General Questions

[nakabaka]

Yes, it DOES start off pretty sterile (as I guess you'd put it), but that is the beauty of it! You can tailor it exactly to your needs. More peat or spaghnum if you need more humidity, more fern fiber and bark if you need more structure, more of a specific organism if you need that. And no, it is definitely NOT for certain things. I love it for arboreal stuff, as they rarely are on the ground to get harmed by the sticks and whatnot, but I've never had ANY issues with maintaining very high humidity levels for certain species that need it (such as 75-85, maybe 90%), nor have I had any issues with having to add any "bio critters", as I guess you call them (I know it as "microfauna"). Ok, so maybe terminology is what hung me up on the whole putting a beardie, specifically, in with "bio substrate." I still wouldn't personally. But again, to each their own.

I never did like top soil for this sort of thing (I'd imagine that's what you mean by "dirt"), it always gets bogged down easy and bleeds into the drainage layer, in my experience. Component substrates such as ABG can get moisture throughout without being bogged down. And depending on the type of material you use in the drainage layer (such as expanded clay), it can wick that moisture back up from below, helping keep it moist throughout the substrate without it becoming swampy.

However, in this kind of sub, you DO need to change it every 6 months or so, but totally worth it in my opinion. The parts that give it structure tend to break down. The structure gives it those extra pockets for beneficial bacteria to grow, moisture pockets to form, and air to get down into the substrate for plants roots. Only reason you'd use this is if you're planting a viv, which is the best kind of viv for many species. I absolutely love ABG because of its versatility.