So I've only owned 3 camillions 2 of which I didn't do a great job with I have did a lot of studying and someone bought to my attention that I shouldn't be using soil in the bottom of my cam's tank without it being bioactive due to Mold And all of the fecal material in the bottom so i went to petsmart and bought two packs of powder blues one pack of powder orange and one moocow sets of isopods So now there are forty supplied culture packs in the bottom along with three live plants I was hoping someone could tell me if i'm doing this correctly
Started a bio tank
- Thread starter Onnie.g
- Start date
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Hi! I’m not sure if you’re doing it correctly as while having a bioactive substrate is basically having soil and clean up crew and creating a living natural environment, there is a little bit more to it in order to have it be successful. The biggest is having a way to manage drainage so that your soil doesn’t become/remain a muddy stagnant swamp. There are different ways to achieve a good working set up. If you do a search of the forum, you’re sure to find where some have built beautiful waterproof planter bins and use pvc pipe to provide access to suction excess water. I use fabric root pouches (placed on top of a substrate tray to prevent leaking) which breathe and allow for natural evaporation. Regardless of which system you find works for you, it is important to have a bottom layer of clay balls, lava rock or some other similar substrate separate from the soil. This is the guide that I used in figuring it all out. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/intro-to-bio-activity.2429/
Ronald7232
Established Member
So my chameleon tank is fully bio-active and I consider it one of my greatest achievements due to how well it functioned. First you need a bio active drainage layer you can use lava rock, perlite, or LECA (clay pebbles) preferably i would use LECA. after applying the DL (Drainage Layer) you want a substrate barrier the best choice is simply mesh screening you can pick this up in any hardware store. After the DB (Drainage Barrier) has been applied I personally like to put charcoal, sand and gravel on top of the DB flatting the mesh and basically acting as a other drainage part also to mention its great hotspot for the isopods! Then i add my mix which is simply: potting soil without perlite then tropical mix and coco fiber came out amazing to me i have not had a single plant die or yellow from overwatering or poor drainage. try using some of this info and you will be gold! Also actual drainage system and watering dm me for help 
Ronald7232
Established Member
Also use leaf litter as the chams might try to eat the isopods.So my chameleon tank is fully bio-active and I consider it one of my greatest achievements due to how well it functioned. First you need a bio active drainage layer you can use lava rock, perlite, or LECA (clay pebbles) preferably i would use LECA. after applying the DL (Drainage Layer) you want a substrate barrier the best choice is simply mesh screening you can pick this up in any hardware store. After the DB (Drainage Barrier) has been applied I personally like to put charcoal, sand and gravel on top of the DB flatting the mesh and basically acting as a other drainage part also to mention its great hotspot for the isopods! Then i add my mix which is simply: potting soil without perlite then tropical mix and coco fiber came out amazing to me i have not had a single plant die or yellow from overwatering or poor drainage. try using some of this info and you will be gold! Also actual drainage system and watering dm me for help
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
OP how are you draining water from that? Agreed with the others. Generally speaking, healthy soil will be bioactive whether we like it or not. Just depends how long it takes to establish and how fast you want waste to get broken down(that’s why we use custodians).
Also, not to be mean, but consider typing with periods, commas, etc. it makes it easier for us to read. I’ll be honest, often when I see a thread with a block of text and poor grammar I go to the next. Not because I’m a grammar Nazi, but because I don’t have much time and I need to be able to read and respond fast.
Also, not to be mean, but consider typing with periods, commas, etc. it makes it easier for us to read. I’ll be honest, often when I see a thread with a block of text and poor grammar I go to the next. Not because I’m a grammar Nazi, but because I don’t have much time and I need to be able to read and respond fast.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Lots of leaf litter!
Gonna want to remove the fake plants inside. And you want horizontal branches for her to bask on at the correct distance for your uvb type and strength.
Take a look at this site for how to set up the enclosure to be optimal for a chameleon. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
Take a look at this site for how to set up the enclosure to be optimal for a chameleon. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
bruce the cham
Avid Member
building a bioactive setup is pricy at least for me it would be i would love to do it someday
Ronald7232
Established Member
i built mines for less then 50 dollars and it came out great if you are interested I could help you with that
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
It really isn’t that bad. I was sooo nervous about going bio and thought it was too complicated for me. One can make it complicated, but it can also be super easy.
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
For sure, they’re what you make them… could be as simple as a 1” layer of soil with isopods and springtails. Just comes down to what plants you want to have. I had a few enclosures that I threw together in a day, I just kept the plants in the flower pots and added soil/leaflitter/cuc to the floor of the cage. Worked just as well as any of my more in depth bio enclosures(not quite as pretty… still better then BB though imo).
