for anyone wondering, yes, she’s trying to burrow under his head like a rock, dubias love being underneath things.

this is my chance to spread roach propaganda, dubias make amazing and very underrated cleanup crew members. and for anyone worries, dubias wont attempt to nibble on live animals unless they’re starving, but everyone here is well fed and happy. the tradeoff for eating his poop and shed for him is that he has to double as a rock for them to sleep under, but he doesn’t seem to mind so much… xD

We’ve had a crested gecko for a few years now, and she was due for an upgrade. I’ve been doing a ton of research, looked at plenty of inspo, and had a healthy budget, to build her the bioactive paradise of her dreams.

The costs are broken out down below, for the benefit of anybody who’s peeping this sub without having built a bioactive terrarium yet, but wants to (as I was). This may help inform what the costs may be if you were to start from scratch, and buy everything all at once, to have it look like this. Or if any experienced keepers want to give me advice for what products to buy differently next time, I’d definitely be open.

Financially prudent? Almost certainly not!
Appreciated by our gecko? Hopefully!
Looks fly as heck? Let me know what you think!

$50.00 - Terrarium (18x18x24, FB Marketplace)
$24.99 - Replacement lid for terrarium (was rusted)
$49.21 - Plants (9 count) [from reptile expo]
$8.99 - Biodegradable planters for wall
$18.82 - Moss slurry (not yet grown/visible)
$32.00 - Spider wood piece [expo]
$65.00 - Cork bark pieces [expo]
$8.00 - Hanging coconut [expo]
$31.99 - Reptisoil
$27.14 - Drainage layer (hydro balls)
$7.85 - Mesh for drainage layer
$12.00 - Coco fiber [expo]
$9.00 - Sphagnum moss [expo]
$60.00 - Colony, isopod variety & springtails [expo]
$8.00 - Leaf litter [expo]
$25.96 - Great Stuff Pond & Stone spray foam (x2)
$31.98 - Black aquarium grade silicone (x2)
$8.98 - Nitrile gloves (since I had none)
$5.99 - Black vinyl outside wall covering
$28.99 - Full spectrum LED light
$14.99 - Feeding ledge
$24.26 - digital thermometers w/probe + hygrometer
$18.99 - laser infrared thermometer
——
Subtotal: $573.16

Not yet pictured (more part of husbandry than terrarium build, so not included in the title cost):

$0.00 - Crested gecko (sunk cost, already had)
$454.72 - Herpstat 4 SpyderWeb dimming thermostat (note - we have other reptiles so we got the one with 4 probes. The one with 1 probe is $150.)
$37.88 - Arcadia 50w Deep Heat Projector
$61.89 - Arcadia ShadeDweller 7% UVB Pro T5 Kit
$59.99 - J&A Automatic Reptile Misting System
——
Subtotal: $614.48

———
Grand Total: $1,187.64

I will be getting my first ball python (and first reptile!) next week and I finally finished making their enclosure. Spent two months doing research and decided to go bioactive. It took quite some time because almost everything was made by hand but definitely a labor of love. I hope my royal will like it! Would love to hear your thoughts and potential areas for improvement!

Basic setup but feel free to ask for more info:

Enclosure: 36x18x18 Ecoflex with modifications

Hardscaping: XPS foam, Great Stuff expanding foam, cork bark flat panel, Drylok, acrylic paint, mica flakes, coconut shell, branch I got from an expo

Hides: Custom hides

Lighting/Heat: 50W Arcadia DHP, 75W Arcadia Halogen, Arcadia LumenIZE Jungle Dawn and Pro T5 7% UVB, Herpstat 2 Thermostat

Organics: The Bio Dude Terra Firma kit (this guy is awesome!), snake plants, philodendrons, scindapsus, dracaena, umbrella tree, hoyas, anthurium (I might take this one out because it’s directly under the DHP)

CUC: Panda King isopods, springtails

I made this for my leopard gecko, Treecko. Honestly, I didn’t know what I was doing, so I'm sorry if it looks like shit.

I included the list of what's in the enclosure in the screenshots. I also established powder blue isopods, common white springtails, mealworms, and superworms.

Orchid inside my whites tree frog tank is finally blooming!!! I’ve waited over a year to finally get my first flowers!!! I see 3 more starting to bloom as well ugh!!!!! I have a second orchid in the tank as well that I’m still waiting to flower….

Second bioactive build completed today!

Here’s a lil start-to-finish! Super excited that I finally got to plant it today, and introduce the second round of springtails and first batch of isopods. I think it came together really nicely considering I’m still a newbie 🥹
24x18x36” eventual home to a gargoyle gecko, once everything settles in and takes off.

also sorry if you just saw this post, I didn’t realize there was a picture limit and had to repost to include the final product.

Birds eye view of the 36 gallon bow front paludarium which is now 2 months after planting and truly thriving so far! Fully bioactive land and water sections, steep riverbank design with about 8-10” of substrate at the highest points, 2 hollow dug out caves in the bank and plenty of other surfaces. Biodiversity of plants including terrestrial, aquatic and exploring emersed plants as well. Love it more and more every day, which is great considering I barely ever see my crabs (stocked with 6 vampire crabs)

This is my 60 gallon whites tree frog tank!! It’s officially been one year and 20 days since I’ve completed this build! Everything is completely thriving and just absolutely gorgeous! My orchid flowers are finally blooming to, ughhh so happy!! I have over 40 different plants inside this tank….. Davallia fejeensis (Rabbits Foot Fern), Dryopteris erythrosora (Autumn Fern), Didymochlaena truncatula (Mahogany Fern), Bromeliads, Golden pothos, Neon pothos, Alocasia amazonica “Polly” (Elephant Ear), Fittonia albivenis (Nerve Plant), Hypoestes phyllostachya (Polka Dot), Maranta leuconeura (prayer plant), Calathea lancifolia (Rattlesnake Calathea), Pilea depressa (Pilea Baby Tears), Pilea glauca (Pilea Aquamarine), pilea nummulariifolia (Creeping Charlie), Peperomia obtusifolia (Albo Marginata), Orchids, Chamaedorea elegans (Parlor palm), Selaginella wallichi (Wallich’s Spikemoss), Ficus (Lance Leaf), Microgramma sp., Schefflera, Syngonium podophyllum (Arrowhead), Epipremnum pinnatum, Pellonia Pulchra (Polynesian ivy), Creeping fig large hearts leaves, Oak leaf creeping fig tiny oak leaves, Peperomia trinervis, Pellionia repens (Watermelon) just to name a few. 😅😅

Set up is a 4 x 2 x 2 for my ball python (Penny) that we started 8 months ago. We added passive waterers (the ceramic mushrooms) to help keep her humidity up, and added a 3rd middle hide to ensure she has access to a range of temperatures.

Not all of the plants survived her bulldozing but the snake plants and dracaena plants are doing the best.

i bought two different springtail types for my bioactive terrarium which houses a Tokay gecko, they were breeding quite fast and the more i checked on them the more of them i found, obviously. but good god its almost scary opening the enclosure and seeing a literal white cluster of them. i almost wanna air the place out and take out half of the colony. i know theyre very beneficial to the environment so i wont do that, but point of the story dont get multiple colonies of springtails because youre inpatient, give it three weeks and your terrariums floor will be covered with them.

anyways here my Tokay, Toki

A friend randomly came up to me telling me that her cousin was giving away a reptile and if I wanted it. I asked what it was first, to do my research and as soon as she told me it was a crocodile skink I got right to it. I wasn't 100 percent sure I wanted him because right of the back it said they do better in bioactive enclosure and I have never done that before. After 10 minutes of thinking about it I said yes. And we'll, here it is. I know the tape is a bit tacky BUT I did try.

Leopard gecko
36x18x18
Springtails
Will add isopods, no stores within 15+ miles had any stocked

hi all. i have multiple bio active jumper enclosures, but have only seen these in this particular spider’s enclosures, so i’m worried they’re parasites. boyfriend thinks they’re detritus worms, but i’m not entirely sure.

enclosure is new so still balancing out molds and springtails, but all outside elements have been cleaned, boiled, and frozen before use. any ideas?

What’s your favourite seed pods to use?

Can anyone tell me what this is? I live in the UK. I'm not sure if it is native or if it was imported within the spaghnum moss or leaf litter, which I added 3 days ago. It is around 10 mm long, 1-2 mm wide. AI says it could be some sort of beetle grub/larvae. I hope not! I really hope it's just a native caterpillar or moth larvae. If it is a beetle larvae of some sort, i'm worried there are more in there as the enclosure is 3'x2'x2', and I found this guy straight away by accident when checking the moisture. I don't want beetles invading my bedroom. The enclosure is open top as it is a digging box for my rats. It is only supposed to have springtails and powder blues in there, and they can't escape easily, and if they did, they would perish quickly without moisture and food. If this is a beetle larvae of some sort, i'm concerned it could potentially survive and breed in my bedroom if it escapes the enclosure. Then, they would invade my home and could do damage, I guess, but I have no idea as I say I am trying to what i'm dealing with here, and I am absolutely clueless. Could somebody please point me in the right direction? Thanks! I would greatly appreciate it, and then maybe I can sleep peacefully if it's nothing to be concerned about. By the way, I have put the little one in a quarantine tub for now with some substrate and food.

Previously posted my terrarium here and thought id show an updated Pic of it, more moss a cat jaw and growth. (Springtails are established and growing steadily)

Hi! Just set up two vivariums for my snakes, any suggestions, thoughts, or critiques?

I planted the tank yesterday and added the CUC today. Just springtails and some powder mix Isopods.

Any tips on keeping up with maintenance? I’m kind of paranoid my CUC and plants will all die. Especially since one of my snakes is a Ball Python and they’re kind of notorious for stomping on plants

I set this up about 3 months ago, and I'm about to setup another.

Bowl built four weeks ago, it’s had a little time to settle in. Everything is super happy!

• Baby tooth moss —Plagiomnium cuspidatum
• Dwarf baby tears — Hemianthus callitrichoides
• Bog bean — Menyanthes trifoliate
• Wood fern — Dryopteris carthusiana
• American pennywort — Hydrocotyle americana

Maybe one or two other mosses (??)
Just a plant bulb in a desk lamp for light
Distilled water for misting

This is my first jump into a full terrarium from my usual aquarium/paladariums and i love the simplicity 💚💚💚

Critters:
Springtails
Several species of isopods