Bioactive Vivarium Guide

Bioactive terrariums and vivariums have grown in popularity in recent years, and for good reason!

Bioactive enclosures provide a number of benefits for their plant and animal inhabitants - and their owners too. Bioactive vivariums typically require less maintenance, provide help with waste cleanup, and often result in a healthier, more naturalistic environment for plants and animals to thrive in.

This guide will provide step-by-step instructions for creating a bioactive vivarium.

Materials

Required:

• Enclosure: Suitable size and type enclosure for future plant or animal inhabitants.

Examples: Exo Terra, Zoo Med, Fish tank.

• Lid: Glass, plexiglass, mesh, or custom lid, based on the species you plan to keep.
• Lighting: LED, UVB, etc., suitable for future inhabitants.

• Drainage layer: LECA balls, egg crate, or pond filter foam (30-40PPI recommended).

This will prevent your substrate from getting soggy.

• Terrarium/Landscaping/Window screen mesh: Prevents substrate from falling into the drainage layer.

Examples: Exo Terra Draining Mesh, Zoo Med Substrate Mesh, weed barrier, landscaping fabric.

• Substrate: Suitable for future plant or animal inhabitants.

• Leaf litter: This will prevent animals from ingesting substrate on accident, and will provide food for your cleanup crew.

Most hardwood leaves are safe, and Oak and Magnolia are most common. You can also forage your own hardwood leaves from a toxin and pesticide-free environment.

• Cleanup crew: Varies based on inhabitants, temperature, and humidity you plan to keep.

In humid enclosures dwarf white isopods and tropical springtails (e.g., F. candida) are most common.

• Mister: Hand mister, or automatic misting system; generally the finer mist, the better.

Examples: Spray bottle, garden mister, MistKing.

Recommended:

• Live plants: Be sure to select plants appropriate for enclosure size, inhabitants, temperature, humidity.
• Digital combometer: To measure temperature and humidity.

Examples: Exo Terra, Zoo Med, GoVee Digital Temperature & Humidity Gauges.

Directions

Step 0 (optional): Custom background

If you're planning to build a custom background for your bioactive enclosure, it's best to do so before building substrate layers and adding live plants or animals.

The materials used during construction are known to release toxic fumes while curing. See our custom background guide for more information.

Step 1: "False bottom" drainage layer

• LECA Ball Drainage Layer.png

  LECA balls

• Filter foam drainage layer.png

  Filter foam

• Egg crate drainage layer.png

  Egg crate

Start by building a "false bottom" drainage layer by adding at least 2" (5 cm) of LECA balls, egg crate, or 30-40 PPI pond filter foam to the bottom of the enclosure. This drainage layer ensures that excess water / moisture runs off from your soil, and prevents it from getting soggy.

The differences between each these materials are minor, and they're all similar in price. Bonus tip: Add 3-4" (7.5-10 cm) of PVC pipe to provide easy access for a siphon in case you need to drain water out later. Just make sure to cap it so animals don't get stuck!

Step 2: Add terrarium mesh

Layer fine mesh over the top of the leca balls, egg crate, or pond filter foam. Turn the edges of the mesh upward against the edges of the tank to prevent your substrate mix from falling into the drainage layer.

Step 3: Add substrate

Pour species-appropriate substrate on top of the mesh. For tropical and subtropical setups (e.g., most frogs, geckos) Atlanta Botanical Gardens ("ABG") mix is recommended due to its nutrient-richness, and ability to retain moisture without getting soggy.

Step 4: Add isopods and springtails

It's time to go bioactive!

Add at least 10-15 dwarf isopods (e.g., "dwarf whites"), and one standard-sized springtail culture cup. We recommend F. candida springtails for tropical and subtropical enclosures - they're prolific and affordable. Note: It's perfectly OK to pour the entire culture in, substrate and all.

Step 5: Add plants and leaf litter

Add plants suitable for the species you're keeping, as well as the temperature and humidity you plan to maintain. When you're done, cap the entire substrate with a layer of leaf litter at least 2-3 leaves thick. We recommend processing and quarantining your plants before adding them to any enclosure.

Step 6: Lights, hardscape (and beyond!)

Install lights above the lid of the enclosure.

Continue monitoring plant growth, and adding plants and hardscape (like branches and large stones) as desired.

Give the enclosure 2-4 weeks to cycle and grow in.

This is is a good time to practice maintaining the temperatures and humidity for animals you plan to add in after cycling is complete.