Upgrading York's viv

[FLZooMom]

Now that it's the rainy season here in SW Florida and York has to spend more time indoors I've realized that he's really outgrown his 55 gallon tank so I found a 75 gallon to move him into and started setting it up tonight. In addition to upgrading his tank size I'm also setting him up with a bioactive soil.

Anyway, I figured I'd document it here and that way if anyone has any tips I can get them before I get too far into it.

Here I've just added the freshly washed rocks for the drainage layer.

The Screen over the rocks to prevent the soil from getting down in their.

My pit bull, Junior, helping me mix the soil. Topsoil, play sand, and peat moss.

All mixed up, heavy as heck, and ready to go in the tank. I ended up having to make another batch because this one wasn't enough to get the right depth.

In the tank.

Live oak leaf litter over the soil, the isopods and the springtails have been added and are hiding.

Tomorrow I'll start to figure out where everything is going to go in there. For now York is still in his old tank and this one is across the room. The African nightcrawlers that I ordered should be here Saturday so I'll add them then. I have some live plants that I need to add once I figure out where the hardscape will be going.

 

[Taterbug]

I am excited for you and York look forward to seeing what you do and how he likes it.

 

[FLZooMom]

I added the logs and other things into his tank and spent quite some time rearranging things and this is what I've come up with so far. I'm going to have to get another heat lamp for the other side to raise the temp slightly, but other than that, I think I'm set. Although, I'll probably do some minor tweaking over the next few days.

 

[FLZooMom]

I forgot I still need to plant the live plants!

 

[AcceptableGeek]

How exactly does the bio soil work? Are the benefits better than other substrates like slate tile?

 

[FLZooMom]

The bio soil has a few benefits. It's closer to what they live on in the wild, it allows them to dig, and the custodians do most of the clean-up for you.

Bearded dragons don't live on slate or paper towel in the wild. Even using other substrates like crushed walnuts or whatever don't allow for them to do things like dig burrows. York really likes to dig and when he would go into his hide I'd hear him scratching around in there for a while. Now he'll actually be able to make some progress when he digs.

The custodians (isopods, African nightcrawlers, springtails) will come out at night and eat the waste in the tank (poo, leftover food) making it pretty much maintenance free except for the watering that needs to be done periodically. Even with watering the soil periodically to keep it from drying out and to keep your custodians alive your humidity should still be within normal range so that's not an issue.

Another benefit that I've noticed is that he's more active after feeding. I added some crickets to his tank yesterday and instead of being able to easily find them and eat them really fast he had to actually hunt for them. It was great to watch. He actually was much more alert for several hours while he continued to look to see if he had missed any, and then I noticed him actually stalking them!

If your beardie is healthy and properly hydrated you don't have to worry about impaction, either.

That's my take on bioactive soil. Other people might have more to add.

 

[Taterbug]

Looks great! Glad to hear York is taking to it!

I like it for the enrichment it offers - it can't be beat by solid substrates, especially for diggers. I also like that it's easier to keep more complex furnishing layouts clean. I can also offer "rain" without flooding things and even grow plants in the enclosure.

The soil aspect is a bit like a fish tank. The inverts process the large waste (including leftover salads and shed) and the nitrogen cycle in the soil processes it further.

 

[FLZooMom]

York absolutely seems to love it. He has way more room and some of the crickets are still in there for him to find and stalk. I watered it yesterday and saw some of the wood lice and the crickets come out from hiding. That was pretty cool. He's been exploring and last night he slept behind the piece of Mopani wood on the right side. I set that up the way I did because I was hoping he'd use that spot as a large hide. He hasn't figured out yet that he can dig, but then again, he hasn't gone into the half log hide yet that I set up for him. He's been very busy checking things out and testing the different places to hang out.

I got the plants in yesterday and added some pieces of flat rock for the wood lice and other things to hide under. Other than the heat lamp I need to add on the right side of the tank it's all done. I have the heat lamp I just need a power strip before I can add it. I ordered it on Amazon and it'll be here tomorrow. The only other thing is just going to be figuring out how much to water but that will come with time and experience.

Some new pictures!

 

[mudskipper]

I love your tank! How is it going after a couple of months? Are the isopods and springtails still alive? What's your humidity level?

 

[FLZooMom]

Thanks, mudskipper!

The humidity level hovers around 40% or so, give or take. The isopods and springtails are thriving, and in fact the population has boomed and I see them about all the time. There are also some pinhead crickets in there (probably from when a couple crickets got free during feeding time), some roaches that got away during feeding time, some superworms that got loose during feeding time. The African nightcrawlers are still doing great, too.

After the initial spot cleaning while the bioactive cycle was getting set up it's been maintenance free except for the occasional watering to make sure that the soil stays damp. For example, the other day he pooped out a bunch of the superworm exoskeletons and within a couple of days the cleanup crew had taken care of it. I like watching after I water because I can see the isopods and some of the other critters come out, and sometimes York is paying attention and goes hunting.

Honestly, I think this is the best thing I could have done for York and his physical and mental health.

 

[Taterbug]

Thanks, mudskipper!

The humidity level hovers around 40% or so, give or take. The isopods and springtails are thriving, and in fact the population has boomed and I see them about all the time. There are also some pinhead crickets in there (probably from when a couple crickets got free during feeding time), some roaches that got away during feeding time, some superworms that got loose during feeding time. The African nightcrawlers are still doing great, too.

After the initial spot cleaning while the bioactive cycle was getting set up it's been maintenance free except for the occasional watering to make sure that the soil stays damp. For example, the other day he pooped out a bunch of the superworm exoskeletons and within a couple of days the cleanup crew had taken care of it. I like watching after I water because I can see the isopods and some of the other critters come out, and sometimes York is paying attention and goes hunting.

Honestly, I think this is the best thing I could have done for York and his physical and mental health.

I'm glad to hear you and York are having such success with it! It really is a rewarding method of keeping are your succulents doing well?

 

[FLZooMom]

Taterbug, no, the succulents bit the dust. York kept stepping on them and lying on them so I've been looking for something a little more hardy for in there. I was thinking a ponytail palm, but I haven't done the research yet to see if it's safe for him if he decides to nibble on the leaves.

 

[mudskipper]

Haha good to know! No squishy plants. I wonder if agaves and haworthias would work.

Why African nightcrawlers? Are they better for warmer, dryer substrate?

What do you recommend for substrate? I'm thinking 3 layers. I'm putting Repti Bark at the bottom. The middle will be a combination of organic compost, coco fiber, and sand. The top layer will be coco fiber and sand. Then leaf litter at the top. What do you think?

 

[FLZooMom]

When you set up your bioactive you want it to be as natural as possible for both your beardie and your cleanup crew so you can't have it too dry. For that reason you probably don't want reptibark as your bottom layer since that's to be your drainage layer. I'd recommend rocks so that when the water gets down to that layer you won't have to worry about anything rotting.

The African nightcrawlers are better for the warmer temps that a bearded dragon needs, but your substrate should never dry out or else you're risking the whole ecosystem that you've built up, or are attempting to build up.

I wouldn't go for layers, except a drainage layer, your bioactive soil layer, and your leaf litter layer, unless that top layer you're talking about is pretty thin.

Here's a really good tutorial, and is in fact the main lesson that I followed: http://bit.ly/1Z5zKTr

Here's a great FB group that is full of very nice, knowledgeable people that love to answer questions: http://on.fb.me/1Gtx9Hn It also has some great tutorials in the "file" section.

Now, I have a question for everyone. When I made it rain today I was watching as I normally do and noticed that I have a pretty big cricket problem, that's going to turn into a huge cricket problem pretty soon. Does anyone have any recommendations on how to get rid of pinhead crickets before they get large enough to breed? The only thing I can come up with right now is next time I make it rain I'll pull out the little hand vac with the little attachment and suck them up a few at a time, but that doesn't really seem to be a great option.

 

[Taterbug]

Expanded clay balls work wel, for drainage layer too, they are lighter than stones and loris to help wick the water back up. I've used both, stones is fine but the clay balls are a bit nicer and easier on the back if you can find them. Some people even use branches as the bottom layer for the inverts.

Bummer about the succlents. That's been my experience too. Dragons are so rude.

For your crickets... I might try a bait trap. Some bit of food they really like in a dish that's easy for them to get into and hard to get out, maybe cover it up with something and snatch them out at night? My roaches and supers seem to collect under plates or fall into bowls but I've not had to try a major removal yet. I'm sure if I put some bread or a bit of a McDonald's into a dish they'd be in a burry to get in and then be stuck.
Not sure who else they would eat but some centipede species or pseudo- scorpions are carnivorous.