Soaked Substrate!

[MissSkittles]

I bought it from a guy who owns and runs a pet store specialising in reptiles etc. He set it up for me. I don't want to jeopardise my chameleons health.
Thanks for your message. Cheers

Sadly, many if not most pet stores really are lacking full knowledge in chameleon care. There are even some exotic vets who have limited knowledge. The keepers here KNOW the best ways to keep chameleons through years of trial and error. I think you’ve been on the forum long enough to see how many come with problems from husbandry errors. Setting up a true bioactive enclosure is a bit of work and expense, but is well worth it for your chameleon. If you choose not to do that, it is fine but you’ll be best to have no substrate.

 

[jamest0o0]

OP can you post a picture of your substrate?

 

[PabloTheCham]

Whats bioactive? I don't think i can remove the substrate as its several well established plants. I'm hoping that the heat and humidity will dry it up! Its unfortunate that i didn't realise i was overlooking were the water was dripping, as in not into pot!

Bioactive means that you have all your plants in one bin, and in the bin there are isopods and springtails that will break down your chams poop and any mold that may grow.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I bought it from a guy who owns and runs a pet store specialising in reptiles etc. He set it up for me. I don't want to jeopardise my chameleons health.
Thanks for your message. Cheers

He may have set it up correctly (or not), but you made the error with the cup that rendered the setup a risk.

Then please listen to what these folks are saying. There are a lot of years of expertise here, and they're all telling you the same things―start over and set it up correctly (again). Worst case, you'll lose a few plants, but with care, I think those can be salvaged & transplanted into a drier, well-drained substrate.

That's not going to be a problem as I'm disturbing the soil to ensure the moisture is evenly spread and not given a chance to grow mold or fungi

Molds, mildew, fungi... all have microscopic spores, and their reproduction is limited in properly drained soil. If that goes out of balance, the count can go out of whack within hours, and you'd never know it because it's not yet to the point you can see (or smell) it, but the high count is still there.

Another way to think of it is like parasites. Reptiles (and other creatures) can live with low levels of parasites and be healthy for their entire lives, but when that parasite load increases to a certain point, it puts the host's health at risk.

Whats bioactive?

bioactive chameleon enclosure

Bioactive Chameleon Enclosure Build: Part 1 – What’s “Bioactive?”

 

[lthrbecks]

I took your advice! I removed the sodden soil and replaced it with new soil. Much better looking it is too. I'm just so pleased i took the time out to rectify the situation.
Now, if only i could get him to eat properly and learn to drink, id be even happier!

Thank you so much for your advice.

 

[Pickle-cham]

Do you have cleaning critters in soil (springtails/ isopods/ millapedes/worms etc). There must be some sort of drainage for plants to fully thrive id of thought, how you going to stop reoccurring?

 

[lthrbecks]

I didnt think id need cleaners as there's nothing for them to live on. It was totally my fault it waterlogged. I inadvertently missed part of the dripper falling in to the soil. I assumed it was all going into my pot below. I'll be much more vigilant next time!

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Hope you included a drainage layer as well―just in case. It sounds like you've got an oddball (no offense intended) setup. If the whole bottom of your enclosure is soil, but it's not bioactive... that's highly unusual.

I didnt think id need cleaners as there's nothing for them to live on.

In a bioactive setup, they live on fallen ? and leaves, and dead bugs if there are any. You still clean up the major ? but they live on residuals.

If you haven't, I would encourage you to read the above links on bioactive, and decide if that's what you want to do, or scale back and just have your plants in pots on a solid floor (where surplus water from misting & dripping can still drain away).

There's more info here and elsewhere in the Resources section of the site.

 

[lthrbecks]

No drainage. I think I'm too heavy handed with my misting regime i tend to soak the plants around 4 or 5 times per day! I also water the plants every weekend. Maybe its too much moisture falling into the soil!
Do you think isopods or whatever are the way forward for my vivarium?

 

[Pickle-cham]

Not without drainage plan ?

 

[lthrbecks]

I'm baffled because I'm no longer going to have a waterlogged vivarium i like the idea of clean up crew though.

 

[MissSkittles]

If you aren’t going to add the drainage layer, you need to remove the soil and just have a bare floor.

 

[lthrbecks]

Ive just seen drainage products online. I thought id need pipes and holes drilled for excess water to drain into a receptacle below! It can be another substrate layer, balls or a mat, mesh. Am I correct

 

[Pickle-cham]

And service pipe that reaches under usually in a corner to extract excess water that flows through your system

 

[MissSkittles]

Ive just seen drainage products online. I thought id need pipes and holes drilled for excess water to drain into a receptacle below! It can be another substrate layer, balls or a mat, mesh. Am I correct

I provided a diagram earlier. On the bottom you have a layer of clay balls or lava rock. Screening on top of that to separate the soil from drainage layer. Place in a corner a pvc with either holes cut at one end or notches to be able to collect water...having it stick up so you can be able to suck the excess water (With siphon, wet vac, etc). Then add your soil mix and a leaf litter along with live plants. Last but not least, add some isopods and springtails to keep everything clean.

 

[jamest0o0]

Literally all bioactive means is beneficial fauna/flora. You could have a bioactive 1" layer of soil. Pretty much any soil is bioactive, especially over time. You want a drainage layer so your soil doesn't become waterlogged, filled with stinky anaerobic bacteria, compacted, and killing your plants and proper balance. Fungi and mold is not an issue I've seen in bioactivity and trust me when I say, I've had more bio cham enclosures than probably anyone here.

 

[lthrbecks]

How does the service pipe water leave a glass vivarium? There's no holes provided for excess water to drain

 

[jamest0o0]

Literally all bioactive means is beneficial fauna/flora. You could have a bioactive 1" layer of soil. Pretty much any soil is bioactive, especially over time. You want a drainage layer so your soil doesn't become waterlogged, filled with stinky anaerobic bacteria, compacted, and killing your plants and proper balance. Fungi and mold is not an issue I've seen in bioactivity and trust me when I say, I've had more bio cham enclosures than probably anyone here.

And when I say they aren't an issue, I mean they are harmless IME. It is normal and healthy for mushrooms and fungus to pop up. Mold even in the early stages.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Ive just seen drainage products online. I thought id need pipes and holes drilled for excess water to drain into a receptacle below! It can be another substrate layer, balls or a mat, mesh. Am I correct

Again, it depends whether you go full bioactive, or cut back and do the bare floor with pots. Either way, you've got to have a way to drain off surplus water from the pots and from the misting & dripping.

I'm going through the same thing myself. I spent months looking into bioactive and all that it entails. It's a cool idea, and well-suited for chameleons, but there is more maintenance involved than I want to handle at this point in my life, so I'm sticking with a bare floor, drain pan, and yes, a few hydroponic fittings to drain the pan into a 5 gal bucket below (or into a drain if you have one handy―I don't).
Emptying that once a week, I can handle.

 

[lthrbecks]

I've seen clay balls, would that count as a good drainage medium? I've never thought about a cleaning crew. That might be something to think about too!