Tank Setup - Bioactive?

[lustige]

Hi all,

It is time for my male ball python to upgrade! I am setting up a 36 by 18 by 16 inch tank for him (I believe its a 40 gallon breeder?) and I was considering trying a very basic bioactive setup. I just want to see if I can find plants that he will not destroy, and if I can, then I would make his full size tank a much better bioactive tank. By the way, what should his full tank size be? The guy at the pet store said that he would appreciate a 75 gallon, but I have heard that they can get stressed with too much space. At the same time, I really enjoy decorating the tank heavily so maybe he wouldn't be too stressed.

Back to the main topic. So I have a UTH and CHE, but since there will be a thick substrate layer (I am thinking 3-4 inches), I am concerned that heat from the UTH underneath the substrate would be useless. Would it help if I placed it on the side of the tank? I would place it so part of the UTH went down a little below the top of the substrate line, and the rest would extend above. Does anyone else do this? Would just the CHE be enough? The one I currently have is 100W and 120V.

Thanks!

[Apiratenamedjohn]

I have mine in a 48x18" tank and will be upgrading it soon. they like space, they don't like open space with no hiding spaces. they like to feel hidden and secure. so my rule is to always go as big as you can, just build it for the intended species specifically.
basically any of your typical tropical house plants will work. looking at the biodude or neherps should give you a good idea.

yes your uth will be useless on the bottom. on the side it doesn't really do much other than to block heat escape from that side and keep the temps up a few degrees above ambient at <5" from the uth. basically all but useless. and as for what will work or if the Che is enough, that depends on your tank, the scape, the ambient temps in your house and so on. you playing around with it will be the best bet. also make sure to use a thermostat and digital meters.

120v is standard u.s. plug voltage. the w is what is key here.

[lustige]

Thanks for the reply! I am looking forward to this project, because my house is filled with plants and planted aquariums, so I thought this would be a nice addition.

What are you using to heat your tank, and whats the setup? Bioactive as well? Just for me to get an idea, I know I will have to play with my own tank

[Apiratenamedjohn]

What are you using to heat your tank, and whats the setup? Bioactive as well? Just for me to get an idea, I know I will have to play with my own tank

I am using a proheat rhp, and that is all, to heat the tank. It is hooked up to a herpstat6. Although i would like to hook up a eth to a cannister filter for a water feature. For humidity i have a mistking set for twice daily mistings for 9 and 13 seconds. It is bioactive with a false bottom of 2" of lava rock. Then 5-8" of substrate and planted to the max. I am looking currently for a nice carpet type plant.

[lustige]

I would love to see a picture if you can do that! Sounds like you have a nice setup

[JodanOrNoDan]

Good luck on trying to do bioactive with a ball. You are going to need some tough plants. These guys are bulldozers and will tear everything up.

[lustige]

Alright, so I have the plants in the tank and there is probably 3-4 inches of substrate. The problem I am having is heating the tank, there is a 150 watt heat lamp and a 100w CHE on the top of the tank, but at the substrate, the temperature is still only 75 degrees. Additionally, I can also feel the heat building up in the room so I know that its mostly just escaping the tank. I have some foil to insulate on the warm side of the tank. Any tips on how to keep the heat in? I am also going to add some plexiglass or something on top of the tank to keep humidity in.

[spiderfreddie]

Good luck on trying to do bioactive with a ball. You are going to need some tough plants. These guys are bulldozers and will tear everything up.

I've had my bioactive setup for about 8 months now. I do kind of agree with you but also im surprised how some of the smaller delicate plants have thrived. I will agree I've had some plants that only lasted 2 months and she destroyed them other seemed to just die off because of the temps/humidity but overall most are doing really well. Also i noticed a big difference in my ball she seems to be doing so much better in it. Now the tank is fully established cleaning is so much easier the urates i hardly ever take out and are gone within a few days week max. I do usually bury the poop when its a big one. The smell in the tank is a lot nicer as well. I'd defiantly recommend going bioactive it wasn't cheap and at the start is more work but in the long run its the way to go especially if your snakes are on dsiplay

[JodanOrNoDan]

I've had my bioactive setup for about 8 months now. I do kind of agree with you but also im surprised how some of the smaller delicate plants have thrived. I will agree I've had some plants that only lasted 2 months and she destroyed them other seemed to just die off because of the temps/humidity but overall most are doing really well. Also i noticed a big difference in my ball she seems to be doing so much better in it. Now the tank is fully established cleaning is so much easier the urates i hardly ever take out and are gone within a few days week max. I do usually bury the poop when its a big one. The smell in the tank is a lot nicer as well. I'd defiantly recommend going bioactive it wasn't cheap and at the start is more work but in the long run its the way to go especially if your snakes are on dsiplay

Glad to hear you are making it work. If I ever have a display animal, I may try it, probably not with a ball though. Maybe something arboreal. I am an absolute clean freak with my bps. My snake room is like an operating room. Any risk of infection is removed. That said if you know what you are doing it can be done. I just never like to recommend elaborate setups in the first stages of ownership. Depending on the climate where people live even maintaining a very controlled environment can be challenging for some.

[lustige]

Thanks for your replies! He is still young and fairly small, so I am not thinking he will do too much damage. I just wanted to try it because I have a bunch of house plants already, and was looking for a way to condense the plants. Plus, I have planted aquariums which I love the look of, and thought this would be a nice addition. His tank right now is well maintained with the hot side in the upper 80's and humidity stays around 55%. That being said, it is a much smaller tank so I can imagine this is why I am having a problem getting the temperature up in the larger tank. The humidity in the larger tank has been great, I think the soil does a much better job of maintaining the moister compared to the Forest Floor I use in his tank currently. In any case, if this does not work out, I have no problem taking out the plants and making it a standard setup!

Do you have any tips on where to buy isopods and springtails?

Thanks!