Peat is an amazing thing! Peat at the bottom of the bog is, sometimes, anaerobic, meaning it contains no oxygen and therefore no bacteria.When digging for construction, workers in Britain and Scotland discovered the absolutely remarkably preserved remains of Iron Age Celts that had been sacrificed to the bog by ancient druids. This was my thesis in college. You could say peat moss...grew on me. (yeaaaaaaahhhhhh)
I'd love to read up on this, we tend to make our own Compost or buy from a local green shop (their Compost is primarily food waste) so I had no idea about peat moss!
I'm not an expert by any means but I remember hearing in other bioactive tutorials that it's a good idea to let the tank sit by itself for around a month or so before introducing the reptile so that the bacteria and cleanup crew has time to establish itself. Otherwise the reptile may introduce more waste than the rest of the tank can keep up with. That's just something I've seen people say, at least. If you and Ed are also new to bioactive setups then this may be something to look into further.
This is why she squized out aquarium filter, since aquarium filter already has an established colony of bacteria and you simply just transfer it over to another tank. Thats why she said its a quick start
I’d think that it depends on specifics, if I had a large colony of isopods and spring tails and start with adding the colony of bacteria I’d imagine you’d have to leave this for very little time for it to keep up. And a set up should sit for a couple days min to make sure your humidity and temp are stable and correct for your animals needs. So if you did that I think it would be fine to add animal almost immediately
Have you considered looking into Serpadesigns or Ant Canada? They both do some amazing Bioactive works on their channels which could definitely give you some inspiration for your displays at the new building. Best of luck Emily, and have a great 2020! Edit: The Substrate mix that Sepra uses is 1 Part Coco Fiber, 1 Part Orchid Bark, 1 Part Charcoal, 2 Parts Sphagnum Moss and 0.5-1 part sand. This seems pretty similar to what you used, so I imagine you'll have good results.
I didn't read this first, but I also suggested Ants Canada! I don't plan on keeping ants any more than I plan to keep snakes, but I find both channels fascinating. I have watched 1-2 Serpadesigns videos and thought they were good, but I decided to limit my pet channels to just Snake Discovery and Ants Canada.
@@shadodragonette Same with me, only we do have 1 5 lined skink and 3 leopard gecko's. My 4 year old wants a snake but Grandma is scared of snakes. She loved watch Snake Discovery.
You're like the patron saint of snakes. My mom and I were discussing setting up a bioactive tank for Honey, and BOOM! you post a video on that very subject. You're the reason I got a snake and one of the reasons I'm able to take good care of her. Thank you so much for everything you do!
Fantastic that this video came out the same day I decided to start remaking my corns habitat into a bioactive one! I'm happy you're shining a light on the peat-issue. Thank you so much!
2 male cats live with me and my grownup children. Every reptile is illegal in my country. Only ever seen reptiles on TV or TH-cam... still watch and comment.
Using beneficial bacteria from aquarium filters is a great idea! When looking into ecosystems for fish tanks, someone found that the beneficial bacteria in aquariums live in soil as well! They don't need water to survive, so I'm sure that using the filter media helped with establishing the terrarium faster.
I was just looking through and saw this pop up. I’ve never seen one of your videos so early!! They’re so interesting and also so educational and you always explain everything perfectly for me (sometimes I can find it hard to understand what people are trying to say and need it explained in a different way) so thank you for that ...I just LOVE your videos. xx
I always make my own substrates for Bioactive Enclosures. This last time I used charcoal and gravel for the drainage layer, and then Coco coir, Organic Super Soil (Bat Guano), and Sphagnum Moss for the soil layer! I also mixed in some ReptiBark for soil aeration! I'm very excited to see how it all works! But so far, I'm very thrilled.
I am Doing a bioactive set up in a week and this video gave a good idea of what I'm doing this for my anole that I'm getting soon. Thank you so much, Emily and Ed. This Bioactive set up was awsome.
Absolutely love your videos! I set up a bioactive just a few weeks ago after a ton of research online. I ended up doing my own mix for substrate, geared more towards a ball python since that’s what’s being housed in it currently. I went with reptibark, coir, topsoil, spagnum, and leaf litter. I even used water from my aquarium to hydrate the soil and in my drainage layer just on a whim for the same reasons you gave here. That beneficial bacteria can only help! You guys are always sooo motivating and I love watching all your stuff! Thank you for being so passionate and dedicated to both your animals, and the education you provide for all of us!
I didn’t know Peat moss was bad for the environment! I will change to a different soil when I run out!! Edit: I meant Peat Moss harvesting is bad for the environment, not the Peat Moss itself
So I have no snakes/ any reptiles yet here I am binging Snake Discovery!! Learning where peat moss came from and it’s pretty interesting!! Emily is a great teacher!! I can sit and listen to her for hours. Which is proven after the last couple of weeks!!
You don’t understand that this channel is my life it’s so good like I really like the content like Ik I sound so weird but it’s really educational and I actually have an interest in learning this stuff it’s amazing and I have 9 pet snails and a moss garden and wood lice or whatever u call them to help clean up and I really love them ur content makes me so excited I cant describe it and I feel so educated like Ik what I’m talking about I love it
I Swear im not stalking your channel its just luck! But that being said, Love your channel!! Edit: Also, the video so far is so useful, im looking to get a reptile sometime and these videos are a lifesaver!
Emily setting up some cages: alright this is how you do this/that The people who disliked the video: cages are weird I don’t like this stick. DISLIKED!! Me: oooooooooooooohh I like that dirt it’s nice I want it.
I have been wanting to redo both of my snake's terrariums for a long time (they were my sons babies who passed away). I watched this video and fell in love with it and have just ordered all the items from Josh's Frog to set up the 36x18x18 first. Wish me luck since this is my first time doing a bio terrarium but I can't wait to get started. Thank you for doing this video and believe me I am following this channel and will watch more to help my snakes live the best life they can.
Hi Emily! I just wanted to say that I really thoroughly enjoyed your video. Your habitat looks well built but in reality it's very simple. I enjoyed the way that you explain the information was simple for me to understand. I recently did a bioactive enclosure for my ball python. My substrate mix consisted of orchid bark, sphagnum Moss, Coco fiber and charcoal. like your mixture it was mostly I balled and not actually measured out but the consistency was somewhat similar to what you have. It's worked really well so far although it's only been 2 months. At the suggestion of some people on a bio-active Facebook group I added in organic topsoil because my plants were not doing very well and since then my plants have done much better. Another thing that I did was I have not added in my ball python yet in order to allow my plans to establish rootsbefore I have a somewhat heavy bodied snake slithering around them although that won't be a problem with your false chameleons. I baste my substrate a mix that circle design here on TH-cam as well as a video that Clint's reptiles posted on building bio-active. I like that your video was much more informational as to what the elements in the terrarium actually do. the majority of videos that I've seen have just been how to build it with little to no explanation of why to do things a certain way. Excellent video!!!
I have to vicariously live through you since I'm not in the financial position to own reptiles, but I love them so much! So, thank you for the videos! 🖤
Cant wait to see them in a few months. I like learning about bio-active set ups. Really interesting learning the difference between bio active and other set ups. Thanks for the info!! Also I think this is the most Ed sightings I've ever seen!
I finished setting up my second arid bioactive enclosure for my rescued Leo.. he’s doing really well (and before people come for me I watch the humidity and everything). I always love to mix my own substrate for both of my enclosures I used coco fiber, organic cacti potting soil, earthworm castings, a bit of sand for drainage and clay to compact it a bit. (I also have some moss on the humid side) Ps: my female is in a 50 gallon and my male (he’s a lot smaller) is in a 30 gallon so they gave a good range of heat and humidity
i don't have any reptiles or inverts yet, but ive had great success with lightly crushing the clay balls, to massively increase the surface area, this has worked amazingly for a hybrid hydroponic setup ive been running with sensitive veggies and herbs.
There are springtails in the soil naturally in my area, and there are Rollie pollies here too, so I usually just wake some dirt from behind my garage and use that in my enclosures Toads do sometimes eat the Rollie pollies though
That’s real handy! I was about to mention taking care with the material and possible contaminants in the soil, but I suppose the springtails and the microorganisms would help clean it.
Very informative video Emily! I really liked how you explained the reasoning behind each layer/component of the bio-active enclosure. I can't wait to see the progress video in a couple months.
i'd love to see a bioactive enclosure specifically for ball pythons! also - any thoughts about bioactives without false bottoms? i've seen a few people make them so they can still use heat mats, but i'd love to hear yalls opinion on this!
Heat mats are not a good heat source. A halogen flood bulb connected to a dimmer/dimming thermostat is the most natural and beneficial option during the day. They produce infrared A and B like the sun, heat that penetrates deep into the skin tissue and heats them far more effectively than heat mats. Whereas heat mats only produce IRC, which only heats the surface of their skin. Ceramic heat emitters are good for nighttime heat.
This is absolutely beautiful I love the live plants. Bio active enclosers are kind of their own little worlds it's super cool. Thanks for the inspiration!
This is really cool. I've done a bioactive fish tank. The setup is a bit different, but the results are fantastic. I never had to do a water change over the life of the tank or even let it cycle. I left it for a week before adding fish but the nitrates and ammonia where always stable so that wasn't actually needed.
Once its established you shouldn't have to clean or mess with the enclosure ever again unless there's issues like plants dying or you just don't like the way it looks. The point of going bioactive is to have a completely self sustaining environment like outside. You of course would have to make sure you have enough food sources for the isopods and springtails and you may have to add more of those guys in if you notice they aren't breeding or you don't have as many as you should, but otherwise it shouldn't have to be cleaned or anything.
I had no idea about peat moss, thank you for sharing that info! I actually made my own bioactive enclosure about 3 months ago using a diy substrate. I got the basic 'recipe' from SerpaDesign here on youtube, then tweaked it a little based on what I had/what I could find. I started with a coco fiber base, I think it was eco earth, then added sphagnum moss, lump wood charcoal, sand, and orchid bark. I have a magnolia tree in my front yard, so I collected some leaves from there, baked them, then crunched them up and scattered them around on top of the substrate. I also did a custom background for mine which I put small pots in so I could have plants all over the back and sides. I used similar plants as you guys, an arrowhead plant, and 2 varieties of pothos, plus creeping fig, a white vein fittonia, a maidenhair fern and a "janet craig compacta" draceana. (there were other plants, but they died off from the shock of the move) I of course added springtails and isopods to mine, but I also added some redworms I bought in the fishing section of Walmart, to help break down the soil and feed the plants. Unfortunately I didn't think to get a bacteria starter culture, but I have a feeling mine is pretty well established at this point. You guys provided some great info and if you, or anyone else wants to learn more about bioactive enclosures, I highly recommend SerpaDesign. He's amazing and makes some absolutely GORGEOUS terrariums, vivariums, and paludariums.
Need more updates on new Building you guys bought!!! I MUST KNOOOOWWWWW!!!!!! Congrats by the way!! I'm sooooo happy for you guys!!!!!! It has nothing to do with me but I'm still proud of you guys!!
Love this video! Quick question re the experiment: Will the different sizes of the chameleons (small vs big) possibly affect the results? Like, if the smaller chameleon produces less feces will the good bacteria have less to eat? Or if the larger produces too much, could the enclosure get dirtier?
The size won't really matter, at least I think not, but you do have a good point. Both still need upkeep but with the amount of bacteria and things in there they should stay equally clean, but I think the leaves in the smaller one's enclosure might disappear faster
Keelia Silvis there would technically be a difference due to, as you mentioned, less food consumed and less feces produced, but it would be so minute it wouldn’t be noticeable. Very good question tho
I don't know how active false chameleons are but I've compared the growth rate of the same plants in my baby tank vs the adult crested gecko tank and because my oldie loves jumping and crushing plants, they don't do as well as the baby tank. And the feces does make a difference as well.
Concerning compost, if you can't find any, I suggest making your own ^^ it's really easy, especially if you have a garden: just purchase a specialized type of bin (or make your own with wood, it's pretty easy) then plonk all your green (banana skins, vegetable peels, tea...) waste into it. DIY compost in just a couple months :)
Hey, this host is amazing, energy, information delivery, speed and ease of access to the more complex areas of information, all really well done. Much respect to the script writers, the host, and production team. Really makes videos better to watch when people care.
This is great, I'm in the process of making a bigger terrarium for our cornsnakes and it's a big help to see how bioactive enclosures work. I do wonder where I can find the bugs...
I keep dart frogs, and bioactive is basically the best way to keep them. One thing for people to be aware of setting up a bioactive tank is that you dont add unwanted pests. It's usually recommended that you rinse your plants, and boil or bake any sticks you bring in from outside to kill any hitch hikers. My first frog tank now has a bunch of unplanned millipedes. Yay.
Personally I wouldn't add milipedes with my frogs since milipedes secrete a toxin through their skin which can be potentially harmful for a dart frog since they absorb substances through their skin
thank you for letting me know about the peat moss issue, i had no idea that it was so damaging to harvest. i will make sure in the future to never get peat moss or anythign with it as an ingredient.
I've been planning on something bioactive for a Chinese Water Dragon when I eventually get one! Love watching and learning about it even if the animal is different
Awesome video! The false chameleons look so cute and beautiful. Love how you explain everything and mention where people can buy the supplies you mention. I'm wondering if you're gonna make a video about the springtails/baby snails and the isopods. Because I'm curious about when you started with them, how you keep them and how you take care of them.
I've had my critters in bioactive setups for several years now and they have done beautifully in them! It is much lower mantinence than the more classic setups I had them in before and I am no longer having the same shedding/appetite problems that I was having before switching. My leopard gecko will now sometimes give herself a soak in her water dish instead of me needing to give her a bath which would have never happened before. I wasn't expecting the change of enclosure to change her behavior all that much but it certainly has! Love the channel, curious to see how they do as I have always made my own mix of soil.
Could you do a video for setting up a bioactive vivarium for a woma? As I have built 2 vivs for my womas but I'm unsure what substrate and plants to use for them
sugar plum I did one for my mantis and have failed miserably. So glad they are doing one so I can learn. I didn’t realize the drainage layer should stay wet :(
No views. 64 likes and 8 comments. Makes a lot of sense youtube 😂 btw love the videos. Im a big fan of yours. Thanks for making very good eductional videos for all of us 😁😁
I plan on setting up my first bioactive enclosure ever for a crested gecko I'm planning on getting eventually so I'm grateful this video is here to help!
I just began my bioactive closure today! I used lava rocks instead of clay balls and my layer isn't as thick, but my enclosure is 36" x 18" and is a low ExoTerra cage so there wouldn't be enough room for a chunky drainage and soil layer (also, I... ran out of rocks, frankly). To have a bacteria colony ready, I bought a mossball from a fish tank from the pet store. I tore it up into dime shaped pieces and scattered them throughout the lava rocks before adding water and mesh. I used Reptisoil which is a pre-mixed soil. My plants arrive tomorrow, my isopods haven't shipped yet. Alas, it's hard to find live plants and bugs in middle of winter. I am so excited!
This is so awesome! I have a question about working with the enclosure! How do you keep mold from forming in your enclosures? I don't have a reptile myself yet, but I can already see this being a problem for me as my plant babies have had a few mold issues in the past in their soil. This is easy to care for and fix, but it seems like it would be difficult to cure in an enclosure. I'd just love to know from you or other commentors! ♡
I made my own substrate mix for my crested gecko enclosure. I used coconut fiber, jungle mix, reptile bark, charcoal, sand, sphagnum moss and crumbled leaf litter. I covered the whole thing with a layer of live carpet moss. It seems to be holding moisture well and my gecko loves it.
I added a tiny fountain pump to my tank to create a waterfall, and made a corner of the tank have a little pond by pushing back the substrate with some material. My tree frogs love it!
Hi Emily, I was wondering if you could reply to me when your business is done because I would love to come when your there! I really want to meet you! I recently got a crested gecko and will soon get a snake, this is all because of you! You got me to love reptiles and now my mom is getting into reptiles too (still working on snakes though)
I didnt know this was how peat moss was sourced until now :( Thank you, I use it frequently to top dress my lawn and as a general mix and wont any longer. Love you videos!
Kiri N nice! I hope I can get a nice ball python! I honestly don’t care if mine will be cool looking I just want a nice ball python. I will update you once I come back.
I said the same thing came back with a female pied ball python, a female tangerine leopard gecko, a mack snow leopard gecko, a mango bearded dragon and a tegu
Thank you! I finally pulled the trigger and got into isopods 😁😁 and now my rainbow boa and bci are done with quarantine. I'm setting them up bioactive enclosures.
I would love to move to bioactive setups for my snakes once they get to adult size. I do have one question though, is there a good way to treat for snake mites without having to completely tear down a bioactive enclosure and rebuild it later when the mites have been taken care of?
I've heard that you can add predatory mites that will eat the parasitic mites to prevent snake mites or mites on lizards in a bioactive setup, just adding those predatory mites into your cleanup crew.
Such a great informational video Emily. I have no idea how your remember all of that information. Hopefully they both work out great for you. And the baby is so cute.
Such a timely video! I'm planning to convert a 20g fish aquarium to a planted, bioactive terrarium this week. I'm planning a DIY substrate mix, and this video is so helpful!
One suggestion I had. I quarantined my plants. Basically I washed them in water to take as much of the existing soil off and then replanted them in my prepared substrate and placed them in a plastic tote for a few weeks. Basically I did this because a lot of plants sold at garden departments and in similar places have soils with chemicals and fertilizers that won't be good to have in your finished vivarium. My logic behind it was that plants are very sensitive to changes in soil and this way they had some time to get rid of the fertilizers in their roots as well as to get accustomed to the soil they would now be living in. Personally I would at least wash the roots of all the plants that I put in a vivararium that I intended to put my pets in just to make sure that I get all the chemicals and fertilizers out.
There's not much fertilizer that is gonna harm an animal unless it eats pounds of substrate. It's not much difference than letting poop break down in the tank. 2 day old drinking water is worse imo.
Ed & Emily you should look into getting one of those chemical compression bottles as a water mister. The larger ones work really well to mist your aquariums and they have a long hose from the bottle to the mister spout so you don't have to hold the bottle. A friend of mine has hers on a 3 castors rolling plant stand so she wheels it around 🚿misting her aquariums.
“And Ed insisted on using his Ed Roberts mug”,” line made my day.
Peat is an amazing thing! Peat at the bottom of the bog is, sometimes, anaerobic, meaning it contains no oxygen and therefore no bacteria.When digging for construction, workers in Britain and Scotland discovered the absolutely remarkably preserved remains of Iron Age Celts that had been sacrificed to the bog by ancient druids.
This was my thesis in college. You could say peat moss...grew on me. (yeaaaaaaahhhhhh)
Bog mummies bog mummies bog mummies
I'd love to read more about this! Where can I go to learn more?
I'd love to read up on this, we tend to make our own Compost or buy from a local green shop (their Compost is primarily food waste) so I had no idea about peat moss!
@Butt Chug Brother Well now it is. It was a fuel source, you could burn it or make houses out of it. My thesis was on the Iron Age.
@@DesireeWalker there is another youtuber named Catlin Doughty that talks about it. The channel is AskAMortician
FINALLY somebody explained the components of a bioactive environment!!! Thank you!!!
Emily: Now we get to add LIFE to them!
Plants: ....
Pants: Are we a joke to you?!
rainwater739 “pants” 😂
rainwater739 *plants. Pants are a joke to me... 😂
Lol this may be my favorite comment LOL
She pulled a GioGio
Yay! Setting one up for a rescue rough green snake rn ❤
Nice
Ur a good person!
Thank you for rescuing it😊
Be careful when rescuing becasue sometimes wild snakes do better wild♥️🐍
Hey, how's the noodle doin!
I'm not an expert by any means but I remember hearing in other bioactive tutorials that it's a good idea to let the tank sit by itself for around a month or so before introducing the reptile so that the bacteria and cleanup crew has time to establish itself. Otherwise the reptile may introduce more waste than the rest of the tank can keep up with. That's just something I've seen people say, at least. If you and Ed are also new to bioactive setups then this may be something to look into further.
That makes so much sense! Like it has time to create its natural biome first
This is why she squized out aquarium filter, since aquarium filter already has an established colony of bacteria and you simply just transfer it over to another tank. Thats why she said its a quick start
Yeah that makes a lot of sense but a month seems a little long to me idk
I’d think that it depends on specifics, if I had a large colony of isopods and spring tails and start with adding the colony of bacteria I’d imagine you’d have to leave this for very little time for it to keep up. And a set up should sit for a couple days min to make sure your humidity and temp are stable and correct for your animals needs. So if you did that I think it would be fine to add animal almost immediately
This actually helps me a lot-
Have you considered looking into Serpadesigns or Ant Canada? They both do some amazing Bioactive works on their channels which could definitely give you some inspiration for your displays at the new building.
Best of luck Emily, and have a great 2020!
Edit: The Substrate mix that Sepra uses is 1 Part Coco Fiber, 1 Part Orchid Bark, 1 Part Charcoal, 2 Parts Sphagnum Moss and 0.5-1 part sand.
This seems pretty similar to what you used, so I imagine you'll have good results.
I didn't read this first, but I also suggested Ants Canada! I don't plan on keeping ants any more than I plan to keep snakes, but I find both channels fascinating. I have watched 1-2 Serpadesigns videos and thought they were good, but I decided to limit my pet channels to just Snake Discovery and Ants Canada.
@@shadodragonette Same with me, only we do have 1 5 lined skink and 3 leopard gecko's. My 4 year old wants a snake but Grandma is scared of snakes. She loved watch Snake Discovery.
I love Ants Canada, and they have some super interesting bio active setups.
Yes ants Canada is so good
I literally just came here from serpa
I'm honestly so happy to see how much more animated Ed gets overtime. I'm glad he feels more comfortable with his presence on the channel.
I love how you care about your animals some people just neglect them keep up the great work
You're like the patron saint of snakes. My mom and I were discussing setting up a bioactive tank for Honey, and BOOM! you post a video on that very subject. You're the reason I got a snake and one of the reasons I'm able to take good care of her. Thank you so much for everything you do!
Fantastic that this video came out the same day I decided to start remaking my corns habitat into a bioactive one! I'm happy you're shining a light on the peat-issue.
Thank you so much!
So what wrong with using peat moss?
Is my turtle going to be okay using it?
William Lewis I’m hoping (and assuming) you found out the answer(s) to your question(s).
Half of us don't even have reptiles
And here we are watching this
Probably way more then half, if we’re being honest.
I'm littlerly waiting for a shayan video
I got a snake because of them. 😫Thanks Emily.😍🐍🐍😂
My reptile is a desert animal but I’m still watching this lol
Accurate. ;-D
Me: Doesnt have pets and don't plan to have anytime soon...
Also me: Watches video on setting up bioactive setups for pets...
Vj Hawj me
@@chaos383 thats me
Lol
2 male cats live with me and my grownup children. Every reptile is illegal in my country. Only ever seen reptiles on TV or TH-cam... still watch and comment.
@@gubjorggisladottir3525 What country you from?
Using beneficial bacteria from aquarium filters is a great idea! When looking into ecosystems for fish tanks, someone found that the beneficial bacteria in aquariums live in soil as well! They don't need water to survive, so I'm sure that using the filter media helped with establishing the terrarium faster.
Went to visit my friend and meet her new wife, luckily we both watch your videos so we were able to bond over our love of snakes and your videos 😀
I was just looking through and saw this pop up. I’ve never seen one of your videos so early!! They’re so interesting and also so educational and you always explain everything perfectly for me (sometimes I can find it hard to understand what people are trying to say and need it explained in a different way) so thank you for that ...I just LOVE your videos. xx
Thank you so much for consistently focusing on environmental impacts and trying to offer alternates. Such important information
Why do people even DISLIKE Emily's videos! Her every video is very educational and amazing!
I always make my own substrates for Bioactive Enclosures. This last time I used charcoal and gravel for the drainage layer, and then Coco coir, Organic Super Soil (Bat Guano), and Sphagnum Moss for the soil layer! I also mixed in some ReptiBark for soil aeration! I'm very excited to see how it all works! But so far, I'm very thrilled.
Respect on a educational talk on peat moss, I didn’t know that but it’s important thanks!
I recently saw someone set up a bioactive tank and found it kinda soothing so i was excited to get the notification for this video!
I am Doing a bioactive set up in a week and this video gave a good idea of what I'm doing this for my anole that I'm getting soon.
Thank you so much, Emily and Ed. This Bioactive set up was awsome.
Oh my gosh I’m so glad that you are talking about the problems with using pete moss
Absolutely love your videos! I set up a bioactive just a few weeks ago after a ton of research online. I ended up doing my own mix for substrate, geared more towards a ball python since that’s what’s being housed in it currently. I went with reptibark, coir, topsoil, spagnum, and leaf litter. I even used water from my aquarium to hydrate the soil and in my drainage layer just on a whim for the same reasons you gave here. That beneficial bacteria can only help! You guys are always sooo motivating and I love watching all your stuff! Thank you for being so passionate and dedicated to both your animals, and the education you provide for all of us!
I didn’t know Peat moss was bad for the environment! I will change to a different soil when I run out!!
Edit: I meant Peat Moss harvesting is bad for the environment, not the Peat Moss itself
peat moss harvesting is bad for the environment, peat moss itself isnt.
So I have no snakes/ any reptiles yet here I am binging Snake Discovery!! Learning where peat moss came from and it’s pretty interesting!! Emily is a great teacher!! I can sit and listen to her for hours. Which is proven after the last couple of weeks!!
Thank you for the peat sensitivity!
Really appreciate you describing the problems associated with peat moss, how to look for it in an ingredients list, and alternatives.
Have you made an update video on this build? Would love to see the results :) Really enjoy all of your videos and always learn a lot from them!
You don’t understand that this channel is my life it’s so good like I really like the content like Ik I sound so weird but it’s really educational and I actually have an interest in learning this stuff it’s amazing and I have 9 pet snails and a moss garden and wood lice or whatever u call them to help clean up and I really love them ur content makes me so excited I cant describe it and I feel so educated like Ik what I’m talking about I love it
I Swear im not stalking your channel its just luck! But that being said, Love your channel!!
Edit: Also, the video so far is so useful, im looking to get a reptile sometime and these videos are a lifesaver!
Ya know, notifications are used
Ninja Panda Girl
Notifications don't come 30 seconds after the video is uploaded!
@@casualkhajiit oh really? Kay, I thought it was like that but I was always 25 minutes late.
I been looking on a video like this for ever, love your vids snake discovery.
Emily setting up some cages: alright this is how you do this/that
The people who disliked the video: cages are weird I don’t like this stick. DISLIKED!!
Me: oooooooooooooohh I like that dirt it’s nice I want it.
Want to eat the dirt 😍
Come art with me ! Honestly it’s some great dirt.
XD
I like sticks
I use crickets to clean up the waste. They're too loud, need some isopods.
I have been wanting to redo both of my snake's terrariums for a long time (they were my sons babies who passed away). I watched this video and fell in love with it and have just ordered all the items from Josh's Frog to set up the 36x18x18 first. Wish me luck since this is my first time doing a bio terrarium but I can't wait to get started. Thank you for doing this video and believe me I am following this channel and will watch more to help my snakes live the best life they can.
Hi Emily! I just wanted to say that I really thoroughly enjoyed your video. Your habitat looks well built but in reality it's very simple. I enjoyed the way that you explain the information was simple for me to understand.
I recently did a bioactive enclosure for my ball python. My substrate mix consisted of orchid bark, sphagnum Moss, Coco fiber and charcoal. like your mixture it was mostly I balled and not actually measured out but the consistency was somewhat similar to what you have. It's worked really well so far although it's only been 2 months. At the suggestion of some people on a bio-active Facebook group I added in organic topsoil because my plants were not doing very well and since then my plants have done much better. Another thing that I did was I have not added in my ball python yet in order to allow my plans to establish rootsbefore I have a somewhat heavy bodied snake slithering around them although that won't be a problem with your false chameleons. I baste my substrate a mix that circle design here on TH-cam as well as a video that Clint's reptiles posted on building bio-active. I like that your video was much more informational as to what the elements in the terrarium actually do. the majority of videos that I've seen have just been how to build it with little to no explanation of why to do things a certain way. Excellent video!!!
I have to vicariously live through you since I'm not in the financial position to own reptiles, but I love them so much! So, thank you for the videos! 🖤
Me!
Can’t wait to see an update! It’s crazy how different they look just being male/female!
Cant wait to see them in a few months. I like learning about bio-active set ups. Really interesting learning the difference between bio active and other set ups. Thanks for the info!!
Also I think this is the most Ed sightings I've ever seen!
I finished setting up my second arid bioactive enclosure for my rescued Leo.. he’s doing really well (and before people come for me I watch the humidity and everything). I always love to mix my own substrate for both of my enclosures I used coco fiber, organic cacti potting soil, earthworm castings, a bit of sand for drainage and clay to compact it a bit. (I also have some moss on the humid side)
Ps: my female is in a 50 gallon and my male (he’s a lot smaller) is in a 30 gallon so they gave a good range of heat and humidity
i don't have any reptiles or inverts yet, but ive had great success with lightly crushing the clay balls, to massively increase the surface area, this has worked amazingly for a hybrid hydroponic setup ive been running with sensitive veggies and herbs.
There are springtails in the soil naturally in my area, and there are Rollie pollies here too, so I usually just wake some dirt from behind my garage and use that in my enclosures
Toads do sometimes eat the Rollie pollies though
That’s real handy! I was about to mention taking care with the material and possible contaminants in the soil, but I suppose the springtails and the microorganisms would help clean it.
only real issue of outside soil is the chance of parasites and poisons also coming with it
payoff is usually pretty good though
I bought nice orange Rollie pollies for my toads tank and he ate all of them in a day 😅
Veronica P You need to teach him not to be a pig, everything, even orange Rollie pollies, in moderation. 😅
That could potentially come with some pretty bad parasites and pesticides and such.
Very informative video Emily! I really liked how you explained the reasoning behind each layer/component of the bio-active enclosure. I can't wait to see the progress video in a couple months.
i'd love to see a bioactive enclosure specifically for ball pythons! also - any thoughts about bioactives without false bottoms? i've seen a few people make them so they can still use heat mats, but i'd love to hear yalls opinion on this!
Heat mats are not a good heat source. A halogen flood bulb connected to a dimmer/dimming thermostat is the most natural and beneficial option during the day. They produce infrared A and B like the sun, heat that penetrates deep into the skin tissue and heats them far more effectively than heat mats. Whereas heat mats only produce IRC, which only heats the surface of their skin. Ceramic heat emitters are good for nighttime heat.
Hey Chad!! Is your false chameleon a girl or a boy!? CHAD we want to know!
😉
why does this scare me
@@Sillysealciel Same😭😂
@RATHALOS Stfu
JKJKJK
I'm sorry, I don't know. I haven't got one yet.
They're so adorable 😍😍
This is absolutely beautiful I love the live plants. Bio active enclosers are kind of their own little worlds it's super cool. Thanks for the inspiration!
"Sorry for the focus problem. Ed was playing with the camera"
God damnit, Ed! You had one job! XD
Malene Snejbjerg Snickering...
This is really cool. I've done a bioactive fish tank. The setup is a bit different, but the results are fantastic. I never had to do a water change over the life of the tank or even let it cycle. I left it for a week before adding fish but the nitrates and ammonia where always stable so that wasn't actually needed.
I’ve grown orchids, usually miniatures and want to build an orchidarium with some kind of small animal.
There are a few geckos that would probably have similar needs
ORCHID MANTIS
A mourninh gecko
@@kakkernakker unless they keep one... otherwise I hope they're ready to own a clan of them.
This is by far the best and most informative video on bio active enclosure setup. Great job!
my only questions are how often the enclosures actually need to be cleaned and if so what products would be recommended?
Once its established you shouldn't have to clean or mess with the enclosure ever again unless there's issues like plants dying or you just don't like the way it looks. The point of going bioactive is to have a completely self sustaining environment like outside. You of course would have to make sure you have enough food sources for the isopods and springtails and you may have to add more of those guys in if you notice they aren't breeding or you don't have as many as you should, but otherwise it shouldn't have to be cleaned or anything.
@@ashleyduran6455 cool thanks
I had no idea about peat moss, thank you for sharing that info!
I actually made my own bioactive enclosure about 3 months ago using a diy substrate. I got the basic 'recipe' from SerpaDesign here on youtube, then tweaked it a little based on what I had/what I could find.
I started with a coco fiber base, I think it was eco earth, then added sphagnum moss, lump wood charcoal, sand, and orchid bark. I have a magnolia tree in my front yard, so I collected some leaves from there, baked them, then crunched them up and scattered them around on top of the substrate.
I also did a custom background for mine which I put small pots in so I could have plants all over the back and sides. I used similar plants as you guys, an arrowhead plant, and 2 varieties of pothos, plus creeping fig, a white vein fittonia, a maidenhair fern and a "janet craig compacta" draceana. (there were other plants, but they died off from the shock of the move)
I of course added springtails and isopods to mine, but I also added some redworms I bought in the fishing section of Walmart, to help break down the soil and feed the plants.
Unfortunately I didn't think to get a bacteria starter culture, but I have a feeling mine is pretty well established at this point.
You guys provided some great info and if you, or anyone else wants to learn more about bioactive enclosures, I highly recommend SerpaDesign. He's amazing and makes some absolutely GORGEOUS terrariums, vivariums, and paludariums.
I want another video with just ed again! I love him so much!!
Need more updates on new Building you guys bought!!! I MUST KNOOOOWWWWW!!!!!!
Congrats by the way!! I'm sooooo happy for you guys!!!!!! It has nothing to do with me but I'm still proud of you guys!!
Love this video! Quick question re the experiment: Will the different sizes of the chameleons (small vs big) possibly affect the results?
Like, if the smaller chameleon produces less feces will the good bacteria have less to eat? Or if the larger produces too much, could the enclosure get dirtier?
The size won't really matter, at least I think not, but you do have a good point. Both still need upkeep but with the amount of bacteria and things in there they should stay equally clean, but I think the leaves in the smaller one's enclosure might disappear faster
Keelia Silvis there would technically be a difference due to, as you mentioned, less food consumed and less feces produced, but it would be so minute it wouldn’t be noticeable. Very good question tho
@@willgraham4868 baby animals actually eat more then their grown counterparts
I don't know how active false chameleons are but I've compared the growth rate of the same plants in my baby tank vs the adult crested gecko tank and because my oldie loves jumping and crushing plants, they don't do as well as the baby tank. And the feces does make a difference as well.
I love that your videos are cute (mainly eggs hatching) and they are also informational
Concerning compost, if you can't find any, I suggest making your own ^^ it's really easy, especially if you have a garden: just purchase a specialized type of bin (or make your own with wood, it's pretty easy) then plonk all your green (banana skins, vegetable peels, tea...) waste into it. DIY compost in just a couple months :)
Hey, this host is amazing, energy, information delivery, speed and ease of access to the more complex areas of information, all really well done. Much respect to the script writers, the host, and production team. Really makes videos better to watch when people care.
This is great, I'm in the process of making a bigger terrarium for our cornsnakes and it's a big help to see how bioactive enclosures work. I do wonder where I can find the bugs...
Reptile shows and reptile stores online 😁
I love love love that you're looking for alternatives for peat!!
I keep dart frogs, and bioactive is basically the best way to keep them. One thing for people to be aware of setting up a bioactive tank is that you dont add unwanted pests. It's usually recommended that you rinse your plants, and boil or bake any sticks you bring in from outside to kill any hitch hikers. My first frog tank now has a bunch of unplanned millipedes. Yay.
Millipedes are super beneficial though!
Personally I wouldn't add milipedes with my frogs since milipedes secrete a toxin through their skin which can be potentially harmful for a dart frog since they absorb substances through their skin
thank you for letting me know about the peat moss issue, i had no idea that it was so damaging to harvest. i will make sure in the future to never get peat moss or anythign with it as an ingredient.
I love ur videos u inspired me to get a corn snake and I love him 😍
I've been planning on something bioactive for a Chinese Water Dragon when I eventually get one! Love watching and learning about it even if the animal is different
Awesome video! The false chameleons look so cute and beautiful. Love how you explain everything and mention where people can buy the supplies you mention. I'm wondering if you're gonna make a video about the springtails/baby snails and the isopods. Because I'm curious about when you started with them, how you keep them and how you take care of them.
I've had my critters in bioactive setups for several years now and they have done beautifully in them! It is much lower mantinence than the more classic setups I had them in before and I am no longer having the same shedding/appetite problems that I was having before switching. My leopard gecko will now sometimes give herself a soak in her water dish instead of me needing to give her a bath which would have never happened before. I wasn't expecting the change of enclosure to change her behavior all that much but it certainly has! Love the channel, curious to see how they do as I have always made my own mix of soil.
Could you do a video for setting up a bioactive vivarium for a woma? As I have built 2 vivs for my womas but I'm unsure what substrate and plants to use for them
check out the Reptile and Amphibian Bioactive Setups facebook page
sugar plum I did one for my mantis and have failed miserably. So glad they are doing one so I can learn. I didn’t realize the drainage layer should stay wet :(
Oh my gosh what great timing... I'm in the process of setting up a bioactive enclosure right now!
No views. 64 likes and 8 comments. Makes a lot of sense youtube 😂 btw love the videos. Im a big fan of yours. Thanks for making very good eductional videos for all of us 😁😁
they count people who've finished watching most of the video
also slow to update youtube is slow as ever
I plan on setting up my first bioactive enclosure ever for a crested gecko I'm planning on getting eventually so I'm grateful this video is here to help!
I just began my bioactive closure today! I used lava rocks instead of clay balls and my layer isn't as thick, but my enclosure is 36" x 18" and is a low ExoTerra cage so there wouldn't be enough room for a chunky drainage and soil layer (also, I... ran out of rocks, frankly). To have a bacteria colony ready, I bought a mossball from a fish tank from the pet store. I tore it up into dime shaped pieces and scattered them throughout the lava rocks before adding water and mesh. I used Reptisoil which is a pre-mixed soil. My plants arrive tomorrow, my isopods haven't shipped yet. Alas, it's hard to find live plants and bugs in middle of winter. I am so excited!
This is so awesome! I have a question about working with the enclosure! How do you keep mold from forming in your enclosures? I don't have a reptile myself yet, but I can already see this being a problem for me as my plant babies have had a few mold issues in the past in their soil. This is easy to care for and fix, but it seems like it would be difficult to cure in an enclosure. I'd just love to know from you or other commentors! ♡
springtails eat the mold
Stop overwatering.
I made my own substrate mix for my crested gecko enclosure. I used coconut fiber, jungle mix, reptile bark, charcoal, sand, sphagnum moss and crumbled leaf litter. I covered the whole thing with a layer of live carpet moss. It seems to be holding moisture well and my gecko loves it.
I really want a snake now that i've seen your channel.
I added a tiny fountain pump to my tank to create a waterfall, and made a corner of the tank have a little pond by pushing back the substrate with some material. My tree frogs love it!
Hi Emily, I was wondering if you could reply to me when your business is done because I would love to come when your there! I really want to meet you! I recently got a crested gecko and will soon get a snake, this is all because of you! You got me to love reptiles and now my mom is getting into reptiles too (still working on snakes though)
I didnt know this was how peat moss was sourced until now :( Thank you, I use it frequently to top dress my lawn and as a general mix and wont any longer. Love you videos!
Thanks for telling us about peat moss! I had no idea that extracting it was so damaging to the environment.
Oh wow that looks a lot easier than I thought. Definitely gonna look into this when I upgrade enclosures for my babies.
When I watched a snake video I lost the fear of snakes thank you so much
Please never ever ever end your youtube chanel
Emily: Talks about different dirt
Me: DIRT IS DIRT
I'm looking forward to setting up a bioactive enclosure for my Timor monitor, and this video gave me some great ideas.
1:25 so smol
Her:Wait what I'm getting a mansion 😏
Can’t keep my focus off Ed’s reflection in the enclosures lol glad to see you in a video Ed!
I’m going to Repticon tomorrow! (Basically a reptile expo thing.)
But I can’t buy anything.
I said that to myself but ended up coming home with a hognose
JL Arm but did your mom tell you to not buy anything? I really hope to get a ball python.
Fun! Wish I could go to furcon... =(=
Kiri N nice! I hope I can get a nice ball python! I honestly don’t care if mine will be cool looking I just want a nice ball python. I will update you once I come back.
I said the same thing came back with a female pied ball python, a female tangerine leopard gecko, a mack snow leopard gecko, a mango bearded dragon and a tegu
This was lovely to watch! Also those false chameleons are so cute!
Emily: *puts in a bunch of fancy layers*
Me: *puts in paper towels and bedding for my gecko*
Also me: *cries*
Thank you! I finally pulled the trigger and got into isopods 😁😁 and now my rainbow boa and bci are done with quarantine. I'm setting them up bioactive enclosures.
I would love to move to bioactive setups for my snakes once they get to adult size. I do have one question though, is there a good way to treat for snake mites without having to completely tear down a bioactive enclosure and rebuild it later when the mites have been taken care of?
I've heard that you can add predatory mites that will eat the parasitic mites to prevent snake mites or mites on lizards in a bioactive setup, just adding those predatory mites into your cleanup crew.
Such a great informational video Emily. I have no idea how your remember all of that information. Hopefully they both work out great for you. And the baby is so cute.
Emily: now we get to add life now!!
Me: ummm. If it’s bioactive isn’t *everything* alive?
Such a timely video! I'm planning to convert a 20g fish aquarium to a planted, bioactive terrarium this week. I'm planning a DIY substrate mix, and this video is so helpful!
1:25 oh my god she’s so smol I want to very gently pat her
Me too
Same 😂
Lol almost missed that STAPLE moment lol!
I'm pretty sure I've seen one of your comments on a different channel
Dog picure
I can't wait to see next fan mail video 😍
One suggestion I had. I quarantined my plants. Basically I washed them in water to take as much of the existing soil off and then replanted them in my prepared substrate and placed them in a plastic tote for a few weeks. Basically I did this because a lot of plants sold at garden departments and in similar places have soils with chemicals and fertilizers that won't be good to have in your finished vivarium. My logic behind it was that plants are very sensitive to changes in soil and this way they had some time to get rid of the fertilizers in their roots as well as to get accustomed to the soil they would now be living in. Personally I would at least wash the roots of all the plants that I put in a vivararium that I intended to put my pets in just to make sure that I get all the chemicals and fertilizers out.
There's not much fertilizer that is gonna harm an animal unless it eats pounds of substrate. It's not much difference than letting poop break down in the tank. 2 day old drinking water is worse imo.
Ed & Emily you should look into getting one of those chemical compression bottles as a water mister. The larger ones work really well to mist your aquariums and they have a long hose from the bottle to the mister spout so you don't have to hold the bottle. A friend of mine has hers on a 3 castors rolling plant stand so she wheels it around 🚿misting her aquariums.
Just out of curiosity, what’s the cleaning and upkeep regiment for a bioactive enclosure?
This video upload is the perfect birthday present thank you Emily
I’ve been having problems with my bio active tank my spring tails keep on disappearing but the isopods I put in are fine