Why Bioactive Tanks Fail & What Happened To My 170 Gal Tank!

[@krysiabrowne3605]

Its great to see more bioactive content, it is hard to find reliable information out there :) After moving my past beard dragon into a bioactive set up many years ago, I have never looked back and now all my new animals get a bioactive. Also just wanted to clarify that drainage layers are only necessary in sub-tropical/ tropical set ups. You shouldn't be watering so much in an arid set up that there is excess water :)

[@swiggydiggy]

a temperate enclosure likely wouldnt need much in the way of drainage either, for that matter.

[@leopardgeckotalk]

Yeah I used drainage in my arid tanks, but when I redo them, I may take it out.

[@Karebear9001]

Love this big tank! A couple small neo bromeliads may be nice for the upper parts of the tank. Absolutely agree on a drainage layer - and a substrate barrier layer. I've had some luck in the past with pinning a hoya or some peperomia to the background and they grew nicely. I just tossed out tons of the peperomia trimmings, too bad I'm in the US!

[@leopardgeckotalk]

Yes bromeliads would be cool. I did also wonder how spanish moss would do, but it can be super expensive.

[@andrewz689]

7:06 that wall planter that you printed… did you design that stl? Is the stl available somewhere? It looks like it would work amazingly!

[@billsmith1998]

after a decade of building bioactive setups, the most important factor is the soil. not necessarily the material but what lives in it. your beneficial bacteria, fungus, and microfauna have to work together well. If you can balance the soil, it will compost and do all the cleaning for you.

[@leopardgeckotalk]

Yes :D I often see people tip activated carbon in their tanks, and I wonder if its worth it. I've also read it will absorb any smells but then release them again. Have you ever used it?

[@GeekyGeckoCreations]

Great video!

[@leopardgeckotalk]

Thanks!

[@stina9659]

I have used LED grow lights, the cheapest I could find on Amazon, ebay the last 15 years, temu the latest, they all work wonderful for most tropical inexpensive well known plants

[@dacisky]

Mine are doing well but here is what went wrong with my gargotle gecko enclosure. My theme was AU and I got a bunch of AU ferns...They were not doing well,so I increased the water in the enclosure. The ferns got better but my gargoyle developed a lung infection. I reduced the watering and the ferns died. He's fine now and the only live plants are snake plants and Spanish moss. My leopard gecko has succulents and has done fine, So this is what happened at this end.

[@leopardgeckotalk]

Oh no sorry to hear that. Do you have good ventilation in the tank? One of the main causes of lung infections is stagnant, moist air, so if there isn't good air flow, bacteria will build.

[@elwirapodsiadly1949]

Hey so I was wondering can somebody tell me why do my isopods keep eating the roots of new plants? I can’t plant anything new because it will die off very fast 😅

[@JarMaster]

Love this!

[@leopardgeckotalk]

thanks 😊

[@JarMaster]

@@leopardgeckotalk Keep it up!

[@Sigmaboy69420-j]

Tbh as long as my plants are sucking nitrates from the soil and outputting oxygen I don’t care how well they are doing. I kind of enjoy watching reptiles destroy plants (enrichment) or myself destroy plants because the plants needs don’t match the reptile and the reptile is priority. Dying plants also have a unique aesthetic- it almost looks more natural in a way

[@leopardgeckotalk]

Yeah the ones that can survive, and take on the destructive nature of the reptiles, are probably the best bet for the tank - natural/reptile selection in a way 😂

[@Tobyy_Blox]

I loved the video where she made the tank :)

[@leopardgeckotalk]

thank you :D

[@haleycook3397]

This has come at a good time for me. We are updating my crested gecko tank and having problems for the second time. Any help welcome. We bought our girls tank off her previous owner so it was completly set up as a bioactive tank. However a few weeks in we had slugs. We removed them and tried rverything toget rid but they just kept appearing. They ate the plants and killed everything so we completly re did the tank. However stupidly we didnt change the bacjground and they must have been hiding so they cane back. Somehow something we did worked and they havent been sern for months. But still the plants have completly died and i have had to redo it again. I used hydroballs, fleece and a mix of eco earth and crestie life and a jungle dawn Even though I havent seen the slugs in months. Should I still change the whole thing? Substrate and all?

[@leopardgeckotalk]

Rex could take care of the slugs lol. I wonder, when you're adding the plants, are you completely cleaning the soil from the roots? As you may have hitchhikers that way. I guess the best time to spot the slugs will be at night, after you've misted the tank, so it may be a case of manually removing them. I don't know what Crestie Life substrate consists of, but I use EarthMix every time and it's never let me down.

[@haleycook3397]

@leopardgeckotalk A blended substrate to help create the ideal environment for Crested Geckos and other arboreal species. The life substrates are specially blended from high quality ingredients to create a substrate that has been specifically designed to meet the needs of a particular species, or group of similar species. For 'Crestie life' we have created an open, moisture retaining substrate with a slightly acidic pH. This holds moisture and releases it slowly, so helping to maintain high humidity, while the pH inhibits excessive bacteria growth. This type of substrate is ideal for Crested Geckos and other arboreal species that require high humidity. It also allows plants to be grown to create a natural environment. This is the description on the website. They seem to have been gone now a few months. I'v got new plants iv quarantined and repotted them. Should I replace the balls and substrate even though the slugs have gone?

[@MrJkfixe]

I'll have to disagree with the watering advice you give in the beggining. From my experience, it is preferable to overwater once in a while, to really hidrate that soil, and let nature do the rest. Specially with a drainage layer, you're in a better position for that. When to water: the plants will ask for it. Just look for the signs. Maybe use a more sensitive plant to lack of water to use as an alarm. In my leopard gecko tank it is the spider plants. They will turn whiter when they need water, and in that day, I just flood the tank Main advantages: It helps raise overall humidity of the tank, reducing the need and frequency of misting, while also reducing humidity drastic flunctuations in a small period. Less worries about watering/misting, just look at your designated plant for watering. Creates a bigger cycle of humidity, more similar to nature - rain "season"/dry season. Disadvantage: If you water too much, rooting might happen. It's a learning cycle. Or the other way, as one might not give so much attention to watering, sometimes plants die of thirst for a bit of negligence, especially if the bioactive is a desert habitat. In the end, one does what works best for them. If misting regularly is best for your tank, then it is what it is. I just wanted to share another approach that worked amazing for me and might help others.

[@ravennoxia]

He do be a slender gecko 😄

[@leopardgeckotalk]

I can't believe I said gecko 🙈 force of habit