Pics and things of my bp

So, quite recently Ive been absent. Sorry. But on a thread i did on another forum someone was absolutely astounded by shivas setup. Because its planted. So heres my reply and description since no one here has a planted anything ive noticed. Its upsetting.

So. Here is my reply on frogforum
hope i inspire someone out there, feel free to ask questions!

After being asked how i keep real plants with my snake because it theyre destructive:
MY REPLY
Actually thats a funny story. Since snakes rely on belly heat to digest, there is no drainage layer. However, we do have to use a soil moisture meter to make sure im not too saturated. Like i usually rant, most of my uva needs are met by 56-65k full spectrum grow bulbs. Uvb, and an infared. But, like in the joshs frog moss thread, a 56k GE full spectrum Color Effects bulb (twisty) works also for mild uva. The soil is bioactive Do It Yourself we found on another forum. With some All natural orchid bard soil mixed in. Mist lightly 2x daily. And walla. I use the ultrasonic cool mist experiment too which helps alot with the moss.
The soil compacts as the snake roams. She may be a wee dirty for a day or 2. Lightly pack it with your hand.
In the tank is:
Ivy: ground plant, any light, high water consumption. Handles slithering and trampling very well. Can be purchased in a veriety of shades/colors
Pothos: come on now, if it dies ill poop myself. Any light, can be hung anywhere on anything, broken stems root anyways. Personally i hid my main cluster behind a large fake nat geo stump(cool hide) it keeps her from the main cluster...
Croton(the big plant): thick stemmed, flexible large leaves. We tested this before trying it, ya can grab the leaf mid way and push it straight down. Takes effort to break them. This needs to be near a wall. Maybe a piece of fake vine or suction cups with string? We have a foam background so i made staples, picked a leaf, and pinned it around the narrow/stem area to the background. Mind you, if tubby goes ham, im putting the staple back up in the morning. The plants roots are doing good so theres not much issue.
The long grass: name unknown but its a house plant. It just grows like nuts and doesnt care about trampling. Id recommend this for large frogs as well. Its impressivly durable.
The moss: ugh all outdoor harvested. 10:1 bleached, then soaked in hot water. Some soil left on it. Its best to place a piece of bark under any moss. The moss will root and process the bark. Your humidity is key to the moss. Our fogger grows it like a G. Regular misting on the moss if you spray. Cool enough we have a few woods plants growing out of the moss as well. Were not sure what they are besides some grasses and forest floor covering plants, which i think is an awsome thing.

Well heres a ton of pics!
http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psoehmy6wt.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3nkyvlov.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psxq6oma6o.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psm0vgrrzq.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4y8lf4kp.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psiwmjexrc.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psklgamoqo.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psoxeq7bfo.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...pskivvlqr3.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1vnbk2dv.jpg

On a cell phone... sweet god my thumbs hurt


It would have killed me to do all that over again. But hope its good knowledge for someone out there.

Here a few more

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psiez81b6l.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...pskvvmlsih.jpg

Wow your BP viv looks nicer than my PDF's viv! Nicely done.:gj:

We were guna start into PDF keeping. Already have 10 firebellies, 2 red eye tree frogs, my baby pacman, 5anoles and 2 longtails. Lol

this is beautifully done and it looks amazing!!!

I always admire peoples planted bioactive enclosures and yours is a stunner. Good job!

This is super neat! I dig it. I have questions though!!! Deep cleaning obviously isn't a thing, as would kill plants. How do clean up after snake when it does its business?

Very nice display tank. Whats the size of the enclosure? It looks awesome but I bet its a bear to maintain.

well damn

that looks great

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kris Mclaughlin

We were guna start into PDF keeping. Already have 10 firebellies, 2 red eye tree frogs, my baby pacman, 5anoles and 2 longtails. Lol

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They are harder than anything else we've done before, had three die on me suddenly over the winter and couldn't figure out why. Have to say my preference is to stick with BP's and Cresties. We had Anoles, 3 stripes and skinks too but lost interest in them, plus they live here in the carolinas so we only have to go outside if we want to see more of them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by anicatgirl

This is super neat! I dig it. I have questions though!!! Deep cleaning obviously isn't a thing, as would kill plants. How do clean up after snake when it does its business?

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If he's got a working bioactive setup the clean up crew of invertebrates in the soil will eat and survive off of the waste.

Okie doike... the bioactive soil is a joshsfrogs diy. Yes there is a full pit crew of little buggies eating poo lmao. Thats funny to me too
40g breeder, i made the top
Waste cleaning, daily spot check,
If poopie is found, remove the bulk of the poopies and stir the dirt around in that spot.
Like i mention earlier, it is a a daily poke and prod tank. Maintenance is not too bad, but, always a but... If Shiva has a bad night, the croton(big leaf) guy will need stood up again. Lol thats only shed time usually.

The fogger runs all day, but with no false bottom(So she gets adequate belly heat) a moisture meter for soil is required. Anywhere from 40-60% saturation is acceptable. Any higher and theres scale rot issues, uth on soaked glass(BOOM)! , parasites it things are not streilized correctly... ugh. Its worth it if you have a hour or 2 free every day

The setup is fantastic and very pleasing to the eye! I can tell lot of work went into the arrangement, my concern would be about insect invasion and the risks to the bp. Insects like plant loving aphids, gnats and because of the wood, MITES. Just be vigilant about keeping it clean. I know you will. Good luck!:gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

The setup is fantastic and very pleasing to the eye! I can tell lot of work went into the arrangement, my concern would be about insect invasion and the risks to the bp. Insects like plant loving aphids, gnats and because of the wood, MITES. Just be vigilant about keeping it clean. I know you will. Good luck!:gj:

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Yessir. All dirt and wood gets baked, new plants get re-planted into my soil mix before they go in, all moss... 10:1 bleach soak, dry, Mite Off dousing, dry, then place in a moist gallon ziplock bag for a week spraying water into it daily. Douse thoroughly with warm water before placing it.

I forgot before. Bioactive mixes last as long as you maintain them. Every year or so we'll have to irritate the soil and do a partial change. But most research people go up to 3 years with no problems. Yikes! Thats way too long for me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

The setup is fantastic and very pleasing to the eye! I can tell lot of work went into the arrangement, my concern would be about insect invasion and the risks to the bp. Insects like plant loving aphids, gnats and because of the wood, MITES. Just be vigilant about keeping it clean. I know you will. Good luck!:gj:

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I wouldn't worry too much about getting snake mites from your wood unless you're getting your wood decorations from Africa. Or a shop that has mite infested reptiles. Unless you mean wood mites eating his decorations.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kris Mclaughlin

Actually thats a funny story. Since snakes rely on belly heat to digest, there is no drainage layer.

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You could have used a drainage layer if you wanted and gone with over head heat or keep your ambient room temperature in the mid 80's. Not that there is anything wrong with how you're doing it if it works for you. Plenty of people use overhead heat like radiant heat panels or keeping their reptile rooms ambient temperature warm.

The less overhead heat the better. I am also 110% against ceramic heat emitters.

We use hydroponic seedling mats by hydrofarm. Theres 1 on the outer hot side and one under the hot side. They are made to stay within 10 degrees of room temp. Other than my grow/uva and uvb bulbs heat is just a simple 40w red. Now that its warming up outside the red will usually be off too.
Improper fixtures, bulbs, and bulb sizes are everywhere i look. It urks me to death... Radiant bulbs and emitters for heat burn humidity faster than anything, and causes the majority of peoples issues with low humidity, that and improper tank tops.

We also build planted wooden enclosures like the one my red eye leaf frogs are in. Theres a 2x2x2 in the works now. This is the culmination of years of research, some hard knock experience, harassing breeders and greenhouses, calling manufacturers, whew... it goes on forever. Books, books, books....

It certainly looks nice, how long have you had it set up now?

wood mites are a pain in the ass though