I have two bio active leopard gecko tanks and powder blue isopods work really well. I’ve noticed that they only hang around the moist areas of the tank (under the water bowls and in the moist hides), so I’ll usually just add lots of leaf litter, cuttlebone, etc in the areas where they hang out and make sure to mist them really well every other day.
For the isopods i have read that what you have to do is give a really damp area for them an don't use a drained layer because arid substrates are ment to get really wet at the bottom to kip alive your clean up crew, hope it helps :D
OMG love the new intro! The enclosures look amazing! Thanks for sharing the issues you've had along the way so we don't make the same mistakes :p Love your videos!
I just ordered your Ebook for the care guide and I’m so excited to read through it! I currently don’t have any reptiles but am very interested into getting into the hobby and you have helped so much! Thank you for being a credible and reliable source of information! ❤️
Excellent video. I've previously commented on the expense of the Custom Reptile Habitat backgrounds but, as you explained really well, I think spending that money as a one-off for the life of a leopard gecko makes it relatively cheap when compared to the 'running costs' (insurance, vet bills, grooming) of a pet like a dog. They look awesome and I really want one - probably the three-sided 3' one - for my gecko to enjoy. A vivarium like that is also more aesthetically pleasing than other backgrounds, making it a visually attractive feature in any room.
I'd start a dwarf white isopod culture for a few months and start adding them in once the culture starts thriving. Same with springtails! Culturing them is way more cost effective in the long run 😊
early🥰🥰 i love your videos you inspire me to let my animals thrive and give my all to make them as happy as possible thank you so much i’ll continue to support your channel and your business with future terrarium upgrades !!
This is an awesome video! I’ve seen some of your videos before and can’t believe I didn’t subscribe, I have to try to catch up with your channel now, amazing content! 💯
When you started talking about Earthmix Arid I was about to come down here to recommend The Bio Dude, but then you did that lol. Terra Sahara has worked really well for me, also great video :)
Dartling beetles make the best keep up crew I find. They do a fab job and do really well in the dry conditions. My geckos probably eat a few but don't seem to eat many as they arent meant to taste overly nice
I heard Dairy Cows are good for an arid setup, and they proliferate well. Also spring tails will love it it you do a heavy mist around your waterbowl, or in the humid area and around plants. Temperature and Humidity "Dairy Cow Isopods like a warm and humid environment, which is what makes them such a great fit for terrariums. That being said, they’re actually a pretty hardy species. Many keepers report culturing them at room temperature with no issues, but anything in the region of 70-85°F (21-30°C) works a treat. Humidity is much more important, as isopods need a consistent level of moisture to survive. Aim for as much humidity as possible, 80%+ if you can. That being said, there’s to need to fret. If you have everything set up right in a suitably moist closed environment, using a moisture retentive substrate, and with enough warmth - you’ll be absolutely fine." From just one source.
Is it necessary to fill the voids behind the background ledges with expanding foam to prevent condensation or can the ledge background panels just be siliconed in place?
Pretty cool supplies you have ill have too seenif i need any. I just finished setting up my 36x18 bioactive tank and it still needs work. For the substrate i did the clay ball layer, just used a window screen a barrier. And for the substrate i avtually wemt with the multiple layers approach, including sand and cocofiber at the bottom, slowly going up mixing different kinds of topsoil, cactus dirt, and sand. Unfortunetly the top layer might not be tall enough too hold a couple of the succulents up. And the dirt was wet because when i bought them at home depot it was raining.. And im not really sure how too get rid of the moisture other than time
Its got other things like sanatised leaf litter, im unsure if my local leaves are safe for reptiles but i doubt my gecko will be munching on them. And the sand is thoroughly mixed with topsoil
Yeah I've tried a lot of Isopods myself, none seem to survive for a very long time and neither do the springtails, they will just hide under the water bottle or in the humid hide until they all die off. Mealworm beetles however? those seem to thrive, but I'm not quite sure yet if they actually are effectively cleaning up the droppings, I introduced them to my tank a few months ago, they aren't shy at all and will just walk all out in the open, but my Gecko really doesn't seem to like the taste of them so she leaves them alone.
Hey do you use heat pads under the tanks and is it bad to use them? also what substrate should I use if I cant find a good mix? Sand or dirt (thats safe for leopard geckos of course)
Hi I’ve recently started watching your videos and subscribed ☺️ what materials do you use to create your terrarium walls. I’ve had a hard time choose something that is none toxic to my leopard gecko.
Thank you :D I think I linked the video in this video where I talk about all the supplies I use. Alternatively if you look at my playlists, and look at my tank builds playlist, you should find some videos there :)
My little dude is almost 9 moths old. When he was about 3.5 months old I moved him from a faunarium into a 36x18x18 eco-terra. I used (am using) 4" of a semi arid mix from Josh's Frogs. A couple of months ago I added a slate ledge arrangement about 3-4" off the top of the substrate. So it's about 10"| from the mesh top. I have a thermostat on the top of the ledge controlling the Arcadia DHP (which is on the mesh, along with some UVB and a basic full spectrum light). Keeping it right around 90f. I have some sterilized local wood, etc. I have found, at least with the JF substrate, i can't really keep ISOs going well. I've switched to throwing a few meal-worms and morio-worms in the tank from time to time. They go hide and become beetles. those seem to be a bit hardier and they also eventually result in teeny-tiny mealworms crawling around. There's not much breakdown of the poop though. It desiccates pretty quickly, being almost under the DHP. Ultimately, doing it over, I think I would get a 24" high enclosure.
Sounds like an awesome setup! I’d look into using a halogen flood bulb connected to a dimmer or dimming thermostat, they’re actually more natural and beneficial than DHPs. The levels of infrared A and B they produce more closely mimic the sun (DHPs produce barely any IRA, the most beneficial wavelength).
@@nightinggale6470 I agree, however the current price of a dimming thermostat puts them a little out of my price range. My current thermostat does have day and night modes so I can at least let things cool off a bit at night.
Found your channel maybe about 6 months ago when I first started getting interested in owning reptiles, and your videos have helped me tremendously ❤️ I have learned so much from you and am grateful for all the knowledge you provide us. Keep up the great work and I’m always excited to see when you have a new video!!!
The set ups look amazing, well done ! If you aren’t going bioactive do you still need the clay balls ? Can you just put the substrate straight in or use a membrane ? Thanks
One quick question, if I have a uvb light do I need a LED also cause i've been watching all of your videos learning as much as I can but if you've explained this and i missed it by chance i figued i'd ask on of your most recent videos.
This is a bit random, but if you use the DHP and a dimming stat, do you turn it off on a night? I’ve only ever used a mat and I know you leave them on xx
Yes, you can turn it off at night. A temperature drop at night is completely fine. I personally keep mine on 24/7 but only because mine doesn’t use it during the day. Also, I highly recommend using a halogen flood bulb connected to a dimmer or dimming thermostat instead, they’re actually more natural and beneficial than DHPs. The levels of infrared A and B they produce more closely mimic the sun (DHPs produce barely any IRA, the most beneficial wavelength).
The only species that survives in my gecko's bioactive tank are the powdered orange ones, they breed pretty good aswell and they're big enough to occasionally attract my gecko, which keeps them from overpopulation!
Absolutely beautiful tank builds Rebecca ! I hope to purchase one of your kits this summer or fall (depending upon when I adopt my leo). I was doing a little happy dance when you announced the launch of your leopard gecko kits recently. 😃 I think it's awesome that I'll be able to get The Bio Dude's Terra Sahara included. Thank you so much for all the educational and entertaining content you consistently put forth in your videos.
Does anybody know if the Arcadia Deep Heat Projector reaches through glass? I bought a second hand exo terra for my leopard gecko a few months ago and the previous owner seems to have took out the mesh top and replaced it with a 1/4"ish layer of glass (maybe plexiglass?). I want to get the DHP because the heat mat I bought isn't hot enough.
Unfortunately it’s not safe to use lamps on glass. You should definitely switch to overhead heating, though, ideally a halogen flood bulb connected to a dimmer or dimming thermostat (they’re better than DHPs). I’d either get an enclosure with a mesh lid, or convert the lid back to a mesh lid.
Kit is cool and alll but you can buy everything for much less at a local petstore also 800-more dollars is alot for a first sale- plus shipping your opinion is very strong but there are good brands for reptile like zoomed or thrive that you can buy things individually (they have really good tanks Most the time the review left on those brands are from other company's trying to downplay thier products just to boost thier own sales won't name names) also you don't need undermat heater because in thier natural Habitat they get their heat and vitamins from the sun and lay on rocks that have been warmed in the afternoon so they can digest and not get cooked from underneath. Leopard geckos live in places like Afghanistan and there it's pretty hot but they also have small pockets of jungle were its very humid with mossy rocky areas with little streams of water.A friend who lives over says he sometimes see them swinging but in very shallow water up to thier necks
12:27 ok so I was really curious whst those could be so I ended up doing research, and it seems that those are the seed pods of Cerbera Odollam, wjich is an interesting plant that.... produces seeds that are highly toxic to humans.... which would be inside those seed pods..... oh. Well then. Huh. °_°
Hello! I have an issue with one of my leopard geckos and I’m wondering if you know what the problem is. one of my leopard geckos REFUSES to eat any calcium! she refused to eat any crickets, mealworms, waxworms, etc that have calcium on them and she never eats from her calcium bowl. she just won’t it at all And I’m getting worried, is there any reasoning to this or way to solve it? I looked it up on google and nothing came up.
You can try different brands, or only lightly/partially dusting feeders. You can also see if she’ll take black soldier fly larvae, they’re high in calcium. Otherwise I’d just gutload the feeders with food high in calcium.
The video is titled leopard gecko enclosure build yet you have this absolutely insane background you installed and didn’t even bother mentioning how you did it?? Isn’t that like a huge part of the build??
