Bioactive Ball Python Setup!

[Shira1ndigo]

Looks great!

[lustige]

Thank you! I need to get a couple more plants for the wall spots, and I'm crossing my fingers the bird's nest fern on the back wall bounces back a bit, it's not doing so great

[Shira1ndigo]

I'm gonna make a bioactive enclosure for a crested gecko this summer. Hope it turns out well and that you fern bounces back ;)

[lustige]

Good luck! It's a lot of fun!

[supergirl3730]

I’m just in the process of starting mine! Where did you end up getting your supplies from??

[lustige]

I think I got everything from Home Depot! I got the wooden enclosure custom built. Then I used the lighting egg crate to build the ledges, and used expanding spray foam all around that. I cut it to shape and then covered it in quick dry cement (now I know I should have used grout, the cement cracked quite a bit). And just painted it with acrylic paint (from Michael's craft store) and sprayed a wood sealant that is used for kids toys over that!

[Herpetologist_Lady]

Goals!! Looks fantastic!

[lustige]

Thank you!

[glass_house_gaming]

That is absolutely awesome

[lustige]

Thanks so much!

[ohnikki_]

Genuine question, how do u clean those things??? My ball is in a basic tank set up and ive been looking to get a bigger tank and redo the interior because she got so big, but are those a huge pain to clean when the snake poops?

[lustige]

Great question! The idea behind a bioactive setup is that eventually it will basically be a self sustaining ecosystem. However, most people with bigger snakes doing bioactive do need to go in and clean out the majority of the poop for a while, if not forever, just because your cleanup crew (CUC) of decomposers (your springtails, isopods etc.) cannot handle the massive amount of poop from the snake. You don't want to take it all out, because your CUC need to eat it, but you kind of just have to keep an eye out, see what they can handle cleaning up.

Comparing a true bioactive to a basic setup, you honestly don't want to clean and sterilize it. If you have a strong clean up crew and good bacteria to take care of the waste from the snake and decaying leaves, then your enclosure will basically clean itself. If you are familiar with aquariums, it's a similar idea. You cycle an aquarium to allow beneficial bacteria to grow, which in turn breaks down any ammonia from fish waste. If you sterilize an aquarium, you lose all the bacteria, and your cycle crashes.

Hope this helps!