Making Bioactive Terrarium, need some guidance.

I am in the process of making a bioactive terrarium for my 4 year old ball python, But ive run into a bit of a problem. The tank I purchased was secondhand, and its an odd shape that i cant seem to find a lid for (not too big of a problem, I can make my own) but I cant find a proper sized radiant heat panel or lights for the plants I plan to have inside. Id love any advice you have to offer, I dont want to do something wrong and possibly put my snake in danger or spend a large amount of money on something thats completely wrong!

The dimensions of the tank are 15" wide, 72.5" long, and 18.5" deep, measured from the edges. On the top middle there is a platform (?not sure what to all it) thats presumably used to hold up the lid(s) or lighting fixture.

My basic plan is hydroballs for drainage, then weed mesh, then mix of topsoil, coconut husk substrate, and forest floor substrate. Plants i plan to use are pthos, ferns, and moss. I plan on having faux vines as well. For CUC, springtails and isopods. Also using grapevine for some decoration/enrichment and I have multiple hides and a large water bowl already. (this is very simplified, im just trying to give a basic idea of what ill have in the tank)

Ambient temp of the room is 70F, high of 80 on a warm summer day and low of 60-55 on a cold winter day. Whole house is temp controlled so highs and lows are rare.

Here is some pictures of the tank
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...b3ebbd27f2.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...314fc02c24.jpg

Thanks in advance!

If you want to use a RHP, you could cut some plywood to shape and secure the RHP to it, so it can fit as a partial lid, then cover the rest with plexiglass, so you can have lights and venting. I think another option would be to use a screen and use heat lamps. I think attaching an RHP to plexiglass would not work, because plexiglass melts pretty easy in my experience, but I have never done it, so someone else can provide feedback on that. Make sure you have a way to secure the lid in place.

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Originally Posted by wnateg

If you want to use a RHP, you could cut some plywood to shape and secure the RHP to it, so it can fit as a partial lid, then cover the rest with plexiglass, so you can have lights and venting. I think another option would be to use a screen and use heat lamps. I think attaching an RHP to plexiglass would not work, because plexiglass melts pretty easy in my experience, but I have never done it, so someone else can provide feedback on that. Make sure you have a way to secure the lid in place.

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Great idea for the RHP+Plywood! I think I'll do that.
Anyone else have tips?

bumping

Just throwing this out there, but first it's important to say I have no hands on experience here...

I've heard of people setting up bioactive enclosures for BPs with varied success. In my experience, BPs are bulldozers. They "redecorate" their enclosures all the time. So for me, personally, I don't think it's worth the time or expense.
But it certainly can be done, just be sure to choose solid, hearty plants.

Just a note, though it may save you some expense and some hassle when cleaning the enclosure: you really shouldn't need the hydroball + mesh drainage layer in this tank. Hydroballs/mesh are important when you're setting up an extremely high-humidity environment for (as an example) dart frogs or other amphibians.

In the case of a ball python, the other substrates you mentioned, with addition of a sufficient cleaning crew, should be fine. You might want to check into Biobedding from Josh's Frogs - or figure out how to make it yourself - as it's specifically made for bioactive enclosures that don't require a drainage layer. I've found the Josh's Frogs folks to be very helpful in answering general questions about bioactive enclosures in general.

I’m actually in this process I’m not going bio active though. I am adding a nice water feature and will be using a homemade wood lid with RHP’s on it. I understand that all the aesthetics like waterfalls and pools will strictly be for viewing pleasure but I’m ok with that. I was actually playing around with the idea of adding a few guppies to the pond just for some tank interest anyone ever experimented with something like that. The tank is a 75 gallon six foot long tank so there will be plenty of space for it.

I'm planning on putting most of the plants in the backdrop+sides I plan on foaming in, with the sturdier one on the floor. Thank you for the tips though, Ill be keeping bulldozing in mind and will make sure to get extra extra sturdy plants.
And thank you, ill try it without hydroballs then (it just so happened the store I ordered them from was out of stock anyways!) I also already have 2/4 of the things i plan to make the soil with, I'm going to home Depot soon to pick up some clean topsoil and pest moss to mix with my already owned coconut fiber and forest floor substrate for hopefully a naturalistic and humidity retaining soil.
And also I'm glad I'm not alone in the wood lid + rhp then! I'll do that after the trip to home Depot as well, and wait to work on it until after I order a rhp. What length would be reccomended for this length? Id like to make sure he has a good gradient of heat for self regulation.

Thanks for the help so far everyone, it really helps!

Bumping again for the weekend people

I’m also wondering about sizes for rhp. I kno the tank I have is six foot long( 150 gal not 75 like I stated earlier) I haven’t called pro heat yet but I’d imagine it will need to be on the larger end of the spectrum. I’m actually wondering if I will need two set to different temps. Or if I’m smart with insulation I could get away with one. My house rarely goes below 70 during the winter. Good luck with your bio active set up!!!! That seems like a really awesome idea but too much for me.

this is a bit off topic for this thread but thought I'd ask anyway. I'd love to make a bioactive enclosure for my bp once she outgrows her current tub setup, and I was wondering if there is any other kind of enclosure besides an aquarium that you can make into a bioactive set up? I've only seen it done in glass aquarium style enclosures... Like, could you use a pvc enclosure or something?

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Originally Posted by Southpaw91

this is a bit off topic for this thread but thought I'd ask anyway. I'd love to make a bioactive enclosure for my bp once she outgrows her current tub setup, and I was wondering if there is any other kind of enclosure besides an aquarium that you can make into a bioactive set up? I've only seen it done in glass aquarium style enclosures... Like, could you use a pvc enclosure or something?

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yeah I’m sure you could make one with any style enclosure as long as it holds water.

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Originally Posted by Southpaw91

this is a bit off topic for this thread but thought I'd ask anyway. I'd love to make a bioactive enclosure for my bp once she outgrows her current tub setup, and I was wondering if there is any other kind of enclosure besides an aquarium that you can make into a bioactive set up? I've only seen it done in glass aquarium style enclosures... Like, could you use a pvc enclosure or something?

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One of the members on here actually did that with an animal plastics enclosure. I belive they custom ordered a deeper bedding wall though for the drainage layer, ect. If I can find the post I'll link it here.

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Originally Posted by TopazEye

One of the members on here actually did that with an animal plastics enclosure. I belive they custom ordered a deeper bedding wall though for the drainage layer, ect. If I can find the post I'll link it here.

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That's awesome! I wonder what something like that would cost lol

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https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...l-Setup-Advice
Took a little bit but I found it. Not sure why I remember a random thread from 2017. This guy only made three threads but he also made assorted posts about his plans for a bioactive enclosure that might be of some help.

Here's my bioactive pvc enclosure:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...e_vivarium.jpg

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Originally Posted by ThinkSta

Here's my bioactive pvc enclosure:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...e_vivarium.jpg

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WOW that's gorgeous!!

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Originally Posted by ThinkSta

Here's my bioactive pvc enclosure:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...e_vivarium.jpg

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Gorgeous setup!

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Originally Posted by Craiga 01453

Just throwing this out there, but first it's important to say I have no hands on experience here...

I've heard of people setting up bioactive enclosures for BPs with varied success. In my experience, BPs are bulldozers. They "redecorate" their enclosures all the time. So for me, personally, I don't think it's worth the time or expense.
But it certainly can be done, just be sure to choose solid, hearty plants.

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Has anyone made a DIY Biobedding? I haven't found anything online for a recipe, and to order from Josh's Frogs just for that sounds like a nightmare to me (yay customs fees!)

Research ABG substrate. It’s the gold standard for dart frog keepers. You can find a recipe on most dart frog forums or by searching google. You can find one and tweet it as you need. The key is tree fern fiber. I’m not sure you really need it. ABG is really designed for high humidity cages where you need something that will not rot or get too water logged. A good quality organic soil will probably be fine. Just make sure it is truly free from any chemicals. The problem I see is that heat sources will usually kill your plants. You can make a bio active with just isopods and springtails. Throw in some leaf litter and a lot of pieces of bark and your good.