Hello everyone.

I've been thinking about adding springtails to my 4x2x1.5 PVC for my baby boa, Olin. I'm not looking to create a full bioactive for him, as the cage was bought secondhand and it doesn't have a way to include 4-6" of substrate and the like. It does have about 2.5 inches of substrate right now, with the substrate being Reptichip. There's plenty of leaf litter in the viv as well as other nice things like corb bark accent pieces and a large piece of driftwood. There are also natural shale rocks. The only live plants in there currently are a wealth of large clumpings of live moss, about 6 clumps between 4" and 7" in diameter. There are two water bowls in the cage, one for Olin to soak in, and a small one on the hot side I refill daily to keep humidity in the mid 60s. Humidity never drops below 55% though.

Would it be okay to keep springtails in there with him? Or even isopods? I'd be willing to supplement their food needs as well. I just want to know if the system could maintain itself.

If need be, I'd also be comfortable with replacing the substrate a few times yearly and just retaining the isopods and springtails I can find in it.

If reptichip isn't viable, is there another simple substrate I could use?

Thank you for any help!