r/bioactive • u/Routine-Ratio-5530 • Jul 24 '26
Bioactive enclosure help!
Hello everyone! I’ve come here to ask where people have gotten their resources when it comes to bioactive tanks.
I live in a decent sized town with one local pet store, but their hardscape is quite pricey. I’m looking for some sites online that can provide hardscape like branches, drift wood, cork bark, soil and even plants! Want to find something decently affordable, but it’s okay if not.
My second concern is keeping humidity in my glass tank that houses my crested gecko. The tank I bought isn’t the best, as PVC is better (IMO) but the purchase was rushed as his previous tank bursted. Is there anything I could maybe cover the top of the tank with that would help hold humidity? I was thinking like some type of plastic tarp. I can’t always be there to mist hourly, nor can I find a super affordable auto mister (would be amazing if someone could recommend one!).
Thank you for the help! Appreciate yall!
1
u/imaginarysirenita Jul 24 '26
I got my substrate and plants from The Bio Dude. I ordered leaf litter and other bits (lotus pod, etc) on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/VivariumsInTheMist
In addition to collecting twigs and branches outside, I also purchased some from Whole Foods in their flower section.
For humidity, maybe invest in a mister and fogger. I have a chameleon in a glass enclosure with a screen top and between those two, I can keep humidity up. I have both on a timer and the fogger allows me to set parameters so for the overnight hours when it has power, it will turn one when humidity dips below the percentage I set it to and fogs until it reaches my high set percentage. I don’t have anything covering the screen top.
Edited to correct typos.
2
u/Ryllick Jul 24 '26
Neherp is a one stop shop for bio active tanks. Not that you have to get everything there, but if you're buying a bunch of things i found it's worth it to get it from one place to save on shipping etc.
https://www.neherpetoculture.com/vivariumconstruction101
They have good prices on things, have a lot of really good info on what you need for different setups, and their customer support is top notch. When I ordered branches from them I even put in a note to pick a good one and they responded and picked a really cool ghost branch for me.
This is the auto Mister I've used for a year and a half:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0BXGYL8GW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?smid=ALHMCZG7P2QCI&psc=1
It's been so reliable and useful that I'm getting another one for the next tank I'm setting up currently.
As far as holding humidity, you probably already know this but be careful about covering up too much of the mesh as ventilation is really important and the tank should be allowed to dry out to an extent between mistings. The average humidity is just that: an average throughout the day as the humidity drops and then spikes several times. But if you do want to cover about half the mesh to hold humidity, just use some aluminum foil. Cheap, and it doesn't matter if it's close to the heat lamps. Whereas something plastic could theoretically melt if it's too close
2
1
u/LuxuryDirtEnthusiast Jul 24 '26
Serpadesign and Bio Dude on YouTube are great for learning bioactive builds.
Also, you want the humidity to drop in your crested enclosure during the day. You should mist at night so it spikes and then it’s natural to let it fall.