Bioactive substrate mixes

[WhereToBegin]

Hey guys,

I'm thinking of going bioactive for my new 40 gallon terrariums. I've purchased some REALLY clean forest dirt(the kid at home depot was probably ready to cry by the time we finished sifting through options), play sand, and excavator clay to mix. I was wondering what mixes people have had success with in bioactive enclosures? Should I add anything else? I was thinking some ash or volcanic rock or pumice could be good for fertilizing the soil. Is there anything else I should know?

For CUC I would like to use Dubia's, Mealies, Morios, isopods, and springtails. I was also playing with the idea of using blue death feigning beetles or even possibly dung beetles? I worry about the gecko's eating them though... :scratchhead:

I was thinking about layering the dirt to provide a softer and more airy dirt towards the bottom, with a more compact clay surface(with "holes" down to the lower layers for the CUC). I was thinking of using a mix of 6/8th excavator and 2/8th soil/sand mix for the top layer(which would only be about 1/2-1/4" thick), with a layer that is more half/half inbetween and a more soil layer at the bottom. The top two layers likely won't be very thick layers, and I was thinking the bottom layer would be the thickest. I mentioned this idea to a petstore employee who keeps their gecko in a bioactive, and they mentioned something about moisture build-up possibly cracking the terrarium? I may have misunderstood, but I think they thought I was planning on using a heat mat(I've decided on using ceramic heat emitters for all of the enclosures) so would it be the heat and the moisture? Should I include a drainage layer in this sort of set up to catch extra moisture and reduce any toxicity building up in the bottom layers? Or just toss the idea of layers all together? Any idea's or advice would be great!

 

[rtbaum]

I would suggest these two threads:

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...y-substrate-how.html?highlight=clay+substrate

The Peninsula - Dendroboard

 

[IHaveNoIdea]

Honestly I would just buy a prepared one. Arcadia makes some great mixes. I you really wanna make it on your own, check this facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bioactivegroup/

 

[GeckoLeen]

I am not sure about those blue death beetles, but - dung beetles eat, well, dung...so I don't think I'd want my geckos eating those.

 

[WhereToBegin]

Thanks for those resources!

I would really like a thick clay based substrate, and most of the premixed substrates I've seen have been fairly loose and a sandy forest type soil. I don't think I've seen older enclosures though, so I could be wrong and maybe it does become more compact with time! From what I understand, Leopard geckos come from more shrubby arid deserts with compact sand, rock, and clay based soil(not the stereotypical empty loose sand desert, and not a loose fluffy dirt terrain). So- with the intent being to recreate their native habitat(rocky outcrops with lots of grass and bush cover and compact soil) to the best of my abilities, I think it would be nice to be able to accomplish these things. Ultimately their health is my main priority, so if this isn't obtainable then I won't force them to exist in that sort of environment.

The beetles are definitely something I'm only thinking about so far. I saw someone with a bioactive viv with the blue death feigning beetles, but I'm not sure how good they would be. Also, not all species of dung beetle depend solely on poop(many use it primarily for reproduction), and in the species I've been thinking about the adults feed readily on fruit and plant matter. But from what I understood the insects are there to consume poop and plant matter and provide their waste for the bacteria? Or is it that the insects are there to consume plant matter and provide waste for good bacteria to feed on, which will feed on the poop of the gecko as well? Hope that makes sense? haha :?

Also do your Gecko's eat your beetles? This would probably be the deciding factor on what beetles I use, as I won't be placing any beetles outside of commonly used species into the enclosure if there's a chance of them eating them. I don't want to risk picking a species who happens to have something in them that reacts poorly with my Leo's digestive system(and honestly who's researching, "all of the beetles from around the world that a Leopard Gecko can digest safely." :lol!