How to make Substrate! 

Nice and easy to understand guide - great work as usual, Chief :D When I saw the title, I for some reason had a picture of you standing next to a big cement mixer, making all your substrate in that :D

Thank you so much! very helpful

Thank you bro!

Lol "humans have desecrated the earth" ...instant sub!! 😂😂❤

I have been making my own substrate for a few years now but always love to see how others make theirs. I don't own any reptiles anymore but have a lot of invertebrates, I actually have approximately 150 tarantulas, 15 true spiders, 5 scorpions as well as millipedes, centipedes, isopods and such. I even have earthworms for making compost which I also use for a substrate mix. When you said you found bottle cap in top soil my mind automatically when "nice free water dish" 😅😅

very helpful thanks

Would the first mix of substrate work good for a bioactive enclose for a Salem ornamental and Indian ornamental species? Thank you

I have a bearded dragon I'm moving into a larger enclosure. Your videos are very informative and I'm loving it. Wanting to do different areas for King to enjoy. Are there live plants I can put into a bearded dragon enclosure that are safe for him. Hoping you can help I know you can your knowledge is awesome.

I have a 40 gallon. What is the ratio for all 3 ingredients for this size aquarium?

This seem like a great diy substrate for a 75 gallon breadie. I have and aquarium 75 tank and have been looking in to this for a while. November is our due day month for getting the breadie.

How often do you clean the bearded dragon cage and do you have a video of that

Which Peat moss do you use?! I can’t find it on the Amazon list and I’ve been looking for like an hour trying to find it!😭😭😭

Great video. One question. Do you pat down the substrate (compact it) a little bit to make it firm or just put it in the enclosure and spread it out (no patting down)? Thx buddy, liked and subscribed

Nice and clear video! If you had to do a tempered substrate, what would you do? I wanna make a bioactive for an american specie that lives in modest temperature settings. I find it extremely hard to find infos about tempered terrarium, it's ALWAYS desertic or tropical, no between!😅

Can you use playsand, topsoil and coco all together

Do you add any top soil to the tropical mix? If not does the peat moss/sand mixture grow the tropical plants well?

No issues using play sand with tarantulas? I experimented mixing with it but then got worried and and stopped adding it to peat. The play sand is Crytalline silica (quartz) and not sure if that could rub against there undersides or get in book lungs and cause problems? I'm curious to try a horticulture sand or desert sand which should be larger grains I think?

Hello! I have a Frilled Dragon and a leopard gecko. So the only difference is the peat moss. The frilly is in a 100 gallon tank and Leo is in a 60 gallon tank. The frilly is set! She's living it up but our Leo I keep getting mixed do's and don'ts so I'm going with this idea.

Can you use any play sand or do I have to use that specific brand? Because I'm from SEA and I don't have access to it, I can't buy it anywhere

thank you i love you

Can i/ do i need to use hydro balls? Im going to use it for bioactive enclosure and im going to have rosemary,mint and a Bromeliads

How do you run all that without blowing a breaker

Can i use jungle mix instead of top soil or is that preet much the same thing has the big thing of peatmoss from home depot?

Would this be good for a 40 gallon ball python tank as well? I just got my ball python and I want to make it a bioactive tank, so just looking for as much help as possible lol

Hi just curious, im looking at making the desert substrate and was wondering if you still get plants growing in them, if this is the case then amazing! If not, ill integrate some succulents somehow hehe! Amazing video man!

Do you have to sterilize the top soil and peat moss before using it? If so do you bake it?

Is it good for ball pythons?

I was planing to use peat moss but anything with peat is being banned in my country is there any replacement to use?

I'm going to try out your recipe today for my Beardie, would you recommend the desert type or tropical type substrate for an American Toad?

Do I have to wash the peat-moss and play sand before adding it to my terrarium? I’m wondering because I have a couple tomato frogs and Pac-Man frogs and just want them to have a humid yet safe environment.

how would you clean this? Would you get rid of all the substrate would you leave it in? Or would not you clean the desert substrate terrarium at all?

Would you recommend the tropical substrate for a veiled chameleon?

Hey just sending a message here, I’ve been using coconut chunk substrate for years, I buy seven or eight big blocks like 11 pound ones. If I make the switch do I need to include isopods to this mixture or can I just leave as is?

How much water do i need to add to the peat moss in the desert mix?

would this be okay to use with a dart frog enclosure?

I don’t necessarily want a bio active tank, but I do want to switch my leopard gecko tank to substrate. Would it be the dessert one?

What are the differences between tropical bioactive substrates and desert bioactive substrates??

How often (if so) do you rehydrate the substrate after it being set in?

can you just use oraganic soil and play sand? this is for my bearded dragon

Did you put any topsoil in for the tropical mix or no?

Great vid once again. I use the same ingredients for my desert substrate also. Question for you, I use the exact same topsoil. I sift it with a colander first to remove the bigger particles of wood and such. I only do this because I fear one of my geckos ingesting the wood pieces. Have you ever had any issues from not sifting first?

My top soil I just got it pretty moist does that matter? For the dessert substrate?

sorry to bother again, do you get the 3 cu ft pete moss or the smaller bags and about how much do you put of that?

Will a 5 month old dragon be ok in this type of substrate? Should I wait till he gets older?

What uvb lighting do you use for 50 gallon tank leopard gecko and do u keep on all day?

Can you use the calcium sand in the in your desert setup

Hello thanks for the recipe, my question is how long is it good for in the plastic tote?

Should all new reptiles be housed on paper towel for a little bit to monitor poop or can I just put it straight onto a safe loose substrate?

What kind of play sand are you using?! Lol I can find out any info on a brand!

I may have missed it but how much topsoil do you mix in with the peat moss and sand?

The main issue I’m having is it is impossible to find organic topsoil or organic garden soil that’s not really mulch and other junk in it. Even Rody soil is like that now.

Do you need to sanitize it before? Like bake it?

Do i have to wait for it to dry out before putting it into enclosure?

Would this be ok for a 4 months old bearded dragon ?

can you use top soil for a crested gecko?

Do i need to cook/heat the soil first??

Should I use a tropical sub for my dragon or dessert

Can I do the tropical with my leopard gecko??

Do you do anything to sanitise the topsoil for the desert bioactive?

How often do you change the substrate

i can't get topsoil can i just use sand and peatmoss for desert substrate?

What do you think of the Arcadia Earth mix?

Do you need to sift your top soil?

Do I have to change it regularly or once in a while or leave it be?

Do you have to change it out when they pee and poop in it??

is top soil fine for reptiles

How did you make that background?

Also do you have to sanitize it

Is this safe for the leopard geckos?

I dont have any top soil here in Dubai. We only have tons of different potting soil. Would that work?

Do you water the desert mix?

Why do you add peat moss?

Can you use this for a ball python

If we dont wait for it to dry out wont it mold ?

3 16oz mason jars... got it for the sand!!

So you don’t bake the soil at all and you never had any issues with bugs?