First try on Realistic terrarium on geckos/bio active---leos

[thepianoguy]

Well first, hi guys! New to the forum!:cover laugh:


Here is the solution for my future tank
back ground:
I got this guy from Petsmart who keep them in carpet(better than sand!) Then my grandma won't allow me to keep the gecko any more until today lunch...magic! Unfortunately i cannot keep my ten gallon tropical community fish tank too bad... But will sneak in some fishes in my new 4 gallon tank lol i said gonna keep some aquatic plants inside... some shrimps would go in too.haha. The 4 gallon will be sit outside the gecko terrarium and "into" the dirt, just a bit and making it look more like an out door pond... i know future plan still.

So here it goes my first leo(actually, first lizard) in a ten gallon tank(first one too) in my new home(yup, lots of first one haha). It is a juvenile leo I named Leonardo Wiggytoe(weird I know :evil it has been in the tank for several months now. Interesting little guy and LOVE to see him growing.

I want to make my tank more realistic now when his tail recover (stuck shed,the skin fall off, but not the inner part, healing slowly with the calcium and multivitamins!) When its tail heals completely (or almost since I can't wait....!!!!!)

Question: i wanna make it bio-active and have read a lot of threads and researched for whole two month now and have a plan (well of course in the 10 gallon, cannot get a bigger one so no budging on that,at least my parents won't) of

First layer some gravel around the UTH( only UTH as the heat source and there are going to be a very slightly cover on that bare bottom so the UTH is actually working.)
Second layer some good-rich-nutriention loose soil for my plants a very slight layer only
Third layer hard soil(outdoor source) mix sand and zoomed coconut fiBer consideration only.
That it except for the insects palace which is the gecko pooping space will have some dead leaves and rotten wood and stuff like that from my front yard promise perfect safe.

Any suggestion on the substrate?

Second question: I am thinking that some live plants should be good in the terrarium as well, and lots of hide with rocks and stuff like that and a space where secretly hide in the vitamins.
I am considering those bamboos(already bought 3) around the pooping area and a hill.
Any suggestions on CHEAP(anything under 5 dollars works or slightly higher) n EASY to care of. As i am going to keep some medium lighting aquatic plants so i have a 6500k light hanging above the terrarium as well(doing wonders for me!)

Thank you for all the answers! :banana::banana::banana::nana: THANKS AGAIN!

 

[acpart]

It sounds as if you have a lot of interesting, creative ideas. There are going to be some challenges, though. Here are the challenges:
--I understand that you can't get a bigger tank for the leo, but a 10 gallon for an adult leo is a bit of a stretch
--the plants you're suggesting may need more water than is good for a leo tank, meaning that the humidity may get too high
--combining the ideas for the bioactive substrate and the plants may make the already too small tank even more crowded

Since it doesn't make sense to tell someone who can't change their situation to change it anyway, I'm going to make some suggestions you should consider:
--Since you can't get a bigger tank, consider adding a second level to the tank you have so the leo has more room. You can put an "upstairs" in the tank by using four pieces of PVC or something else and some tiles. I think there's a picture of my "upstairs" in the leopard gecko care sheet on this forum.
--the substrate you're recommending may work. Many people say not to use anything from outside in the leopard gecko tank for fear of contamination, but I do have an enclosure with 2 leopard geckos where the substrate is coco fiber, a small amount of desert sand and leaf litter. The enclosure has been going for 5 years or so with no problems. Here are 2 articles from Gecko Time about bioactive substrate:
Creating a Bioactive Leopard Gecko Setup - Gecko Time - Gecko Time
Bio-active Substrate - Gecko Time - Gecko Time

--If you live in a place where you can get "hydroballs" (small clay balls --you can find them in hydroponics stores) it will be lighter than the gravel. In either case, try to get some vinyl screen (you can get a roll of it from a home improvement store) and put a layer between the drainage layer and the soil.

--Instead of planting actual plants, given the humidity and the crowded aspect of your tank, I recommend you see if you can get some air plants and use them. You will occasionally need to remove them and soak them somewhere to keep them hydrated. Also, consider getting some succulent or cactus plants (without thorns, of course) in small pots and keeping them in corners of the tank. When they dry out, take the pots out and add water, then put them back.

I hope this helps.

Aliza

 

[thepianoguy]

Huh, well first thing first, thanks for reply! I had read the links and a lot paragraphs from both GU and other forums. I was thinking (since i already have the big table) can build the out-side-tank a "realistic" desert setup, with a pond(real aquatic fish and aquatic plants, already cycled) in the dirt, and the gecko can go out or in during weekend(and any day i am at home), so that might help a bit.

Well yes I am going to make probably three layers, with soil and desert sand though(have to make it more DIY and cheap since tight on budget now...dad won't give me money now since he is kind of not working so we are a bit tight on money), you know what meant do you? Like more tunnels actually open space in like the first and second layer( but keep in mind is just future planning about 2 weeks going to actually do it).

One thing, can i cycle the tank WHILE the geckos in there? It surely be difficult but can it works? I have no other place to put the lizard in, sorry to be a not-so responsible pet owner(OMG).

Second, can i have a picture of your geckos, and more details on your gecko tank setup?

I still, we do sell hydro balls here in Calgary(duh, is a big city pretty much) but don't want to spend money on that, however i do have a mesh that might work! And one question about heat mat? Where can i put it and that it can transfer heat more easily? In or Out where? Thanks for your help! I really appreciated! I am so excited!

 

[acpart]

Think about the fact that desert setups and ponds don't really go together (unless they happen to be next to each other but sealed off from each other in someone's house).
As far as cycling the tank goes, there's nothing you're planning to do that the gecko can't be in the tank for except for actually re-building it. You should be able to get a cheap plastic tub for just a few dollars to keep the gecko in while you're building.
Heating: for the leopard geckos I have no plants in the tank and don't mist (to keep humidity down) so I didn't need the drainage layer. I use heat cable, but heat mat would be the same thing. I put it on one side under the tank and the substrate is a pretty good heat conductor. For my geckos that need more humidity, I use the drainage layer only where there will be no heat. I have just plain substrate over the heater since a drainage layer would keep the heat from conducting.

Here is my bioactive leopard gecko setup from the side:


Here it is from the top:


Here's my second level in a non-bioactive leopard gecko cage:


Aliza

 

[JessJohnson87]

Everything Aliza has mentioned is great advice. Going bio-active is not a cheap task, unless you collect everything from outside. If you choose to make tunnels, you will need excavator clay. To truly make it bio-active, you will need a cleaner crew of insects like desert species beetles

 

[thepianoguy]

okay, I now kind of know what to do.

First, this is my final plan of what am i using

Topsoil
soil from outdoor and insects
wood pieces or things like that
eco-earth
excavator clay?(i don't think we have that in my lps?)
sand if i don't use excavator clay

insects
worms
mealworms and adults
Superworms(might)
Kingworms(the same with mealwoms?)
bettles, mites, white worms(idk what they are but they seems to be good)

going to actually think about the design(by the way the pond will be out side the tank)
gonna be as creative as possible!

 

[JessJohnson87]

Excavator clay usually has to be ordered. I would use peat moss over the coco-fiber then you can mix sand, the clay and peat moss together. The clay works best if you use a little bit of sand mixed in with it. Superworm beetles and mealworm beetles are both desert type species of beetles, you could use springtails and isopods but you will have to make one area with some leaf litter to be humid for them to survive (the gecko time article on bio-active mentions that). You can always make a bigger viv or find something neat at a flea market to seal and turn into a bio-active enclosure. Check out the D-I-Y sub-forum on some enclosures people have made from every day household furniture. Parents can be a tough sell on stuff like this, but if you let them see that you can do this on your own and make a budget, they may be more willing to the idea. Luckily my husband lets me do my own thing with my geckos, he has a jeep that requires way more attention than my geckos do :coverlaugh:

 

[thepianoguy]

lol trying, is yours a sticky? I have moss but not peat moss but would not the gecko try to eat the super worms? and mealies?

 

[thepianoguy]

Excavator clay usually has to be ordered. I would use peat moss over the coco-fiber then you can mix sand, the clay and peat moss together. The clay works best if you use a little bit of sand mixed in with it. Superworm beetles and mealworm beetles are both desert type species of beetles, you could use springtails and isopods but you will have to make one area with some leaf litter to be humid for them to survive (the gecko time article on bio-active mentions that). You can always make a bigger viv or find something neat at a flea market to seal and turn into a bio-active enclosure. Check out the D-I-Y sub-forum on some enclosures people have made from every day household furniture. Parents can be a tough sell on stuff like this, but if you let them see that you can do this on your own and make a budget, they may be more willing to the idea. Luckily my husband lets me do my own thing with my geckos, he has a jeep that requires way more attention than my geckos do :coverlaugh:

my dad is a bit soft on this but the rest of the family is not so much. They are pretty not so much...... lol
i can find excavator clay now in my local Petland(Canada only petstore)

They have two choices
one is the caving set which only includes 12b clay, and some tools

THE second one is cheaper but only 19b clay, which one shall i get?

final final thing:
no sand
no coco tiber

top soil
outside soil
excavator clay
wood chips
leaf litters

sounds good? Or shall i change it up a bit? Starting to think about the plan now. and materials i am collecting this afternoon.

 

[JessJohnson87]

So long as the soil is not moist, it should be fine. If it is damp, I would let it dry out before trying to mix it with the clay.

 

[thepianoguy]

Oh thanks, i will make sure i do that,
how about the clay?
Shall i choose the kit which only have 12 IBS of clay
Or 19 IBS?

 

[acpart]

What exactly do you want to use the clay for, and what kind of clay have you found? Don't make underground clay tunnels because if you gecko goes in there and doesn't come out you're going to have a heck of a time getting it out. I find that the super worms tend to hang out under the water bowl because it's kind of moist. I also leave a jar lid of grain in there for them to eat.

Aliza

 

[thepianoguy]

excavator clay i found at petland that what i am going to use, underground hide? OH no ! I am not going to do that lol.

so now which is better?

 

[JessJohnson87]

I would get the bag of just clay and get creative from there. You can make hides out of the clay but I would use a separate one for the moist hide.

 

[thepianoguy]

thanks, the I will buy the cheaper one.

 

[thepianoguy]

help!!!!!! but the excavator collapsed but the paper towel sticks in the mud!?

 

[JessJohnson87]

Was it too wet? I've never messed with the clay but there are a couple of people who have used it.

 

[thepianoguy]

yes it is too wet...

any way to fix it?

i know but my dad just keep adding water when i told him not to, and too wet! he add ten cups in a 12 ibs clay! now he added ten more....wow xxxx....

i rebuild it but again, he pour a whole ten cups over it... will it be stable? it is fine if it takes longer to dry, will the gecko be okay? in an unheated container for 1 day?(already one day over...)

 

[JessJohnson87]

You need to get heat on the container the gecko is in. It will take a while for the clay to dry out and adding heat to it will only cause it to crack.

 

[thepianoguy]

thanks, a picture i will updated later!

how long can a leo survive in an unheated container?