Bioactive LEOPARD GECKO setup!
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- Опубліковано 30 бер 2018
- How to setup a naturalistic bioactive leopard gecko setup! A beautiful thrive habitats pvc enclosure complete with zoomed excavator and Arcadia earth mix arid.
Links 👇
Merch: teespring.com/stores/alpharep...
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Facebook: / alphareptiles
Email: alphareptile.co@gmail.com
Twitter: / miketytula - Домашні улюбленці та дикі тварини
"So you want to build a Bioactive Leopard Gecko enclosure EH?" Canadian Intensifies XD
Someone caught on!
Mike Tytula Lol I know you too well
I absolutely love this setup. It makes me want to do a bioactive setup for mine. 😊
Elle 622 will be worth it im pretty sure
I would certainly do it for yours!
You can get so creativ and the geckos love it
Elle's Reptiles I watch you 😂😂😂
hope u tried it out👍❤️
I’ve always loved all the bull that comes with substrates. Not just the ones in the exotic pet trade but gardening aswell.
You are correct!
Plant thermostats are awesome and affordable - I use the same one from amazon in all of my Leo enclosures, and they seem to be pretty accurate. If I’m not mistaken, they were less than $15 a piece.
I use the same thing. They last forever too. I still have my original ones that I bought 7 or 8 years ago.
They aren't quite as accurate... but they do tend to work for things that have lower temperature requirements.
This was a great video. I love the bioactive setups
Glad you enjoy!
Excellent! This turned out beautiful, I'm sure both you and Striker will be able to enjoy this Viv for quite a while. Thank you so much for this video. I loved it.
Glad you enjoyed man! I hope Striker likes it as much as I do!
Looks fantastic Mike, I’m going to re-do my Leo’s bioactive setup at some point because it’s not big enough for him. I find that the best cleanup invert for arid setups are mealworms, in all of their life stages. Buffalo worms work too. Once Striker gets settled, try putting some damp sphagnum near his defaecatorium and keep it seeded with Arcadia’s custodian fuel - the bugs will set up residence and get cleaning in no time!
That's not a bad idea!
Mike Tytula 👍
That looks awesome! Do an update on the clean up crew later on! I haven’t had great success with clean up crew in my arid tank.
I will certainly post a video about it.
Best arid bio-active yet, keep it up man always been a fan!
Thanks Jacob! I appreciate it :) Feel free to share it :)
Mike Tytula any update on what cleaners are doing well in the arid climate? Looking for the best place to start. Thanks mike
Amazing ! It’s obvious that you put your heart and soul into your content.
Thanks man! Feel free to share it on social media :)
You make me want to redo add to my tanks. I have a bio active 40 gallon for my leopard gecko and she loves it. She is so much more active and uses the space. Great video!
That's the goal! If only more people would provide larger habitats for their animals
Looks great!
Thanks man!
Great vid...your doing well Mike..keep up the good work!!!
Thanks Davon! I appreciate it
Just discovered this vid and your channel. Love the vid. New subscriber!
Thanks Holly, glad you enjoy.
Hey mike just to let u know I do learn a lot from ur videos I do appreciate them thanks keep up the good work 👍👍
That's awesome! Thanks for watching :)
Woah! My mouth dropped when you said that you’re a biology student at the University of Calgary, so am I!! Thank you for this helpful video, the first and only bioactive enclosure I’ve made so far is a tropical one for my tree frogs, so I really needed some help with creating an arid enclosure :)
That's awesome! I graduated in 2019. That's awesome though!
Awesome video looking forward to making this for my tangerine tornados
Awesome! Do it man, it looks great and is extremely functional for the animal.
This is the coolest leopard gecko setup ever
Thanks buddy!
This is my favorite leopard gecko set up on youtube damn
Thanks :) Glad you enjoy it :)
So excited to get my hands on some of that excavator clay now and get started on my leopard gecko's new tank build!
It works great!
Great Video!
Thanks for watching!
Sup this vid is awesome I love all your vids keep up the grind
Thanks Dylan I appreciate it!
Honestly the fact that you replied made my month thankyou so much
That was awesome to see how to advance the setup for a gecko. I am very excited to see how the zebra species continues. Really awesome
Thanks they are doing alright so far!
Super helpful totally going bioactive with my new leopard gecko
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed
Cool setup man
Thanks buddy!
Great video! cant wait to do this for my little guys and again awesome video
Thanks for watching man!
I am completely new to Bioactive terrariums! I have mostly looked at tropical tanks for my 8+ year old fire bellied toad but I love the arid aspect of this one!
Thanks for watching!
Looks awesome! I think I’m gonna base my bio active build off this one! 👍👍👍
Do it! So far it's doing well!
Another cool video from the boss 👍👍👍👍
Thanks buddy! Glad you enjoyed!
I like how Stricker was familiarizing himself with the new contents for his enclosure🙂 Thanks for sharing...
It's neat to watch!
fantastic! Subbed and liked!
Thanks for watching!
This is awesome
Thanks for watching
Thanks great video, I learned alot about the bioactive world its super cool.
It's neat but hard to achieve in a setup like this honestly.
great info!
Thanks!
Cool, im setting up a new viv for my African fat tailed gecko soon, great inspiration :)
AFT are awesome!
i really want to make a bioactive setup for my gecko this inspired me thank you!
Awesome! Glad I could held
This gave me so many new ideas for my tank. Thx
Glad you enjoyed!!
Who wouldn’t enjoy lol
Haha idk!
this is beautiful. although im not making an enclosure for a gecko, this for sure helps my hognose bioactive plan!
Awesome! Something like this would be great for a hoggy
yessss, finally! you're a tease though for not showing him explore lol
That'll be on another video my friend!
absolutely love this set up ! appreciate all the thought and detail that goes into your content, im researching intensively before i get a Leo, and youve helped both inspire and inform!
Glad you enjoyed the video! And also happy to hear that you are doing some research before jumping into reptile keeping :)
ive had reptiles previously but never a Leo, and wanted to be sure i had the info before i got one, thanks!
to many people rush into these kind of commitments.. thanks for your great content.
That is for sure! They come in all the time having no idea what they are doing, and expect things to go well... Glad you enjoy it :)
I see the same, I work with horses for a living... as you can imagine, also lots of people who need educating on the level of commitment and care they need 🙈
hahah ya considerably more than what a reptile needs!
Keep it up man
Cheers!
OMG MIKE, I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO GIVE STRIKER A BIOACTIVE TANK FOR YEARS NOW!
Well the time has finally come!
Thank you for the info
Thanks for watching!
Yesterday at the pet store i saw a skull like that and though "Fuck, that looks silly", but then i see what you did and now I'm planning on getting one myself, haha.
hahah I had the same thought, until I came up with the idea of just smashing it hahahah
I would definitely want my geckos habitat to be as natural as possible, so I’m here learning as much as possible.
Awesome! That’s exciting
Hey Mike! How long do you recommend having the bio tank set up and stable before putting a new baby leo in there?
Depends if you want the plants growing and stuff. I would suggest one month before. That will allow you to adjust temperatures as well
I know this video is 2 years old but thanks for this! It’s helping a lot with setting up bioactive enclosures for my leopard geckos
Glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watching
Hey mike just wondering where you got the cleanup crew. Im in Alberta
Jungle jewel exotics
Very much appreciated love your setups and very interested in doing a similar project
IT held up very well, Although I did redo it after my move.
@@MikeTytula thats apart of the fun
@@thelastsamari7923 It sure is!
Hey! Building my first bio active for my younger gecko :)
Sweet! Good luck!
Hey Mike 🤙
Sup! Been a very long time hahah
Very nice
Thanks!
Man, I kind of wish I could send you some of my local isopods, they'd be great for that enclosure. Temps around here hit 105-120 in the summer pretty easily so I know they'd live in that tank. And we've got some cool tan and gold ones as I showed you on facebook at one point.
Ya I remember that! That would have been cool
well I could always catch more, though I have no clue how expensive it'd be to ship them all the way to Canadia for you
Wouldn't be worth the shipping costs. Thanks though!
That's awesome can you make a bioactive setup for bane?
Travis Riddle Bane is in one already. He has a video of him moving Bane into it.
I have already made one lol
Dude I love that setup 💀
Thanks! I enjoyed that setup a ton!
@@MikeTytula Awesome work dude.
Thanks so much!
Great Video! How has the CUC been working out? Are the springtails surviving in the dry climate?
Their numbers aren't super high but they are still hanging in there!
Thanks for the reply!
Mike how old is striker now? I know that he is pretty old
13-14 years old
Hey mike, always a fan of your videos.
I plan on making some naturalistic setup for my snakes. Have you or anyone you know used great stuff on a pvc/plastic enclosure? I want to make a naturalistic diy background and I’m worried it may not stick when it expands.
I don't think I have! I'm sure it would work just fine though!
No drainage layer? Just wondering how the succulents are doing? How often do you water them?
They are doing alright! It was pretty humid for a week or two in there so there has been some melting.Other than that they are doing good.
Nice one uk.
Thanks for watching!
Where can i get a large selection of vivarium plants for a crested gecko viv in canada? Including bromeliads? Thanks
Depends where you live but I would just check local garden centres.
Garden centres around me just have outdoor plants and succulents. Is there an online source? Im in ontario
www.rium.ca is my buddy
Ill check it out thanks
You can order them online
That b roll tho
;)
My first Leo setup is going to be a bio, I’ve done so much research, I can do it cheap, but better than a naturalistic, so I will
Naturalistic isn't necessarily a bad thing. That sounds good though!
Did you put the probe all the way into the substrate? Touching where the heat tape or superficially into the substrate?
The probe rests on the surface of the substrate
Is there any way to find springtails and/or isopods in nature? Or some alternative?
Im from Argentina and nobody sell them here...
Mike Tytula where i can find them?
Surely you can find them some where outside
Will a heat pad work for this with a glass tank? Like will it emit enough heat through the substrate for surface temperature?
Not likely, but it depends how you set it up
You didn't link Thrive Habitats in your description? o.o Also where do you buy your Arcadia substrate? Can't find it online anywhere that ships in/to Canada.
They honestly might not be around anymore... And the only place you can find it is reptilesrus.ca , but Keith hasn't gotten any in a couple shippings so hopefully he will get more in the next shipment :)
@@MikeTytula Yeah I sent an email to reptilesrus to see if they are expecting it in again soon, nothing back yet though. Are you still using it as the substrate for your bioactive? Any complaints ?
How did this fare, I'm planning to do a bioactive for my leopard gecko in the future, and I have succesfully done o for my crestie, but the loose substrate and the humidness worries me.
It has been wicked so far!
@@MikeTytula Awesome! One of my geckos had a small respiratory infection when his wetbox was a bit too wet, so I've been very careful after that.
I'm trying to find a background similar to that because my Leo Charmander likes to climb on my Exoterra wall but I'm not a huge fan of it. Where can I get a background like that with ledge's?
Best place is universal rock . Com
I just found your channel, Mike. I am in the middle of research working towards getting my first leopard gecko in the next few months. I found this video very informative. Quick question if you see this: Do you believe a bio-active tank is too difficult for a first time owner to attempt? Should I stick to a traditional set up until I have learned the idiosyncrasies of my new pet? Any input is appreciated.
I don't believe it is too difficult, I think if you invest in a good substrate and thermostats you'll be fine!
Do you need a drainage layer when using the Arcadia earth mix arid ?
You certainly can use one
Heat mats are incompatible with bioactive setups for a couple of reasons. They will not penetrate the substrate; the surface heat they offer is not enough for digesting accidentally ingested substrate; leos will burrow into the soil to cool down, so heat from below goes against their instincts.
It worked at the time, and there is a cool side for a reason. Not saying you are wrong because I actually switched to above heat anyways, but there are plenty of ways to do things effectively.
Where do you buy your invertebrates
Most of them I just breed but you can find them all over. It depends when you are?
Say what kind of lighting did you use?
I use the Arcadia shadedweller and a T5HO grow bulb for full spectrum lighting.
I made mine with clay for the main substrate the gecko is on, and made my own arid mix for a succulent garden along the sides. I've had luck with superworms and mealworms as a cleanup crew.
AWesome! Thanks!
@@MikeTytula I heard your zebras died in there. How did your springtails do? The substrate in mine completely dries between watering so I haven't tried it.
Ya mine has dried as well
Hey, I'm from innisfail. i wanted to do a bioactive leopard gecko setup. Could you give me some info on where to start? Thanks
I mean watch this video...
Did the tank get up to temperature eventually? I was surprised to see you placing the mat on the underside - I wouldn't have thought that much heat would transfer through both the plastic and the substrate. I'm planning a bioactive leopard gecko setup myself (in a glass tank) and was considering placing the mat and probe inside the tank, under the substrate. But for every way to place a heat-mat, I find opinions on why that way is not safe/effective, so I'm really not sure what to do. I've created several successful bioactive setups in the past, but this will be the first that involves heating.
Ya I could have also placed it in the tank, but the PVC facilitates heat transfer much better than wood and things. The way I did it is the way to go if you are placing the heat mat in the tank. I would cover it in excavator or somehow work a tile on top of it so the Leo can't come into direct contact with it. And obviously make sure you have a thermostat.
Mike Tytula Yeah that's a good plan, I do have a bag of Excavator lying around waiting to be used for something. Thanks for replying!
What material is your vivarium made out of? If I made a wood vivarium and put a heat mat inside it would it burn the wood?
No it would be fine, you just need a thermostat
Mike Tytula ok thank you!
May I ask where you bought the Arcadia earth mix. I live in Canada (and well so do you) and I have been looking for it for months with no luck. Can you send me the link for it pls.
reptilesrus.ca
Great video! Why a uvb 10 & 5 though? Why not just use a nice t5 6500k for the plants? keep up the great videos :)
Leopard geckos will use UVB radiation.
Hey i know this might be dumb but where did you get the rock from ?
I local landscaping place
Where do you buy the spring tails and isopods?
Depends where you live
New Leopard owner here! Hello from your neighbor city ! (Edmonton) :)
Congrats! Hopefully this helped out!
@@MikeTytula Absolutely! The more knowledge the better
Glad to hear!
Thank you for helping out! Happy lizard happy life!
So are springtails or cleanup crew insects safe/good for a Leo to eat?
They won't eat the springtails.
Hey mike, where is the best place to get leopard geckos?
Honestly it depends where you live!
Where can I get Arcadia Earth Mix in the United States.
I believe lightyourreptiles.com should carry them.
could i mix the clay with eco-earth instead of jungle mix?
You could yup
Cool thank you!!
Hey Mike! Would this work with a tank that opens from the top?
Ya should be fine!
Mike Tytula also, where could I get this product in the US?
You can order it from lightyourreptiles.com
Where did you buy the 3d rock background?
Universal rocks
How has the soil and excavator mix held up?
Great so far!
Great video! What kind of enclosure is that? What is it made of? I like it! *Liked & subbed!
It's made out of PVC
@@MikeTytula ok, I have one similar that I got off someone online. The heater or light doesn't bother the PVC?
Nope!
so we can use sand for gecko? what happen if he eat it while eating bugs?
If he is properly heated, and hydrated they should have no problem passing it through their system
What happened with the biopod? Was moisture an issue?
It was terrible haha, the unit itself failed, and the humidity is way to high for arid creatures!
What site did you get the background from?
This is from Universal Rock
I know this video is old but can i have a list of what to use for like soil and plants
I'm pretty sure I mention it, but it's arcadia Earthmix Arid
im thinking about building my own bioactive tank for my 40 gallon tank with my 3 three geckos, what plants would you recommend?
What three geckos are you housing together?
@@MikeTytula three leopard geckos, 2 females and 1 male
Not trying to be call you out or anything, but doesn’t loose substrate have a risk for impaction?
Impaction is a man made issue caused be a combination of improper care. If given proper husbandry there is very little risk of impaction
Thanks for this video, it was awesome!
I'm wanting to create a bioactive setup for my gecko. I think i have the basics down, but how should I go about maintaining the bioactivity months down the line?
Also, how long should I wait to add my gecko after adding a clean-up crew?
Thanks again for the video, it was awesome.
It’s very challenging to maintain over a long period. The true bioactive part of the enclosure failed for me.
@MikeTytula Would you suggest that I breed cultures separate from my setup to have some back up clean-up crew?
Absolutely. Almost never is one culture you buy going to be enough to sustain a tank. In reality a tank would need weeks or months of growing a CUC population before the animal is released. Alternatively, you seed it with a culture and add a couple more cultures down the line just to maintain population.
@@MikeTytula Alright, thanks for the tip!
@@izizwhatiziznt No problem!
Where did you get your background?
Universal rock
I want to try this but I don't know if the crickets will eat the plants?
They might nibble on some but shouldn’t be too much of a problem.