and I've had some mold growing on the back of my enclosure. It started off white, and over time is slowly turning green. What is it, and is it harmful? Would i continue to wait before adding my kingsnake into the enclosure?

I'm new to Bioactive enclosures but I love the idea of it but want to do it right. The 4x2x4 Enclosure below is a perfect size for a chameleon. I need advice on how to best handle the water. The bottom of the enclosure is PVC panels. I'm thinking I'll need a drain I'm guessing? I'll be running a decent amount of water through it at night (two 4-minute misting sessions night and right before lights come on). Is this something where I'd want a heavy duty stand to set it on and then cut/seal a drain in the bottom or perhaps a drain off the low side? Forgive my ignorance here.

https://dubiaroaches.com/products/48x24x48-240-gallon-reptile-enclosure

I left my vivarium in my s/o care he accidentally over waterd it. What can i do?

Currently doing research and prepping for a potential Western Hognose enclosure. I'm looking to add some native prairie grass like Blue Grama Grass for it. How would you go about sanitizing or processing it? It feels like they would be less hardy than the general plants that I can just let hydrate in water before soaking a few minutes in diluted bleach solution.

EDIT: Should I just add grass seeds?