You gotta use Amazon correctly. They label them by best seller, most affordable, best rated. plant light off Amazon
Apple Cider Vinegar did not work for me.
I had a huge fungus gnat problem earlier this year in my corn snake's enclosure. I purchased sticky pads from amazon. They are pretty big but I cut it down to strips and place it in the gap of the two glass doors of his tank. The trap would be full with hundreds of gnats per day but after a few months they were gone. I still keep a trap in there to keep tabs on the gnats and there has not been any for quite some time.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KRRJT5J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Be careful where you put them in the tank. My snake got caught on it once and I needed to use olive oil to work him off.
I found this one, not sure how good it will be it’s actually in the mail still lol. It is budget friendly though for sure. It also has pretty decent reviews. https://www.amazon.com/Humidifiers-Terrariums-Humidifier-360°Adjustable-Rainforest/dp/B09WXZPP81/ref=asc_df_B09WXZPP81/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=598277722303&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5439304044218492136&hvpone=&h...
For the flies, these are your best friend, add just outside of a vent and change out as they fill up.
https://www.amazon.com/Mosqueda-Fruit-Traps-Sticky-Pack/dp/B08MZN1K2Y/ref=asc_df_B08MZN1K2Y/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=475855672054&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11048045092909617493&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9005449&hvtargid=pla-1047605409821&psc=1
As for the isopods, add in a bone or something to the substrate to supplement their calcium. They don't like walking on top of the soil most times, they're shy. I have a small rock bowl thing I use to add powdered crestie food once in a while, when not in use, I just spray water into it. They LOVE that bowl. If I pick that bowl up, there's a dozen scurrying out from under it.
I second this! I use the Govee minis for all of my spiders, reptiles & other invertebrates and they are amazing! I had inkbird but you can only add so many devices. My govee app has 15 currently and it sends constant readings via a free app on my phone, you can get a whole history presented as graphs, set temp/humidity range alarms so that if anything is off you get alerts (essentially if it isn’t going off you know everything is as it should be) and they are way more accurate than analog/digital ones marketed for reptiles. I also use the infrared temp gun on top of those to get basking surfaces but otherwise they are amazing! Around $12-$15 for one depending on how amazing has them priced at the time of purchase or $21-$28 for a 2 pack.
I use a squeeze wash bottle for directional watering at the roots (especially good for plants that don't like water on their leaves like marcgravia sintenisii), and a misting bottle for finishing touches and extra humidity at leaf level. I also have a misting system set up to go off three times a day.
I am currently fighting off a gnat infestation and what I have found to be working is a product called mosquito BITS you can find an 8 ounce bag on Amazon for around $10. There are these little corn pellets that you soak in water for about 20-30minutes then remove the kernels. Use that water to spray the substrate. You want to make sure you get the top 1 to 2 inches of substrate with a solution. You do one treatment and then repeat in 14 days. It won’t kill your isopods or springtails but kill the gnat larvae. This along with a cheep insect trap that can suck up the some of the adults so they stop laying eggs seems to be doing to trick. Hope this helps I know how annoying they can be.
Link for Misquote Bits Summit 116-12 Quick Kill Mosquito... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001LE1VC?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Link for cheep Insect trap MOSHUNT Indoor Insect Trap,... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WTSMXJB?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
To add to the first commenter. Go on Amazon and get a giant bag of charcoal or order right from Josh’s frogs too
Josh's Frogs Charcoal (4 qt) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JJV8Q6Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_1VSMNC5TZA5JC75KN74Y
I don’t believe you need a drainage layer for this setup, but everything else sounds good! All the plants you listed will do well I believe. As for lighting, you can get a grow light or an LED light. Here’s the link to the LED light that I use: AQUANEAT LED Aquarium Light Full Spectrum for 30 Inch to 38 Inch Fish Tank Light Fresh Water Light Multi-Color https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G91L6FV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_P9ZB6F6JKBMTV3A2ZHW0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
All on Amazon my dude. I'm using these 12" ones instead of the three small ones in the picture.
And the clasps are here
All on Amazon my dude. I'm using these 12" ones instead of the three small ones in the picture.
And the clasps are here
Barrina T5 Grow Lights, Full Spectrum, 2ft 80W (8 x 10W, 500W Equivalent), LED Grow Light Bulbs, Plant Lights for Indoor Plants, Greenhouse, Plug and Play, 8-Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VD1884R/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_XVZHNBWRQG5FM4YNKRY2
Hi guys. So, I first set up my bioactive enclosure a couple months ago. Everything was running fine, but now, it seems that whatever I plant on the bottom, eventually dies.
My springtails looks like they are doing fine, same with the isopods. The soil is Sherpa's design mix (coco fiber and peat moss, spagnum, sand, and reptibark) with mixed leaf litter. I just checked the soil and it doesn't look damp, but just rightly humid. I placed the fittonia on the bottom for the lesser light and high humidity requirement, but it's not doing fine there... (Yesterday I explicitly watered it but not much has improved). The rest of the vivarium seems to be doing fine.
What might I have been doing wrong? Maybe I need more light? This is the one I'm using: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0919ZK9NS?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Thanks everyone!!
Is there a special type of lighting I need for my bioactive setup? I am currently in the process of building mine and just have an led overhead light similar to the one you have (looks like it). I thought an LED light would work fine. here is the link https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C84SLRO/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I use coconut husk fiber mixed with a little activated charcoal powder, sand and disinfected leaf mulch for my garter snakes. Works great, is very clean, and the isopods love it. You can order it on Amazon if you can't find it at your local pet store. It's super cheap. Just add water if you get the brick kind.
https://www.amazon.com/Exo-Terra-Plantation-Quarts-3-Pack/dp/B001CY4ELE/
Yeah a uvb light doesnt gove off the full spectrum of light that plants need to grow, this is the bulb i use for my bioactive crested gecko tank, the plants love it
For coco noir, I found this brand on the Home Depot website: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Viagrow-1-5-cu-ft-Coco-Coir-Buffered-Premium-Coconut-Growing-Medium-50L-52-8-qt-13-2-G-VCCF50B/316244001#overlay
Does that look okay to use? I want to use the same substrate in my leopard gecko tank & I want it to be able to sustain plants
lighting This is what I used for my 36x18x18. So it has 2 light bars. Together they were literally perfect and the tank has a support bar that goes right through the middle of the screen lid, and each bar was perfectly fitted for each side of that support bar. But you could use this system on 2 separate enclosures. But the only thing I don’t love is that the light is kind of yellowish. I prefer the more white colored lights. But it works really well on my tank with keeping all the plants happy and healthy.
I'm using this one from Amazon. It's an aquarium light but I have it on my other bioactive that has been doing good for around a year now.
I found some tree fern fiber here, don't know if this will help, but hope it does. https://www.amazon.com/Fern-Zealand-Tree-Orchid-Substrate/dp/B07FBBB4TW