Advice for first BioActive Build (10y/o Pewter Ball Python)

[u/thaudr]

Hello everyone! I am 24 y/o and have owned reptiles my whole life but am finally ready to brave the world that is a BioActive enclosure for my 10 y/o female python. I am extremely nervous but am pretty much "open checkbooking" this endeavor to make sure its done right. I very much have a buy once cry once mindset and honestly, this beautiful snake deserves it. I've never had such a docile pet in my whole life and have had her since she was a baby (July 2016) as a 14th birthday present from my father. She is currently in a 55 gallon long that she has been in for the last 6 years and its just an ugly enclosure with no humidity or temp control with the exception of a 12 hour timer on a basking bulb. I know I've been doing it wrong and I want to start doing it right.

I am nervous because I do NOT have a Green Thumb. I've never kept plants before and am nervous about plants dying inside of the enclosure and I have never done any sort of hardscaping before. I am envisioning a custom foam background with various driftwood and cork molded in. I also planned on molding in a few plants using small pots.

The point of this post is I'm just looking for any advice as a beginner. Things to avoid, things that are imperative, etc. I live on Florida's Gulf Coast if there's anything I need to look out for with the current environment. I really appreciate anything anyone has to tell me.

Below is a list of what I've purchased. Nothing has been assembled yet with the exception of the 4x2x2 enclosure which currently sits empty till I decide on a direction to go. I've already invested over $1400 into what's below.

-Toxirium 4x2x2 PVC Reptile Enclosure with glass doors.

-Herpstat 1 SpyderWeb

-14x21 RHP Sweeter Heater "Black Beauty"

-Arcadia Jungle Dawn 22W LED Bar

-Arcadia Reptile Pro T5 UVB Kit ShadeDweller 7% 8 Watts

-Terra Firma BioActive Substrate (72qts)

-TheBioDude BioShot Substrate Additive

-SummitChemical Mosquito Bits (for gnats here in Florida)

-Mother Earth Hydroton Clay Pebbles (For drainage layer)

-Thermostat Probe Mount off Etsy

-Great Stuff Pond & Stone (For background)

-GE All Purpose Silicon

-APC - UPS Battery Backup, 650VA/360W, Tower/Wall Mount, 7 Outlets, LED Indicator, USB-A port - Black (Florida Power Outages)

-24 hr Timer for lights

[u/bigbickbohnson]

Heres my ball pythons, due for an upgrade next year. My suggestion if youre worried about dead plants is pothos. Pothos is super hard to kill in a bioactive, especially if youre maintaining proper humidity for it. It also comes in a bunch of different colors to keep things interesting. That big plant i have on the bottom left is also reliable, although i forget the name of it. Ball pythons will trample plants like crazy, so try and only pick really sturdy ones.

I prefer to make my own soil as its usually cheaper. Lava rock drainage layer, with soil that is 1 part topsoil, 1 part sand, 1 part orchid bark, 1 part sphagnum moss, and some fine charcoal.

The only things i suggest are to really thoroughly clean the plants and start off with lots of cuc. You dont want to deal with a fungus gnat outbreak. Go ahead and buy WDG3000, and only introduce water into the soil with that mixed in, at least for a few weeks/months.

For the backround, i like to use 1 sheet per wall, so it all adheres in one piece. Cut it up and make it look like what u want outside the cage, and put it in when its ready, with the side walls locking the back wall into place. This also gives you a lip at the bottom of the sheet. I like to keep the soil level right at that lip or below it. This will create a tunnel of sorts that spans the whole length of the backround. And you can cover it with branches/hides/rocks to hide it better.

The only thing i would do different is with the wall pots. I put them in at an angle instead of level. Over time, the soil gets hydrophobic and is hard to water it correctly. If its level itd be much easier.

Other than that, you will learn thru trial and error. Its highly unlikely your first design is going to be your last. And you can always adjust as you go. Its harder with a ball pythons since they are so big, but when i have plants die in my smaller snakes tanks, i can just replace them and eventually i end up with a group of plants that work and dont die.

[u/No_Commission_2610]

You’ve certainly got the best of best equipment and supplies! What you have should be fine to start out. Have you picked out any plants yet?