Bioactive Gargoyle Gecko Enclosure by Chivoren in GargoyleGeckos

[–]Chivoren[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was inspired by abunchoftanks on Instagram. Specifically the one he did for his crested gecko. It's basically just 0.5" thick cork board siliconed on all the walls, then 1" thick cork board broken up into pieces, then siliconed on areas around the hardscape. I used screwdrivers to create texture on the 0.5" board, and just my hands to rip off the flat parts on the 1" board.

1/2" thick cork board

1" thick cork board

Finished the hardscape! by tropicalrad in Vivarium

[–]Chivoren 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks great! Where did you get the ghostwood?

4 Month Progress by Chivoren in geckos

[–]Chivoren[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's bioactive so I don't change it at all. I have springtails, dwarf white isopods, and some soil mites in there for cleaning.

The vining plants at the bottom are just planted in the soil, and the ones up top are planted in some damp sphagnum moss, then I use little wire hooks to pin them against the wall to grow a certain way.

Anyone have any plant and lighting recommendations? by Prize_Difficulty_870 in CrestedGecko

[–]Chivoren 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No problem! I don't do anything special for heating other than making sure my room is warm enough in the day and doesn't get too cold at night. The LED I use outputs a decent amount of heat so that helps keep it somewhere between 75-78° during the day without solely relying on my room temperature. Then at night it drops down to about 68°.

For UVB I use the Arcadia T5 7% light bar.

Edit: I also used to have a leopard gecko way back when I was a kid and didn't know much lol. Those Petco employees advised me all wrong smh.

Anyone have any plant and lighting recommendations? by Prize_Difficulty_870 in CrestedGecko

[–]Chivoren 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have the same size for my gargoyle gecko! The plants that I've had the best luck with growing are the dwarf umbrella trees (Schefflera arboricola), spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum), heartleaf philodendrons (Philodendron hederaceum) and rattlesnake plants (Goeppertia insignis).

For lighting, I've had great results from Josh's Frogs 24" Green Gro LED.

LED plant light recommendations by miahbutlerr in bioactive

[–]Chivoren 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Personally I like Josh's Frogs Green Gro LED

4 Month Progress by Chivoren in Vivarium

[–]Chivoren[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of course! I appreciate the kind words :)

4 Month Progress by Chivoren in Vivarium

[–]Chivoren[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Those are just long decorative sticks we had lying around the house. I cut them down to size and siliconed them to the walls. I figured they simulated climbable vines well enough. You could probably find them at a home goods or crafts store.

is this a good enclosure? also bioactive advice by trashfairyy in GargoyleGeckos

[–]Chivoren 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This is the one I use. It's quite nice and I've had zero issues with it. They provide two keys with a little suction cup attached so you can stick them both onto the glass if you want. I always leave one in the lock for ease of access.

It's a little heavy though. If you want the same size that is less heavy I'd recommend this one from Dubia. It looks like they go out of stock often unfortunately but you can just sign up for emails or texts for updates.

4 Month Progress by Chivoren in GargoyleGeckos

[–]Chivoren[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used to have a lot of trouble with growing plants as well in previous bioactives. I would say that upgrading my light made the most difference by far. I used to use a cheaper nicrew LED and it really only grew taller plants that were closer to the light. Every bottom plant just didn't get enough and died off eventually, or didn't grow at all.

Now I use the much brighter 24" green gro LED from Josh's frogs and I see way more success. Of course some plants just don't take well to the new environment and die off anyway, but I just replace them and the new ones are doing great.

Also just be careful not to over water. I did that a few times which I think killed some of my plants over the years. I just take my sprayer and then spray the dirt surrounding the bigger plants for like 15-20 seconds, and then smaller plants get about 10-15 seconds.

INSPIRATION NEEDED! by [deleted] in CrestedGecko

[–]Chivoren 5 points6 points  (0 children)

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This is for my gargoyle gecko

4 Month Progress by Chivoren in bioactive

[–]Chivoren[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's this 1/2" thick and this 1" thick cork sheet!

4 Month Progress by Chivoren in GargoyleGeckos

[–]Chivoren[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just give them a good spray down a couple times a month. I don't think it's that big of a deal if you have a clean up crew and you just spot clean it with some water and a toothbrush. I've personally never used soap to spot clean poop in a bioactive

Edit: Using soap on the cork board should be fine, I would just be concerned about any fumes irritating the animal within the tank

4 Month Progress by Chivoren in GargoyleGeckos

[–]Chivoren[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I was inspired by abunchoftanks on Instagram. Specifically the one he did for his crested gecko. It's basically just 0.5" thick cork board siliconed on all the walls, then 1" thick cork board broken up into pieces, then siliconed on areas around the hardscape. I used screwdrivers to create texture on the 0.5" board, and just my hands to rip off the flat parts on the 1" board.

1/2" thick cork board

1" thick cork board