What are bioactive substrates?
What are bioactive substrates?
Bio active substrates are designed to allow the maintenance of living ecosystems inside the terrarium. This moist zone provides a reservoir of water which plants and microorganisms can access, while the surface of the substrate remains dry.
Do you need to change bioactive substrate?
Biodegradables should be replaced once per quarter or as needed. Animals living in an understory- or canopy-type bioactive are likely to defecate on the plants, which means that you may need to clean their leaves if biological processes or the clean up crew is unable to take care of it.
How much substrate do I need for bioactive?
The minimum suggested amount of substrate & drainage media is 2.5″ (each), but we’ve also included a spot to add your own custom height, if you’d like to calculate a different substrate depth. Enter your dimensions, and the results will display instantly.
How deep are bioactive substrates?
about three to four inches
Substrate depth in a bioactive setup is about three to four inches, but you can go deeper to support a large microorganism population by providing plenty of surface area for beneficial bacteria and fungi to grow. The drainage layer is the first layer and a significant part of the substrate.
Do bioactive tanks need a drainage layer?
Drainage layers are the first step in a tropical planted bioactive terrarium, while not necessarily needed to provide a planted terrarium drainage layers do help provide ease of mind while catching excess water draining through the soil to prevent stagnation, bad bacteria and in most cases an odor.
Can you make your own reptile substrate?
Soil ingredients such as coco coir, peat moss, sand, charcoal, orchid bark, sphagnum moss, and other things can all be used and mixed to your liking, but it is very important to make sure that the soil is aligned with your reptile’s humidity and biome requirements. Coconut fiber/coco coir is one such alternative.)
How often should you change vivarium substrate?
When using our Josh’s Frogs naturalistic dart frog vivarium substrates and caring for the vivarium properly, substrate can last over two years! We suggest changing it out after two years of use, however, to ensure that the substrate in your vivarium is at peak performance.
How deep should vivarium substrate be?
(LECA, Hydroballs, Bio Drain, or NEHERP LDL) This layer should ideally have a depth of 2.5-3 inches, but this can vary slightly relative to the size of the enclosure used.
Do bioactive tanks smell?
Odors in a bioactive terrarium are typically caused by anaerobic bacteria. They often have a bad smell, and are generally the primary culprit when it comes to odor buildup. This type of bacteria can build up for a variety of reasons.
What do you need to know about bioactive soil?
A cleanup crew in a bioactive setup is a mix of micro and macroorganisms, usually naturally occurring bacteria in the potting soil and whatever insects and earthworms you add to the soil’s top layer. If you want your potting soil to pick up even more good bacteria, lay it out outside before adding it to your substrate.
What do you need to know about bioactive substrate?
Amendments like perlite or pumice help keep the soil loose and crumbly. What is Bioactive Substrate? Bioactive substrate is just substrate that is intended to accommodate the life cycles of the microfauna and microflora that live in the substrate.
What makes a good substrate for a terrarium?
It’s ideal to have a robust microbiome with a full range of decomposers, denitrifying bacteria, springtails, various worms, some fungi, and some mosses or algae. The roots of an ecosystem are in the soil (literally), and a healthy soil gives the system resilience. You don’t have to buy bioactive substrate, you can make it yourself quite easily.
What can I use terra flora substrate for?
Terra Flora is a hancrafted bioactive substrate for rainforest-dwelling reptiles and amphibians such as Dart Frogs, Tree Frogs, and Salamanders. Save money and buy in bulk. FREE SHIPPING to continental USA! Need to cover tons of ground with TheDudes substrate? I gotcha covered! 1 case two 36 quart bags of Terra Fauna.