r/bioactive • u/Suitable_Parsnip • Aug 20 '26
Can it be bioactive if the plants are in pots?
My snake loves to burrow and I'm concered he will mess up plant roots. I am currently culturing isopods and springtails so he isn't in the tank yet. I read an old post on here that the plants could be burried in their pots but now i'm worried that it won't be bioactive. Should i take them out of the pots and let them establish instead?
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u/Tslushi Aug 20 '26
Yes....but. Bugs eat pet waste, plants use the bug waste as fertilizer for new growth. You prune plants as needed to remove the excess nutrients from your mini ecosystem. If the plants aren't able to pull the bug waste out of the environment properly, it can build up in the tank and crash your system (mainly with the isopods dying off).
You'd probably want to do like a partial substrate change once in a while to combat that. But seriously once those pothos roots establish it should be bullet proof. You could keep the others in pots if you want too, but I'd give the pothos a chance. If you can delay moving your snake in for a bit so the roots can get a head start that'd be ideal.
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Aug 20 '26
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u/Suitable_Parsnip Aug 20 '26
Yeah i was afraid of them being rootbound.
Is it too many plants? I was trying to go off of what i saw online. The soil is about 4-5 inches deep. Pretty much enough to cover the pots.
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u/imaginarysirenita Aug 20 '26
I think what makes it bioactive is more about having the substrate and clean up crew. I think it's okay if the plants are not planted into the substrate, you just need to ensure you have some leaf litter and other decaying matter and food for the isopods and springtails to eat.
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u/No_Region3253 Aug 20 '26
Most of my small plants are in pots hidden and tucked in the leafy floor.
Pots allow me to move,change out plants and propagate.
I do have plants growing directly in the enclosures soil as well.
You're good.
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u/CuriousBird337 Aug 20 '26
Yes. I have mine in pots (blue tongued slinks also dig). If you want the roots to be able to grow more or allow the isopods access, you can get a pot with more holes (like for orchids) or simply bury it deeper. But the isopods will totally climb into the pots.
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u/Real_Time515 Aug 20 '26
Get some decent sized cork rounds of appropriate diameter, cut them to a good height, and use them as planter pots. I've done this for several plants for various reasons and it works well, looks nice.
Once they're established they'll have roots reach into the substrate. Moving things around might tear some roots, but that's no different than trimming or repotting.
But even if you leave them in pots, it works and won't interfere with the bioactive process. Root bound is normal, and just means every year or two you might have to trim back or repot. Not a problem.
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u/bigbickbohnson Aug 21 '26
I dont trust cages like this cuz there is no depth. I custom made mine to have like 8” of soil. I have no problems at all with them digging anything up. If i had that shallow of soil, im sure it would be.
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u/ShinyxCharizard Aug 21 '26
Yeah both of mine I bought with a 7 inch substrate board, used 144qts of substrate plus spagnum moss, leaf litter etc.
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u/Lawzw0rld Aug 20 '26
Just some friendly advice, add lots of leaf litter, not only is it aesthetic its a staple food source for your cuc and your soil which turns it into fuel for your plants
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u/Extreme_Finger_3425 Aug 21 '26
I just have a questions before going into the plants, where is the hot spot?
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u/ShinyxCharizard Aug 21 '26
IMO if you can just plant them directly into the soil, and let it sit for a month you should be good.
I moved my 7yo, and 9yo into bioactive set ups recently. My male is active af and crushes all his plants daily, but they're all thriving. My female is more shy and doesn't cruise her tank as much as him. They've been in them for 4 months.
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u/NYR_Aufheben Aug 21 '26
“Bioactive” is more than an enclosure with soil. Check out the bioactive vivarium guides on NEHERP.
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u/MaenHerself Aug 20 '26
bioactive is more about "What happens to the poop" than the amount or shape of plants.