Just in time for the uptick in "Bio-Active" posts

[Extensionofgreen]

http://www.chameleonbreeder.com/podcast/bio-active-part-1/

I haven't listened to it myself, but trust it should be helpful for those that this is a newer concept for. Some of us have been keeping this set-ups as "natural" terrariums/aquariums for decades, with keeping dart frogs, arachnids, and fish.

 

[Michelle Maxwell]

Interesting something to think about!!

 

[etclement]

http://www.chameleonbreeder.com/podcast/bio-active-part-1/

I haven't listened to it myself, but trust it should be helpful for those that this is a newer concept for. Some of us have been keeping this set-ups as "natural" terrariums/aquariums for decades, with keeping dart frogs, arachnids, and fish.

I've been waiting for this for so long it they finally did it!

 

[Davecameos]

Thank you for sharing this

 

[livehappy08]

This came at a perfect time for me! Been stalking the Dendro forums for ideas for ages now!

I found it especially interesting that he recommended NOT using an external drainage system....hmmm, gonna have to think about that one for a bit...

 

[Davecameos]

This came at a perfect time for me! Been stalking the Dendro forums for ideas for ages now!

I found it especially interesting that he recommended NOT using an external drainage system....hmmm, gonna have to think about that one for a bit...

I use a layer of clay balls, but I also have a pipe connected to the bottom in case of water raising too much. It is like a tap and I can open it whenever it is needed.

 

[livehappy08]

I use a layer of clay balls, but I also have a pipe connected to the bottom in case of water raising too much. It is like a tap and I can open it whenever it is needed.

Just curious...do you seperate the substrate and the clay balls?

 

[Davecameos]

Just curious...do you seperate the substrate and the clay balls?

Yes always. I use mesh on top if clay balls.

 

[jamest0o0]

Do you guys stir you substrates? I have rocks/bark/leaves between my dirt and surface. Just read that the dirt needs stirred and for bioactive to be effective, the surface needs to be unblocked from the soil by plants, rocks, and other objects? This seems contrary to a lot of set ups i see. I have to listen to this video still though. I just have a book that i've been reading through

 

[Extensionofgreen]

Your substrate should have enough aggregates in it that it's doesn't become compact and require stirring. With constant watering, organic material break down and so do aggregates like bark, so yes, some occasional turning over and amending of the potting mix is needed, just like in a compost pile, but this is done anyway, by removing tired plants and adding new ones, strong in pelleted, slow release fertilizers ( yes this can and should be done in these habitats ), and by every couple to several years removing the surface layer of substrate to about half and replacing with fresh. It doesn't matter how biologically active your substrate is, just like aquarium water, it can look clean, but it changes its chemical properties and becomes stripped of nutrients and trace elements over time and water changes replenish these, and the same is true for a container environment with substrate. As organic matters break down, they become more acid and acidity binds available nutrients plants need to grow. No amount of "bioactivity" (which is really just a buzz word at this point anyway) will keep a system going indefinitely healthy for a functioning, container ecosystem. Can you achieve a functioning container atmosphere, in a sealed jar? With one or 2 tolerant species and the right start, the buffering capacity of the soil and nutrients can cycle and maintain life, but that's different from an actual thriving environment, with multiple species, thriving in perpetual balance. For people wanting to understand more about "bioactive" they should read and get to understand cycling planted and saltwater aquariums, composting, organic gardening, and growing African Violets with wick watering, as these topics explain the relationships between bacteria, pH drift, the nitrogen cycle, and how a biologically active system works, in general, and in every case, some removal, and addition of new material is always needed to maintain a thriving community.

 

[Davecameos]

You can add earth worms to air the substrate

 

[Extensionofgreen]

Earthworms actually will contribute to soil compaction over time, as their waste is very, very dense. Their tunnels contribute to gas exchange and aeration in nature, because the thatch of plant roots prevents the tunnels from collapsing, but in a vivarium, there isn't that thatch of roots and the tunnels will collapse and the finer bits of organic material will be cemented together by the worms digestion and make the overall substrate composition dense and not compatible with plant growth. Try black soldier fly larvae. They don't burrow as deeply and don't produce dense castings and the flies are loved by chameleons and harmless to the set-up.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

I just listened to the podcast and I'm actually impressed. My system varies from his recommendations based on the needs of my set-up, but I have accounted for the variables he mentioned. For example, I have clothe and external drainage for managing my water waste, but my soil layer is over 1' deep and I use slow release fertilizer to compensate for nutrient leaching, which, by the way is happening in the rainforest, as 90% of the available nutrients of the ecosystem are tied up in the living foliage, as the soil is so deluged with rain, most of the available nitrogen is washed away. I like that he mentioned magnesium and he is 100% accurate and the occasional use of Epsom salt in horticulture is a great way to compensate.

 

[jamest0o0]

Thank you @Extensionofgreen I'm familiar with aquarium cycling and water parameters, I kept nano-reefs successfully as a kid. It's what got me into the concept of 'bioactive'(which I only choose to say because it gets the point across as to what I'm trying to achieve) reptile habitats. In the book I was reading, it seemed to stress a stirring of the soil a little more often manually. That's what had me a little confused, along with it saying keep the surface of the soil free. This threw me off a little because a lot of us have bark/leaves/etc laying on the bottom. I assumed that the beneficial bacteria would spread across those things in time with the soil being underneath them. It also mentioned that the top layer of soil should be changed as you mentioned. I just wouldn't want to have dangerous bacteria building up on top of rocks and bark because the *bioactive* part of the soil can't reach it. If that makes sense.

 

[jamest0o0]

@Extensionofgreen Hey sorry to bother you so much, but I was about to order some sunshine mix #4. There seems to be different kinds like "advanced mix" and "with mycorrhizae". Do you mind recommending one of them to me? And where would you order from online?

 

[Extensionofgreen]

I use the advanced. Mycorrhizae are harmless plant symbiants, that contribute to the bioactivity of the substrate. I purchase mine locally from a hydroponic store, so you maybe able to have it ordered. You can go to the companies website and they have a list of distributors in your area.

 

[poison]

To address the stirring. Ik this is a Cham forum so obviously we're focusing on substrate for Chams. But when using bioactive subtrates for other species of lizards of snakes stirring can definitely help. The top lair dries so mixing helps move the microfauna from the moister lairs to the top. Sorry if this was already mentioned didn't read it all yet.

 

[poison]

Also by other species I mean burrowing species.

 

[jamest0o0]

Thank you @Extensionofgreen!

@poison i'm reading that book you recommended me.

 

[poison]

That's great to hear! For some reason that book isn't as popular as it should be.