We need more BioActive talk

[Derek1]

This is a copy and paste from a google search. For Corns but, should work for most right? Anything you would change up?

For housing
tank: A taller tank is better for a BAS as you’ll need about 3” of substrate. I have 4” in one corner to provide another surface depth variety. A BAS also works better in 30 gallon and or larger and for snakes 9 months or older according to the book as small snakes get lost in all the ins and outs and it is therefore hard to monitor them. A taller tank is also good here because you can put more substrate in (better drainage) and still have the height needed for housing and decor items. Tank perimeter should be 2.5 - 3 times the length of your snake around the perimeter. More is fine/better too.

locking screen lid: The branches allow the snake to get right to the top so measures must be taken to ensure safety.


For the Bioactive substrate:
There was no hard and fast rule presented in the book, “The Art of Keeping Snakes” by Philippe de Vosjoli, in terms of ratio for the organic mixture of the BAS. What you are going for is drainage, non-compacting top layers, variety of organic matter for organisms to feed and live on. It seems to me that the ratio is not an exact science but I’d say this was my ratio for the top layer bioactive mixture:

- 4/8 ready to use potting soil with mixture of: peat moss, humus, compost, perlite. - 20 liters
- 2/8 coco peat - eco earth brand is fine - 2 bricks
- 2/8 PLAY sand - 2 liters. This is safe for ingestion.
- 2 handfuls of volcanic rock (for drainage) such as: perlite, un-fired clay or natural kitty litter clay with no additives (my potting soil already had some).
- 2 handfuls small fish tank gravel no jagged edges
- medium sided gravel (enough to cover the bottom of the tank in about a 1” layer)

substrate layers (from bottom to top):
bottom: (goes on the floor of the tank) medium sided fish tank gravel, sterilized, enough to cover the bottom about 1/2”

layer of screen: The book said this was optional and I’m glad I DIDN'T’T put it in. Without screen, the bottom peat layer settles in the cracks between the gravel and I was able to get at the moisture to stir it up to the upper layers to provide oxygen to the good bacteria.

middle: (goes on top of the gravel): some sort of straight peat. I used coco peat. This layer stops the dirt from settling between the gravel beneath as it is more tightly packed as it holds the most water of all the layers. water comes upwards from here to the top, dryer layer. You need 1 “ worth or so. Apparently an earth worm is a good idea down here, more if you got 'em.

top (where the snake lives): 2-3” of the BAS substrate mixture. Hills are nice around the plants or in the corners.


To provide basic needs and monitor:
- plastic tube/PVC piping (to water bottom of substrate) This tube gets put into the tank in the very corner before anything else is put into the tank. It gets propped up in either back corner and held in place by the gravel and substrate. Basically, this is used as a watering funnel for getting water to the very bottom of the tank, therefore allowing moisture/humidity to rise from below and encouraging organisms to stay below too. The width of a toilet paper roll or bit smaller is good. I hid mine behind a plant. Those black tubes from cricket keepers is what use. Get 14” or more. You’ll need to stuff a crumpled piece of screen into the tub to prevent the snake from getting stuck in it or something else that will no go mouldy.

- digital humidity gauge Humidity is well maintained in this type of set up. I keep it at around 70%. The top layer of substrate is dry so skin blisters or disease is a non-issue for me. My snake has good sheds where before she shed in pieces. She also burrows in the dirt for the moisture she needs and stopped doing so the day she shed. Now she’s out and about again.

- heat source, under tank heater (UTH) This is tricky. I found that because the substrate layer was 3“thick, and of a dense material, the smaller UTH did only half the job raising temp to 70-73 on a cool day/for the warm side which is not hot enough for the warm side. I use a UVB Plant light during the day which keeps the temperature on the warm side to where it needs to be 80-82 degrees whilst still allowing the cool side to remain cool inside the hide.

- digital probe thermometer (2) like any setup, the probe is best.

- night viewing light, hooded (well worth it) My corn is most active at night. I couldn't’t believe what she got up to when she thought no one was looking.

- tube/fluorescent light FOR PLANTS with UV (doubles as a day light and keep air warmish) You need a special light for plants to thrive as this will be the only light they get. They need 12-16 hours a day so the multiple hides for the snake and timer come in handy.

- cool and warm hides of wood or stone or half log, small & thin flag stone slabs, additional support rocks for the slabs to rest securely on- must be flat. - flag stone slabs are nice as they stack stable. Be concerned about rocks and logs toppling over and crushing your snake. The store bought resin/plastic hides are fine too but they just look fake with all that natural stuff IMO.

- water dish I put small polished rocks into the bottom of a glass dish for added colour and visual interest.

- feeding dish Jo eats out of her feeding dish readily but your snake may drag her food item around her viv. Jo is also small. My bigger 3.5 foot snake (Ball Python) I take out to feed cause she rolls around all over the place and I don’t want the stink of blood in the viv. However, I suspect the blood would create food for the bacteria, etc. I don’t use any bark in the substrate mixture for fear of impaction (although the book mentions it’s okay). The other things in the substrate mixture are either too large or readily digested organic matter. When the corn gets older, I may adjust this “feeding dish” routine to suit her habits.

- appliance timer (if desired) comes in handy for plant lights, and other electrical equipment you use. Vacations are not a worry.


For decor and adventure:
- branches with twigs: stem same girth as your snake, branching out to thinner. NOT PINE OR CEDAR-toxic. Research this please.

- smaller rocks for decoration. Don’t overcrowd the viv. A few rocks at the base of plants is nice. Group items together and leave empty floor space for poop and exploration.

NOTE: Plants and decor items should not cover more than 1/3 of the ground surface area available to the snake to leave room for monitoring your snake, room for her, and to make use of the bioactive substrate and active organisms in the “biofilm.”

- plants which do well in terrariums: RESEARCH TOXIC PLANTS. QUARANTINE YOUR PLANTS FOR A MONTH TO LOOK FOR BUGS. All but 3 of the plants I bought had spider mites or mealy bugs. Buy these first and set them aside, away from your other house plants (the bugs can and do spread) for observation while you collect supplies. I threw out infested plants or used them as outdoor plants.

Use plants that do well in a woodland terrarium, under artificial or low light. Desert type snakes may do well with succulents but not the corn. There’s too much moisture from below and root rot is a concern. I used a wandering Jew, and a bromeliads due to their strength, and tolerance for low /artificial light and moisture needs.

Again, my snake is small. As she grows, she’ll crush plants and let me know it’s time to change to a hardier, stronger species. Should be appropriate size, strength ‘cause they’ll get trampled otherwise.

TIP: Look for plants that offer opportunities to hide wires and tubing too!

Look for plants that compliment each other in colour but offer variety in structure so they don’t look the same. A small leafed plant coupled with a broad or long leaf plant makes a nice contrast. Plain with variegated, dark with light, etc. More on design later. Oh ya, water the plants at the base of the plant too and don’t fear misting them.


To maintain:
- spray bottle (mister) You have to mist daily, like usual. Keeps surface dust down and humidity up.

- long “roast” fork or small garden fork. (turn soil). The soil needs to be watered and turned weekly to allow oxygen to reach the good bioactive bugs and bacteria otherwise things will start to stink. Good bugs need oxygen, bad bugs can live in the compacted damp soil and do nothing but poop out stinky stuff that will turn your viv into a haven for harmful bacteria. You want the good bacteria here. More on this later. Good bacteria will eat the poop of the bad. More on the micro-life later too.

- small poop scooper To remove fecal matter (pooh) when you see it. A little left behind is not a bad thing. More on this in "maintaining".

Next installments to come:
- pictures
- How to put it all together.
- Maintaining.

[Georgia]

Looks good... add more please. Thanks in advance.

[chairman]

There is a lot of detail, cost, and complication involved with this approach. Not saying it is bad or wrong but you can go bioactive with much less effort. Granted, your bioactive setup will not support as much biodiversity, but I think the trick is to ask yourself what you hope to get out of the substrate.

For example, my typical bioactive setup includes a layer of dirt, a layer of litter, red wrigglers and isopods. The dirt can be anything from soil, sand, coco coir, spaghnum, etc, or a mix thereof... just depends on animal's burrowing needs, egg-laying needs, what the plants need, etc. Litter is usually leaf litter, orchid bark, or cypress mulch. This very simple approach gives me healthy animals, good sheds, and low maintenance, low odor cages.

[Derek1]

Thanks. Upon more research looks like organic soil and sand mixture is real common. I have a lot of red oak leaves to use too.

[chairman]

I find the leaves to be very popular. Lets the snakes hide in plain sight anywhere in the cage.

[Pirarucu]

This says to not use the screen layer, and that is one thing that is definitely necessary if it's going to be a very humid, wet cage. The whole point of having that gravel layer is to keep it separate from the rest of the substrate, so it can serve as a drainage layer. If there's standing water at the bottom and the substrate goes down all the way to the bottom, you'll start having problems with anaerobic bacteria growth, which can cause some major problems. Only forgo the drainage layer if it's going to be a somewhat dry cage. If you are going to go without it though, you don't need the gravel, it no longer serves a purpose.

[CosmicOwl]

I've been running a bioactive tank for almost a year now. I haven't been using a drainage layer because I don't keep the soil wet. There's no standing water and I haven't noticed any slimes or molds. I use a mixture of sand, eco earth and top soil from outside. And I've covered the top of the soil in about an inch of partially composted oak tree leaves(because the freshly fallen leaves take for-ev-er to decompose), repti-bark and various other bits of "mulch." I try to water once or twice a week to keep the soil from drying too much, and I also aerate to lower levels so their isn't an anaerobic issue.

[Derek1]

Got mine setup this morning

[SnoopySnake]

What kind of screen should be used between the drainage layer and the substrate?

[Derek1]

I didn't use a screen. Just a layer of gravel.

[SnoopySnake]

I have to use screen because I have a high humidity species, I didn't use screen in my lat one and I definitely should have as there's an odor to it.

[Cmwells90]

Snoopy, I haven't built my own BioActive cage, but I would imagine you'd want a screen that's fine enough to stop whatever soil you have on the bottom from getting to the floor, but open enough to still allow water flow. Maybe Chicken wire if you can find it with small enough access.

[poison123]

After running my corn snake bioactive enclosure for 2 years, mold started to become visible. I decided to ad a false bottom last year to prevent this from happening. To keep the bacteria and other critters happy in the enclosure you will need moister.

[poison123]

I'd also like to mention that the type of bio setup depends on the species. Different soil types for example. For a cornsnake I use a sand/soil type. But for a hognose I would use a more sandy type of substrate.

[poison123]

A great book to read is "The art of keeping snakes".