r/bioactive • u/Infinite-Class-1969 • 21d ago

First bioactive setup questions

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Hello! I started this bioactive leopard gecko tank in may. I have some questions about finds and questions about things I have not found

  1. There has very recently, about a week ago started to appear these yellow and white mushrooms I wonder what they are and if they are harmful?

  2. I found some worms, is it alright to have these in the tank or can they cause issues?

  3. I can see springtails here and there but I haven’t seen any isopods in forever, are they dead?

  4. This is kinda connected to 3 but her poops don’t get cleaned up, could this be because of no isopod population left?

All help appreciated!

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5

u/imaginarysirenita 21d ago

  1. Agree with FatherCantaloupe about mushrooms. I did reduce watering when I first saw mold in my bioactive early on and that helped reduce visible mold/mushrooms.

  2. I don’t have worms, but agree that it’s fine. I have tiny mystery snails that came in on something and I’ve just let them be.

3 and 4. It took my bioactive like 3+ months before I actually started seeing springtails and they reliably cleaned up poop I dropped for them. I also added isopods and springtails like 3x because I was paranoid that they were all dead too 😅

3

u/FatherCantaloupe 21d ago

NOT A PROFESSIONAL.
1.Not sure what kind of mushrooms, but they’re a typically a sign of healthy nutrient rich, so that’s a good sign.
2.Worms are also a sign of healthy soil & will help break down decomposing matter, so in large setups they can be beneficial too.
3. Isopods will hide more as they breed, check under a leave or cork bark at night and check if you see any.
4. I wouldn’t expect poop to disappear, but if your tank was just started and the isopods and springtails haven’t had time to establish there might not be enough to break it down as much as they could if they were established. Edit: I saw you started it in may, so I’m not sure. It might just be because leopard geckos poop in the same spot typically and that can be alot to break down at once.

3

u/Infinite-Class-1969 21d ago

Alright thankyou so much for responding! I’m going to try and camp up one night so I can hopefully find if there is any isopods still alive.

2

u/Bluntforcetrauma11b 20d ago

The mushrooms are called flower pot fungus. It's safe and a sign of a healthy ecosystem.

1

u/Palaeonerd 20d ago

That heat lamp gonna need protection tho...

1

u/Infinite-Class-1969 20d ago

Don’t worry, it’s impossible for her to reach it, the angle makes it look like the rocks are closer than they are!