Bioactive substrate (BAS) Natural viv - a why and “how-to” guide.

Great idea to make this a sticky. This is a great way to keep herps IMO, so I think it would be nice to have this available to referance.

I was just reading the latest Reptiles Magazine and they have a 'Living Vivrium' article every once and a while now which is similar to the tank you've suggested here. The viv they were discussing in this article was a very impressive 6' x 3' x4' tank with the equivalent of a 30 gallon fish tank at one end. The tank was a rain forest viv and had a number of frogs, fish, geckos and other lizards, as well as shrimp and a rough green snake. It was a very impressive set up.

Of course I show it to my dad (who is an ecologist) and he imediately mentions that in is not set up as a certain locality. That is the animals and plants were not selected from only the Brazilian rain forest, but came from all around the world. He wants to create a viv modeled after, say, the Amazon river bank and include the animals and plants that livein that area. There's a great book on that idea of a mini ecosystem in a viv that he's leant me, but I can't remember the name of the book.

Great threa!!

Sorry I've been away from my promise to continue this info thread for a week or so. Work and such...

I'm going to work on it this weekend.

Thanks! Stay tuned...

Landscaping dos and Don'ts

Do's
- Do mix a bit water to the earth when you are dry run landscaping to give it some structure.
- Do choose healthy strong plants.
- Do choose rocks with flat surfaces as they are more stable and won't fall over.
- Do get a light specifically for Plants.
- Do pack the earth firmly around plant bases. Gives the roots something to dig into.
- Do consider making the weekly stirring and watering of the substrate easy on yourself. Simple set-ups make it easy to move stuff around. I didn't secure any of the hides into the side of a hill for example, so I could lift them easily and such.
- Do expect to have to make adjustments after you have a snake actually living in there. The snake will let you know what he needs. Jo let me know I needed to change her warm hide to a half log as she never used it until I changed it.
- Do make a deep hill at the back somewhere. If you place it around the watering tube, it acts as support for the tube. My snake LOVES burrowing and making little underground tunnels. These tunnels eliminate the need for a moist hide during sheds. Plus, it's too cute watching them poke thier little heads out and retreating backwards! Plus, I can see parts of the tunnels through the glass sides so I get to see her underground a bit too!

Don'ts
- don't make the earth so thick that the heating pad can't do its job.
- don't forget to secure all stones and heavy stuff so snake doesn't get squished.
- don't pack the earth down. The organisms need oxygen.
- don't block your view with big plants at the front. Don't cover more than 1/3 of the earth
- don't make the earth too flat. Provide hills and valleys for fun/variety and temperature gradients.
- don't forget to sterilize all tools before use and landscaping components before adding them in.
- don't forget to place a piece of crumpled steel screen inside the watering tube and also remember to place the watering tube in first.
- Don't use moss. It rots, smells and needs to be replaced too often. Also, it is a barrier for water and oxygen getting to the organisms underneath. The Exo-Terra stuff is flaky and while it looks cool, it might give problems. The book recommends not using it in moist areas but if you do, move it aside when doing your weekly watering and stirring.

I'll add more if I think of them. You'll learn as you go too.

Next: Design Tips.

I'm just gonna keep this simple... Whether designing a room, a marketing flyer or a vivarium, these few rules will offer variety, dynamic compositions, and visual harmony. A whole chapter could be written on each topic but perhaps a simple overview might help you to produce a indoor garden you enjoy when your snake is hiding.

CONTRAST: When designing anything, contrast makes things more dynamic:
- dark with light, big with small, tall with short, hard with soft, thick with thin, patterned with solids, you name it. Whatever elements you are using, look for opposites to compliment and highlight. Example: A plant with few dark broad pointed leaves paired with a plant with multiple small round lighter leaves.

RULE OF 3: 3 is a magic number. 3 plants, 3 varieties, 3 levels of height. 3 just makes things work. Example: 3 rocks of 3 different sizes and shades or 3 different elements put together like stone, wood and foliage.

Grouping things together and creating empty space on purpose. Don't try to fill up all the empty spots. Group items together and create empty spaces. It will look less cluttered and be easier to maintain and stir the substrate. Empty space gives the eye a place to rest.

Colour harmony
http://www.colormatters.com/colortheory.html

This website and others can explain it to whatever level you feel like going. Basically, start with the colour of the snake and work from there. Ask yourself if the snake would "match" this colour rock, wood, etc. Will these plant colours clash with one another, do they compete for attention or will the snake really stand out against this colour, etc. Stick to 3 colours (and shade of those 3 colours) plus the colour of the earth and you'll be fine.

Variety: Personally, I feel restraint is a good thing in the vivarium. The book recommends it for practical reasons and as an artist, I do so for aesthetic. Keep it simple, uncrowded, yet offer multiple kinds of surfaces, scents, levels, tactile experiences, sizes of spaces to explore, etc.

I could go on but most would be bored by now unless it was your "thing". Just remember these few simple rules and you'll come up with a winner.

Please post pictures and we can even offer eachother some advice in terms of placement, plant choices, etc.

I am getting a Blizzard Corn and am actually considering a themed vivarium, something really unexpected visually which also meets the needs of the snake. A sculpture kind of thing. ANY IDEAS???


Next: Maintaining...

Tracy, you've done a fantastic job with this!! I hope they do sticky this somewhere so that we can always have it for reference. I've put it in my favorites so that if it doesn't get stuck...it will always be handy!

Originally Posted by MegF.

Tracy, you've done a fantastic job with this!

Thanks very much. I am having fun doing it and I am glad folks are finding it interesting.
T : )

Interesting thing about The book that inspired me to keep my corn in Bioactive Substrate (BAS/BSS), "The Art of Keeping Snakes, by Philippe de Vosjoli" is that the shortest chapter in the book is the one on maintenance. Technically, it's 3 pages long but one entire page of that chapter is devoted to shedding.

Maintenance of a BAS/BSS is so simple!

- When you see poop, scoop it out and turn the earth where the poop was to mix the soiled earth into the deeper substrate layers, the moist bacterial zone of the BAS so the bugs can get to work on the residue.

- Mist a few times a week to drive water soluble wastes to the deeper substrate layers. Monitor your humidity levels and use your judgement.

- Every 7-10 days or so, water and turn the open substrate areas. Allow the top 1/3 of the substrate mixture to dry out before watering. If it's taking 2 weeks or more for this drying out of the top 1/3 to happen, you have watered too much. This prevents the surface minerals and matter from caking and drives it to the deeper BAS layer where it can be broken down, use by plants, etc.

- ABOUT WATERING: So far I have noticed that watering in only one corner does not work well to moisten the whole tank. Spot watering plants at the bases and also throughout the tank with a turkey baster works really well. DON"T SOAK THE EARTH, just water it to moisten it enough to keep it moist for a week or so. This will be gauged through trial and error and will depend largely on the humidity and temperature of your home. Monitor with digital equipment for best results.

- Change water at least twice a week.

- Clean tank glass and light fixtures as needed inside with water and papertowel or a squeegee, outside with a diluted glass cleaner.

- Other "As needed" tasks: clean landscape structures as they become dirty, prune or replace plants when overgrown or tattered looking, remove dead skin, rearrange structures if toppled, etc.

- Replace plant lights when needed. Plants get tall and skinny when they are low on light. Lizard UVB lights get replaced every 6 months but maybe once a year would be okay for the plants? I don't know yet as I have not gotten that far.

That's about it. I'll add some of my observations as the months go by.

Again, I want to stress that I AM NOT THE EXPERT. Phillippe de Vosjoli wrote the book and many of the things I typed here come straight from the book. Buy the book, research as much as you can and learn what works best for you and your snake through trail and error.

So far, my corn Josephine appears to be having a lot of fun with making tunnels, using all the various spots I have created for hiding and basking and knows where to go to get away from me when she sees me coming! Her sheds are better, her skin is shinier and, as the top layer of the BAS is dry, she has no skin nor respiratory problems.

Good Luck and please add your observations to this thread!

Thank Tracy. Extremely helpful!!!

Originally Posted by The Knight

Thank Tracy. Extremely helpful!!!

My pleasure!

Josephine is doing excellent on this method. Happy, healthy and quite active. Loves climbing about when she thinks noone is looking! She exhibits a wide range of behaviours and is not as afraid of me, although this could be due to familiarity.

Go for it! You'll be glad ya did!

Great read, I keep my dart frogs in natural vivs. A couple of things about snakes in them...

I tried keeping my king in one... he always seemed "dirty" his white bands weren't white, which I didn't like.

When trying to pick up a snake from a viv with plants and sticks (a larger snake) they tend to wrap their lower halves into the plants and what-not, knocking stuff over and pulling up the plants.

Just a couple of points to ponder.