Bioactive Enclosure Info

How To Set Up A Bioactive Enclosure
Clean Up Crew Recommendations
Choosing Plants

How To Set Up A Bioactive Enclosure

Choose an enclosure: Everyone has their preferences, PVC, Glass, Mesh... Choose what works best for you and your animal(s), but be sure to find one that can be sealed to be water tight. Make sure it is large enough for your animal (do your research- some sources will say the minimum is much smaller than it really is)

Drainage layer: Drainage layers are very important. There's plenty of options- leca, hydroballs, lava rock, even tumbled stones (personally, I use tumbled stones to add a pop of color- but avoid stones that contain copper, usually these will be green or blue). Add about 2 inches of whatever drainage media you choose then place a barrier on top of it. The barrier is to stop substrate from mixing with the drainage layer- there are some pre-made and pre-measured options available, but personally I prefer just using weed barrier cloth available at most big box home and garden centers.

Substrate: Substrate varies based on the animals needs. Generally, it consists of organic soil, sand, and other organic materials. You can buy pre-made mixes designed for your animal, or you can mix your own. If you choose to mix your own, be sure to use organic materials that are pesticide and fertilizer free. Depending on the animal you are building the enclosure for, you may need more or less substrate, but at a bare minimum you'll need 3-4 inches deep.

Clean up crew: The list below has plenty of recommendations for clean up crews for various animals. Generally, you'll need springtails and isopods. Add them directly to the substrate.

Plants and decor: Add a healthy amount of organic materials such as hardwood leaf litter, hardwood, and seed pods. Choose wood, rocks, and other decor to add to the enclosure. For help with maintaining humidity, we recommend adding moss. Make sure you have the proper hides available for the animal you're housing as well as any food and water dishes. Find where you want to put your plants- keep in mind they will grow into the space, so they will fill out the enclosure as time passes. Some plants prefer to be root bound- it's perfectly fine to bury smaller pots in the substrate to keep their roots tight. Do not use soft woods in terrariums! A lot of soft woods, such as pine, contain natural pesticides and can harm your clean up crew and animals. If you choose to add decorative rocks, avoid any that contain copper as it is bad for the clean up crew. Some that contain copper include: Malachite, Azurite, and plenty of others- a general rule of thumb is if it is a naturally green rock/mineral/crystal, it contains copper. We've found quartz, red jasper, amethyst, and plenty of others to be safe and pretty without being harmful. 

Heat, Light, and Water: Reptiles and amphibians benefit from having a UVB light, you'll need to replace the bulbs about every 6 months- there are test cards available that will change color when exposed to UV. When it comes to heat, we HIGHLY recommend not using heat lamps. Basking spots and heat can both be provided by radiant heat panels fixed to the top of the enclosure. Heat mats, pads, and rocks are NOT recommended. Belly heat can be provided by placing rocks or bricks under a radiant heat panel or a heat lamp. No matter what heat source you choose to use, make sure to use a thermostat to avoid burning your animals! For humid enclosures, you can add humidity by using automated foggers and misters, or you can mist the terrarium regularly. Please research what your specific animal needs- some animals can get respiratory infections from mist and do best with fogging instead. Pour water into humid enclosures and allow the water to fill the drainage layer. We wait until it dries and the top inch or so of substrate dries before adding more as this is best for the plants as well as avoiding fungus gnats.

WAIT: It's recommended to wait a minimum of 30 days (best is 90+ days) before adding any reptiles/amphibians. This allows the clean up crew to establish without any predators.
This wait time also lets you adjust watering, heat, and lighting to get the proper parameters down. The enclosure will most likely have a mold/fungus bloom early on, don't worry! The clean up crew will take care of this and it is just a sign of a healthy environment.

Clean Up Crew Recommendations:

Because there are so many animals in the exotic pet hobby, we couldn't possibly list each individually in an efficient manner. We've chosen to use generalized categories for now. These recommendations are based on current and continued research and will be updated whenever we find new reliable information. If you choose to use alternative clean up crews such as roaches or beetles, please do your research and proceed with caution as a lot of resources available are not necessarily up to date or reliable. 

Tropical (Humid) Reptiles
Arid (Dry) Reptiles
Amphibians
Invertebrates

Tropical Reptiles: Tropical Springtails- these can be tropical white, tropical pink, lilac, orange, indigo, Thai red, and many others. Tropical Isopods- porcellionides pruinosus, porcellio scaber, and trichorhina tomentosa are the most used isopods for cleanup crews. You can use other tropical isopods including various armadillidium, cubaris, merulanella, venezillio... But the hungrier, the better- this is why pruinosus, scaber, and dwarf whites are so common.

Arid Reptiles: Arid isopods- all isopods are crustaceans and need humidity in the substrate to breathe, if they do not have any humidity, they will die. In arid enclosures, we over fill our water dishes to create a hydration station underneath. Some species that do well in dry environments include giant canyons, espanyoli marbleized, and klugii. Arid springtails- just like isopods, springtails will still need a small area that is moist to thrive, but some species do better than others in arid environments. 

Amphibians: Amphibians tend to need much more humid environments, springtails are vital to manage mold. Stick to tropical white, tropical pink, or other tropical springtails. As for isopods- you'll also need to choose a species that handles high humidity well. While some larger species can handle it well, we highly recommend dwarf whites or dwarf purples for amphibian enclosures. Frogs and other amphibians will snack on their clean up crew, you don't want the isopods to be too large. Some species, such as P. Laevis, are very protein hungry and have a tendency to nibble on softer animals in search of protein, which is another reason we don't recommend larger isopods- specifically porcellio species. Armadillidium and p. pruinosus do much better if you want something larger than dwarfs- just make sure to use a tropical species.

Invertebrates: When it comes to choosing clean up crews for invertebrates, you still have to take environment into consideration for springtails. However, isopods aren't always safe for invertebrates. Most species will try to nibble on molting invertebrates and can harm them. For most invertebrates, it's not recommended to use any isopods in their enclosures to avoid any harm, but dwarf whites are generally deemed safe for tarantula enclosures, there is still a small risk to the tarantula though. Springtails are always safe :)

Choosing Plants: Choosing plants for a bioactive enclosure can be intimidating. For larger animals, you need to account for stability and durability of the plant. For all animals, you need to check that the plant is safe for them. You'll also need to check that a plant is suitable for the climate of the enclosure. For arid enclosures, succulents and Hoyas make great choices. We don't recommend cacti as they can hurt your animals. For tropical enclosures, your options are seemingly endless. We LOVE using arrowheads with our crested geckos and frogs because of how bouncy they are, but calatheas, pothos, philodendrons, and a bunch of others are also amazing choices! Take into consideration how the plant grows overtime. Some plants may seem like they grow up, but they may also vine out or get bushy instead. You'll want a nice mix of bushy, vining, and ground cover to fill out the enclosure and provide adequate hiding spots and shade. Always assume your animal may try to eat the plants in their enclosure when researching safe plants- it's much better to be safe than sorry. Also consider that they may drink off of the plants and that the plants may end up in their water bowl- avoid plants that are toxic to your animal and NEVER use plants that are not known to be 100% pesticide free, also check that any fertilizer used while growing the plant is safe for your pet. (We use a mix of algae and isopod frass for plant fertilizer, both are perfectly safe for all reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates)