Advice for my first Bioactive terrarium?

[BonnieBallPython]

Hello,

I have had my ball python since I was a teenager and now that I'm an adult I want to give her the quality of life she has always deserved.

I'm hoping to receive advice about how to improve my planned setup AND advice on maintaining it to prevent a crash. For the most part, I followed the BioDude's tutorials (but not exclusively).

Tank:
Right now, I have a 70-gallon, 4-foot long tank cleaned and ready.

Heating:
I plan to use 2 ceramic heat bulbs to heat the tank, both with a dimmer switch and probes that automatically cycle day/night temps.

Substrate:
I have the BioDude's TerraFirma which I'll mix some sphag moss into. I also have the BioShot for that. According to the BioDude, the TerraFirma does not require a drainage layer, so I have no plans for a drainage layer.

Cleanup crew:
I'll be using dwarf white isos and tropical springtails (I live in Florida so my house is usually not colder than 75 degrees except at night). For the isopods, I plan to drop in most (but not all) of the isos from a culture of 100, which I will be purchasing online. I have purchased a much smaller culture of isos from this website before and kept them alive in their original container for a few weeks as a test run. For springtails, I plan to drop in about 50 and keep about 25 to the side. They'll be coming from the same source as the isos, and I did do a short test run with them in their original containers as well. *NOTE I wasn't really paying attention to their breeding, just seeing if they stayed alive. To feed them, I have leaf litter, seed pods, cork wood, bamboo stalks, etc. and Springtail Grub from the BioDude.

Plants:
I'm waiting to receive a dracaena, two types of pothos and a bird's nest fern from the BioDude. I also ordered a 22-inch LED strip which is about 1/2 the length of my tank (I think it was the biggest size available). Will I need a second strip for the other half? Also, I have NEVER taken care of plants before (ever!) so I have no idea how to tell when I will need to water them in addition to regularly misting the tank. I will keep them for about 1 month to make sure they don't have disease/pests before planting them in the terrarium.

Safety precautions/maintenance:
I have a stick-on digital thermometer/hydrometer for both the warm/cool sides. Both of my heat lamps will be on a waterproof probe that is set on a timer for day/night. I will also be using a heat gun to ensure surface temps.

...And of course I have the basics like hides and a big water dish.



I am open to any and all advice, feedback, or constructive criticism about my plan so far. This will be my first Bioactive setup and my first time owning plants.

P.S., how long should I wait after completely setting up the terrarium before I put my snake in?

[Armiyana]

I'm honestly not that familiar with working bioactive yet myself, but the other concern I would maybe have is the beep flattening out the substrate. So you may need to turn over a bit of it every few days to let the crew do their thing.
You'll definitely want to give it a bit of time to settle before adding your snake. I would think at least a couple of weeks. That way you can test run your humidity levels and give the plants a little time to settle in.
Ball pythons are prone to sometimes crushing the plants or pulling them up since they're so hefty, so letting them have room to spread a little roots will be good. Let's the buggies figure out some nooks and all.

I think you should be mostly okay with the LED strip if you center it, or maybe even settle it over the cooler side. Just put the lower light plants towards the area with less light. It'll also probably help your girl settle in since bright light isn't usually their thing. Just keep a couple cozy hides or nooks available. Maybe leave her warm hide on the darker side that way the cooler more humid side will get that plant growth for the critters.

[Homebody]

Plants:
I'm waiting to receive a dracaena, two types of pothos and a bird's nest fern from the BioDude. I also ordered a 22-inch LED strip which is about 1/2 the length of my tank (I think it was the biggest size available). Will I need a second strip for the other half? Also, I have NEVER taken care of plants before (ever!) so I have no idea how to tell when I will need to water them in addition to regularly misting the tank. I will keep them for about 1 month to make sure they don't have disease/pests before planting them in the terrarium.

P.S., how long should I wait after completely setting up the terrarium before I put my snake in?

I've always found taking care of plants to be difficult. Too much water. Not enough water. Not enough sunlight. Too much sunlight. Fertilizer. No fertilizer. All different combinations. They always failed. I've recently started having some success due to what I learned from all my failures. So, my advice would be to wait until you are sure that your plants are thriving before introducing your snake. By thriving, I mean they're maintaining their color and they are growing. If you have to repeatedly replant, and unless you are a natural green thumb you will, it'll be very disruptive to the ecosystem you are trying to build, particularly to your snake. We all know that it doesn't take much to get a bp to refuse to feed. I would start with potted plants first. They'll be less disruptive to replace if they fail.

[Bogertophis]

.... I want to give her the quality of life she has always deserved.

... This will be my first Bioactive setup and my first time owning plants.

P.S., how long should I wait after completely setting up the terrarium before I put my snake in?

Commendable goals, but I don't necessarily agree that bioactive is a step-up for the snake. I'm not saying it's good or bad- I don't do bioactive & have no plans to do so- I'm only saying I don't think it's particularly beneficial to the snake, AND it's more work for the keeper. I think bioactive makes sense for much smaller creatures, but not for snakes that will smash the plants & produce too much output for the "little critters" to dispose of.

I agree w/ Homebody about plants- and I'm a gardener! At least outside. Plants are a whole other layer of challenge- but does your snake really care?

Everyone has a different idea about how long it may take to set-up a thriving bio-active enclosure before moving in a snake. I've seen a member that planned for about a year to make sure all was thriving- honestly, who knows? It depends on how well you "get it right" in the first place. All I'm saying is that when you keeping a snake that's going to be very hard on your bio-active set-up, and that snake is also likely to be STRESSED when you have to keep making adjustments to their world (rescuing plants & all), it's asking for trouble. BPs are known to be fussy eaters- so why ask for trouble?

Anyway, that's my take- "you do you". I think snakes appreciate good cover & some appreciate natural things to climb on- I'm not sure they appreciate or are even aware of what's going on in the ground beneath them. And don't forget that bio-active is being promoted by some so you buy things... just sayin'.

[mistergreen]

One thing that doesn't seem to ever be addressed with bio active for snakes, when using a CC, is that springs and iso's breed. A lot in some cases. And isopods are hungry. CC's work great with frogs or geckos because they will also eat them keeping the population in check somewhat. Especially springtails. Snakes obviously won't eat then. CC's will need something to eat. The snakes waste won't do it. The video I've seen on YouTube where people put in these large size iso's is ridiculous. Im a definite newbe with snakes but I dont think bio active is right for them

[BonnieBallPython]

One thing that doesn't seem to ever be addressed with bio active for snakes, when using a CC, is that springs and iso's breed. A lot in some cases. And isopods are hungry. Snakes obviously won't eat then. CC's will need something to eat. The snakes waste won't do it. The video I've seen on YouTube where people put in these large size iso's is ridiculous.

Is there any reason I could not cull them myself? I've seen people say their isos will group up in preferred hiding spots, like under a water dish, etc. As I said I'll be using dwarf whites as I understand that larger species pose a bite risk to the snake. I have a lot of snake-safe biodegradable material to feed the isos as well.

[Bogertophis]

Is there any reason I could not cull them myself? I've seen people say their isos will group up in preferred hiding spots, like under a water dish, etc. As I said I'll be using dwarf whites as I understand that larger species pose a bite risk to the snake. I have a lot of snake-safe biodegradable material to feed the isos as well.

Just remember that a shy snake might not appreciate you digging around in their home- and it's certainly not what happens in nature. Just saying. Some snakes don't care as much about our presence, but most BPs didn't get that memo. You could have one that does- is it worth the risk of having your snake refuse food?

[mistergreen]

Is there any reason I could not cull them myself? I've seen people say their isos will group up in preferred hiding spots, like under a water dish, etc. As I said I'll be using dwarf whites as I understand that larger species pose a bite risk to the snake. I have a lot of snake-safe biodegradable material to feed the isos as well.

Isopods and springtales won't stay in one place. Two dwarf isopods become many isopods.

[BonnieBallPython]

Just remember that a shy snake might not appreciate you digging around in their home- and it's certainly not what happens in nature. Just saying. Some snakes don't care as much about our presence, but most BPs didn't get that memo. You could have one that does- is it worth the risk of having your snake refuse food?

I like to take my snake out to be handled once or twice a week because she has always had an excellent temperament since she was a baby. I used to let her explore the downstairs before I got cats. She was my best company for years! I imagine I could make changes to her new hab without stressing her out then.

[MrMoyb]

I've been keeping dart frogs in naturalistic vivaria for decades, occasionally dabbling in lizards and snakes. I prefer these setups because I enjoy the "display" nature of the hobby more than anything, and they CAN be great depending on the species being kept.

That being said, there's spectrum with these setups ranging from having a potted plant in an otherwise synthetic tank to a nearly self sustaining mini ecosystem. And I think the self sustaining nature of a dart frog vivarium has more to do with the size of the frog relative to the enclosure, the size of their waste, and the prevalence of nonpathogenic fungi and bacteria to convert frog waste to plant food in a moist environment.

I keep "clean up crews" but I honestly don't think they consume animal waste the way we'd like them to. They mostly eat biofilms and leaf litter.



I keep my ball python in a naturalistic setup with some plants that mostly get bulldozed (ficus, pothos, cryptanthus). It's my own soil mix topped with leaf litter and some random oak bark. The soil is allowed to get fairly dry and I spot water the plants. The hides are glass bottomed with paper towels, and she tends to eliminate inside them for easy cleanup. I always pick up any waste "out" in the tank though.

I have dwarf white isopods, which are probably the best- they stay in the soil, don't eat much leaf litter, and tend not to overpopulate (unlike some other species which violate all three of these commandments). And tropical silver springtails. Since I don't keep the soil very moist, their populations stay pretty small.