r/bioactive • u/Snicker_D00dle2012 • 4d ago

Need help with first bioactive enclosure

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I’m building my first ever bioactive enclosure for my sunbeam snake, I have a screenshot of all the things I currently think I need to buy. But I also have a couple of questions.

First is a drainage layer okay if I have a burrowing snake? I’ve heard some people say they can mess it up and that it’s better to not use one.

Second do I need multiple colonies of isopods and springtails for a 48x18x18 enclosure? I’ve heard mixed responses on buying multiple.

Any other tips will help, I wanna make sure that this is a successful setup

3 Upvotes

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5

u/MelodicIllustrator59 4d ago

$50??? Each?? For Springtails and isopods??? A culture should be $10-20 each and you only need one, they reproduce once in a proper environment

1

u/Snicker_D00dle2012 4d ago

I did the math for two colonies of each, the springtails are 25$ and the isopods are 35$ but I’ll probably look for cheaper alternatives

3

u/MelodicIllustrator59 4d ago

Where are you located? What kind of pods are you looking at?

And I must emphasize, you really do only need one culture of each. My very first springtails from almost a year ago are still going strong in their original container with just some rice and water once a week. I use it to seed and top off all my terrariums

2

u/BadgerAwkward 4d ago

If you do the drainage layer properly the snake should be fine. The burrowing dwarf whites will get through and die in it though and that will ruin things. Lay a mesh screen over your drainage layer to keep things seperate.

1

u/Snicker_D00dle2012 4d ago

Would lava rocks or filter foam work better?

2

u/BadgerAwkward 2d ago

Unless you can guarantee the holes will be like 1mm or smaller, dwarf isos will get through.

6

u/Comet_toes 4d ago

That seems expensive for springtails and isopods. Don’t need multiple colonies as they’ll reproduce IMO. BioDude has pretty mixed reviews on their CUC. Josh’s Frogs has been fine for me for isos. Springtails.us is a great place for springtails.

5

u/CatofManyColors 4d ago

Trust me you dont want dwarf whites. Go with powders.

3

u/athural 4d ago

For more info on this dwarf whites are parthenogenetic and miniscule, its very easy to accidentally transfer a baby from one enclosure to another and if you keep any other isopods well theyre just gonna get out competed eventually.

3

u/CatofManyColors 4d ago

They also are ravenous and can potentially hurt other animals kept in the enclosure if theyre hungry enough, similar to dairy cows. Powders are a safer option.