First non-intro post! Forgive me for if this isn’t the right sub-forum to post this in and for slamming y’all with a wall of text.

I plan on bringing home my first ball python in a few months and I’m in the process of planning out their permanent enclosure. Given my plans to bring home an older BP, I’m making plans for a 48” x 24” x 24” bioactive enclosure. There are still a few specifics I haven’t been able to narrow down yet. I was hoping that people could chime in with their experiences in terms of specific products and bioactive enclosures in general before I start flooding the inboxes of my chosen suppliers.

I plan on using an AP T12 with a raised lip to accommodate the deeper substrate layer, sliding glass doors, and a lock. Heating-wise, I’m waffling between using a ProProducts RHP or an Arcadia Deep Heat Projector. While the RHP will take up less space and distribute heat across a greater across a greater area of the enclosure, the (purported) higher bioavailability of the infrared given off by the DHP is very attractive. Either way, the heating unit will be controlled by a Herpstat and positioned over some stones, slate, or rocks to provide both flank and belly heat.

Lighting-wise, I’m not quite sure what LEDs I’d like to use for my plants. I plan on using an appropriate Arcadia UV-B light* on the warm side of the enclosure and plant LEDs on the cool side. I’ve heard great things about the Jungle Dawn LEDs, but it seems as though I’d need quite a few and I’m not sure how I’d mount them inside an AP enclosure. All lights will be protected by lamp guards to prevent my BP from pulling them down or getting burned. For the record, I plan growing tough plants like Sansevieria in the substrate while growing more delicate and trailing plants in planters mounted to the walls of the enclosure.

Thanks for sticking with me! Go nuts, and feel free to tear my plans apart! I much rather correct any mistakes now rather than later.

* I know UV-B isn’t necessary for BPs, but I would like to supplement it and see if it provides any health benefits for my BP. There seem to be some anecdotal reports of BPs enjoying and slightly benefiting from appropriate UV-B supplementation, so I’d like to try this out.