You forgot to give a warning that when building a bioactive enclosure, especially one with a background you make, it's addictive. Not done with my first one and I am jonesin to make more. There is so much you can do to build one and only limited by your imagination.
I just finished the hardscape of my 4th bioactive enclosure for new gecko. 18x18x24 I feel pretty good about it. I ordered the 5th tank being black friday too. lol
Great video! My girlfriend and I bought this tank for a crestie and were worried we wouldn’t be able to make it bioactive given the short bottom space, but this gives us a lot of hope and ideas to get started. Thanks for showing us what’s possible!
Don’t bio active tanks need a drainage layer with hydroballs and a mesh layer? Honest question I may try adding plants to mine since I have the substrate already.
@@ahzulsenpai2391 drainage layer is different then a drain on the bottom, a drainage layer consists of clayballs and mesh ontop of that with charcoal and then substrate on top the springtails will live around the charcoal and in the substrate and the clay balls at the bottom will keep humidity while soaking up extra water that spills through the substrate.
Another awesome video! Next time I make a bioactive enclosure I will have to try your method! I love that you got your wife a lechie for Christmas, that is super awesome! I keep asking my family for reptiles but no one wants to buy me any lol! They do not realize what happens when you start a reptile collection! Keep doing what you are doing, you are awesome!
The drainage layer is actually vital for beneficial bacteria and necessary moisture retention. Also the silicone doesn't like to stick to the shiny side of the foam so it might start peeling off after a while.
I’m currently building a bio active setup using this Thrive setup. I’m looking for recommendations regarding lighting for the plants. It’s an oddly shaped tank, so picking a good light is a challenge for me. Thank you for your assistance. I love your videos and your setups.
Hello, have you had any issues with the rust on the top of this tank? I just got one and set it up but now somebody is saying that the tops of these rust.
Where did you get the moss vine? I ordered one from Exo Terra thinking it was the same but theirs showed up completely brown with very minimal moss covering. The pictures showed green in it like yours but I got nothing close to that.
@@EZS248 yeah, it's very dependent on plant species. Your plants may do fine, while others wont. Many plants used in terrariums are low light plants, which dont need special lighting. So, they do fine. But now this hobby has exploded and more plants are being used, which many have very specific lighting requirements.
So hey. Do you not carve the shiny off your great stuff? I hate doing that part kn a big build, but have never known anyone to skip it?? How long have you had the dirt stick when doing this way...not carving? Also what kind of lid came with the thrive tank? I have a hex and two bowfronts that Ive bio-built....finding screen tops for them has been a nightmare.
Hey Sandy. I generally don't cut the great stuff, no. The oldest take I have with this method is 6 years old and it still have some dirt stuck on it. If cutting it is a pain you can also scuff it with a coarse grain sand paper. Its messy but easier I think. I did a full review of the thrive tank here and you can get a better look at the screen top. th-cam.com/video/gZ6tUjU18_8/w-d-xo.html
@@AltitudeExotics Im def going to try your method. I have tried using only gorilla glue, not my fave. Hard to control the expanding and coir/sphag doesnt last as long. Thanks so much, i really enjoy your work :))
Hey umm.... Starting to question myself. What's injury height from a fall for a crested gecko? 36 inches, 48? I have mine in a sideways 40, and occasionally I look at her and wonder about the vet bill from a bad fall.
They are super tough and built to fall. Their main defense against predators is to jump first and ask questions later. In 10 years and 50k geckos I've only had one single injury from a fall. A female jumped out of my hand and hit her eye right on the corner of a table. In a cage I doubt they could hurt themselves if they tried.
Alicia de Bruijn You can use any LED bulb that is nice and bright and white, I just use a 36 inch LED shop light from Home Depot. UVB doesn’t benefit plans at all.
@@AltitudeExotics That's a shame but maybe there's options if there's square cabinets that are big enough to fit the whole thing on top. I've never seen any but I would've thought there's a market for corner vivs and cabinets.
Wow, the best Christmas present ever!
You forgot to give a warning that when building a bioactive enclosure, especially one with a background you make, it's addictive. Not done with my first one and I am jonesin to make more. There is so much you can do to build one and only limited by your imagination.
Very very true!
And skill. We are also limited by our skill. Serpa is an Ent. The rest of us only wish our designs work out like his.
I just finished the hardscape of my 4th bioactive enclosure for new gecko. 18x18x24 I feel pretty good about it. I ordered the 5th tank being black friday too. lol
Great video! My girlfriend and I bought this tank for a crestie and were worried we wouldn’t be able to make it bioactive given the short bottom space, but this gives us a lot of hope and ideas to get started. Thanks for showing us what’s possible!
Thank you for sharing! That came out really nice! I love the idea of using the bendable bridge in the back as a ledge. ❤️👍🤩
Don’t bio active tanks need a drainage layer with hydroballs and a mesh layer? Honest question I may try adding plants to mine since I have the substrate already.
yes thats a must have
yeah i was wondering if the glass was tempered so i could drill a hole for the drainage layer
@@ahzulsenpai2391 drainage layer is different then a drain on the bottom, a drainage layer consists of clayballs and mesh ontop of that with charcoal and then substrate on top the springtails will live around the charcoal and in the substrate and the clay balls at the bottom will keep humidity while soaking up extra water that spills through the substrate.
I use lava rocks
@@andrewtran689 yes, those replacement lava rocks for propane grills work great, and they’re much cheaper too.
I used this same enclosure to make a bioactive setup for my adult female crestie
Another awesome video! Next time I make a bioactive enclosure I will have to try your method! I love that you got your wife a lechie for Christmas, that is super awesome! I keep asking my family for reptiles but no one wants to buy me any lol! They do not realize what happens when you start a reptile collection! Keep doing what you are doing, you are awesome!
Thank you so much!
The drainage layer is actually vital for beneficial bacteria and necessary moisture retention. Also the silicone doesn't like to stick to the shiny side of the foam so it might start peeling off after a while.
I saw a guy did a build like this but used gorilla glue instead of silicone and foam. The gorilla glue acts like expanding foam when it's wet.
@@jimmynich4791 Clint right?
@@sasquatchdonut2674 I think it was.
Thank you so much! I have this enclosure and I'm planning in turning into a bioactive
how'd it turn out?
Did anyone else see the gecko try to jump to the water bowl at the end of the video and not make it?
I’m currently building a bio active setup using this Thrive setup. I’m looking for recommendations regarding lighting for the plants. It’s an oddly shaped tank, so picking a good light is a challenge for me. Thank you for your assistance. I love your videos and your setups.
My friend has a crested gecko, I have a whites tree frog, and we both use this tank
I LOVE YOU TOO!!
YAY YOU GOT TO 10K!!😃
Thank you!
love this im thinking about getting a crested gecko in this exact tank
Silicone won’t adhere to smooth surfaces so I suggest carving the foam fist but this looks amazing!
Personally, I’d mount the bromeliad on the cork and put something else where you had it placed. However, to each their own :)
Is that a 20 gallon Thrive tank?
Hello, have you had any issues with the rust on the top of this tank? I just got one and set it up but now somebody is saying that the tops of these rust.
Anyone else notice his hair was mohawked
I didn't even notice 😂
Where did you get the moss vine? I ordered one from Exo Terra thinking it was the same but theirs showed up completely brown with very minimal moss covering. The pictures showed green in it like yours but I got nothing close to that.
Wow what kind of moss do you use? It’s beautiful!
would this set up be ideal for a absolute beginner? This set up looks amazing but will it be hard to clean and upkeep? Im getting a crested gecko.
Not hard at all..I did it when I was a beginner
@@katelynsumner8802 nice to know. I can't wait to get my gecko lol
Anyone know how long the dirt on the back will stay on the silicone??
I was wondering when you were gonna do something like this. I've been thinking of going bioactive using thrive for my juvenile snakes
only using uvb is not enough for good plant growth you should use a special bulb specifically for plants. other than that great video brian!!!
No actually its fine. My plants are doing very well on uvb. Maybe its just some plants.
@@EZS248 yeah, it's very dependent on plant species. Your plants may do fine, while others wont. Many plants used in terrariums are low light plants, which dont need special lighting. So, they do fine. But now this hobby has exploded and more plants are being used, which many have very specific lighting requirements.
This is awesome! Any tips on what kind of silicone to use?
So hey. Do you not carve the shiny off your great stuff? I hate doing that part kn a big build, but have never known anyone to skip it?? How long have you had the dirt stick when doing this way...not carving?
Also what kind of lid came with the thrive tank? I have a hex and two bowfronts that Ive bio-built....finding screen tops for them has been a nightmare.
Hey Sandy. I generally don't cut the great stuff, no. The oldest take I have with this method is 6 years old and it still have some dirt stuck on it. If cutting it is a pain you can also scuff it with a coarse grain sand paper. Its messy but easier I think.
I did a full review of the thrive tank here and you can get a better look at the screen top.
th-cam.com/video/gZ6tUjU18_8/w-d-xo.html
@@AltitudeExotics Im def going to try your method. I have tried using only gorilla glue, not my fave. Hard to control the expanding and
coir/sphag doesnt last as long. Thanks so much, i really enjoy your work :))
Happy new year
Do the bio active tank bugs ever get out into your house? That's my fear lol.
As someone who has multiple bio active vivariums, I have never seen any of the bugs outside of the vivariums
My feeders get out and idk how
I’ve been looking for bio active kits but nobody sells one for this size tank
Hey umm.... Starting to question myself. What's injury height from a fall for a crested gecko? 36 inches, 48? I have mine in a sideways 40, and occasionally I look at her and wonder about the vet bill from a bad fall.
They are super tough and built to fall. Their main defense against predators is to jump first and ask questions later. In 10 years and 50k geckos I've only had one single injury from a fall. A female jumped out of my hand and hit her eye right on the corner of a table. In a cage I doubt they could hurt themselves if they tried.
Is this tank okay for ever, like for the life of the crested gecko
if you foam the silicon sticks better to the faom
Very nice
Hi I just dropped a quick dm on Instagram asking you what morph my gecko is. If you could reply it would make my day love this channel as well🤙🏽♥️😊
Is this how your breeders are housed? I wanna see the breeder/adult setups you have!
Can you do this for whites tree frog
if you make one for a crested gecko what kind of grow light should you get? since they don’t require uvb i’m a little confused 😅
Alicia de Bruijn You can use any LED bulb that is nice and bright and white, I just use a 36 inch LED shop light from Home Depot. UVB doesn’t benefit plans at all.
What is the purpose of the silicone base layer if you don't mind me asking?
It makes the foam stick better because the foam sprayed right on the glass with come off I learned that the hard way
🥳
I grabbed 2 of those exagon terrarium $34.70
Where from?
Happy New Year! What a beautiful enclosure :)
Do you need both isopods and springtails for a bioactive ecosystem?
Yes, if you want it to be a real self sustaining setup you do need both
Could you pls do a vid we’re you make different types of backgrounds
Where did you get the tank from????
Petsmart
Is there a cabinet to go with these?
Unfortunately there is not
@@AltitudeExotics That's a shame but maybe there's options if there's square cabinets that are big enough to fit the whole thing on top. I've never seen any but I would've thought there's a market for corner vivs and cabinets.
When will you be having your next gecko sale?
I will be putting new geckos up for sale every Friday for all of February and March!
Chrismas was 9 days ago
Well spotted ;)
lol. i just bought one online.
I love your videos and your work but please fix your hair.
😆😆 you'll have to take it up with my wife, this was her idea
Yep I agree. But all in all great video
Isn’t great stuff toxic because that’s what it said on the bottle
It is safe once it is dry
@@AltitudeExotics oh thanks for telling me because that made me skeptical about using it
10k!!!