How to create bio active substrate

[Levi the Leopard]

I have no smell. The worms and pill bugs have never escaped from the tank which is kept in my bedroom and so far I'm satisfied with my mini clean up crew.

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Does this type of set up have a smell to it do you have problems with the bugs getting out of the enclosure do you keep this in your house or a outdoor shed i like my reptiles but i hate bugs of any type i can catch snakes frogs alligators but you put a nasty bug on me and instant little girl thats funny but true but i can handle the bugs in the enclosure but not running around my house

 

[Thalatte]

I've seen the little white bugs but have read they do no harm so I let them be. Because of how small my box turtles are that was the reasons I didn't do 6" in substrate, however I'm redoing their enclosure to a larger one either a plastic tub 26"x16"x22"H or once I move my yellow foot into her tortoise table I might move them into her current 36"Lx18"Wx15"H.

Is peamoss and mulch mix work? And then I would have moss in their hids and in other area's? I'm trying to find alturnitives to soil if icant find clean soil.

Also you said that the worms will take care of. Plant matter do you mean the left over food?

I understand not doing a 6" in substrate but my little boxies do just fine in it if you want to add more. If not it doesn't make a difference to the turtle.
Yes peat and mulch will work. I bought the peat moss at Walmart garden center so you might be able to find soil there.
I use regular moss in the hide and around the food bowl. Also to the entrance to their pond in the hopes it will stop them from tracking so much dirt in it but so far it doesn't work, still have to change the water twice a day.
Yes the worms will take care of left over food to an extent. They don't come up to the surface much so they take care of the stuff trampled into the soil.
Think of it like this: worms will take care of whatever is under the soil and bugs do the surface cleaning.

As far as smell the large tank does smell like earth and decomposing plants but I don't mind it. The smaller cages don't smell like anything.
Also none of my bugs have escaped from any tanks...well besides the crickets but they aren't used in bio substrate.

 

[mike taylor]

Ok thanks i am building a reptile room in my barn may use this out there due to the size of pen i am going to build 15/20 may save a lot of money on beding but this enclosure is for winter in houston we only get two or three months of cold so they stay outside in there big enclosure so if you don't have animals in this type of system i will need to add fresh water and food for the worms / bugs all summer or you think the torts will make enough of a mess this will give the bugs/ worms time to clean up

 

[Rover15]

I've seen the little white bugs but have read they do no harm so I let them be. Because of how small my box turtles are that was the reasons I didn't do 6" in substrate, however I'm redoing their enclosure to a larger one either a plastic tub 26"x16"x22"H or once I move my yellow foot into her tortoise table I might move them into her current 36"Lx18"Wx15"H.

Is peamoss and mulch mix work? And then I would have moss in their hids and in other area's? I'm trying to find alturnitives to soil if icant find clean soil.

Also you said that the worms will take care of. Plant matter do you mean the left over food?

I understand not doing a 6" in substrate but my little boxies do just fine in it if you want to add more. If not it doesn't make a difference to the turtle.
Yes peat and mulch will work. I bought the peat moss at Walmart garden center so you might be able to find soil there.
I use regular moss in the hide and around the food bowl. Also to the entrance to their pond in the hopes it will stop them from tracking so much dirt in it but so far it doesn't work, still have to change the water twice a day.
Yes the worms will take care of left over food to an extent. They don't come up to the surface much so they take care of the stuff trampled into the soil.
Think of it like this: worms will take care of whatever is under the soil and bugs do the surface cleaning.

As far as smell the large tank does smell like earth and decomposing plants but I don't mind it. The smaller cages don't smell like anything.
Also none of my bugs have escaped from any tanks...well besides the crickets but they aren't used in bio substrate.

Yea I just checked walmart and canadian tire like a hour ago right now the only soil they have that doesn't have prelite in it is

But I have read that miricale gro isn't good because of furtilizar or some reason. Canadian tire had peat moss for an 8.8l bag it was 6.99 and I need to get 6" in a 40"Lx40"W tortoise table I'm building so it wouid get expensive. I'm trying to avoid. Any sand mix. The picture I showed you walmart has a 26L for 6.49 a lot more cost effective.

It has been a pain in the butt trying to find soil this time a year