Hmmm... UV light, definitely but springtails and isopods; depends if the moisture in the enclosure can sustain then. You should pick a plant that's suitable for species your putting them in with. Sometimes, some people neglect the tarantulas environmental needs just to make sure the plant/plants stay alive or vice versa.
As for the plants it heavily depends on quite a few things, are you keeping an arid species? Are you using a drainage layer? And yes if you are using plants you absolutely should get an LED light for it. If they aren’t low light plants then they will need LED pothos might be able to live with ambient light but otherwise you will need one. And as for springtails and isopods, springtails YES isopods NO. I actually only use isopods for really large ADULT species but they aren’t as essential as with reptiles because your Tarantula won’t produce that much waste and springtails can absolutely handle that alone once established. Plus isopods if you dont have good knowledge on which species to use some of them can stress out your T. But springtails I absolutely think they are vital to a Bioactive, especially tropical biomes, if you don’t have Collembola in there you will get other microfauna in there rather you like it or not, soil is the most biodiverse thing on earth, and things like nematodes, fungus Knats, Acariformes (mites), will start to populate and may not be good or just be annoying. Plus what springtails do for a bioactive is more than just a CUC. See plants can’t naturally synthesis certain nutrients like Calcium and some other nutrients from waste in general. It has to be further broken down by microfauna like springtails to become bioavailable for the plant roots to absorb. So yeah springtails are a Must if you want a successful bioactive atleast.
Well if it’s a dry species he can just put an Arid species of plant like aloes or a spineless cactus! I keep my Hadrurus Arizonensis in a dry Bioactive with Arid springtails no isopods. And because of the monthly waterings my Hairys don’t have Pre or post ecdysis issues. Get a soil moisture meter and just make sure it doesn’t dry in the middle and bottom layers, I recommend the biodudes Terra Sahara, it works perfectly for what I use it for. Plus if he/she doesn’t puts CUC in there it’s not technically bioactive lol. It’s just an enclosure with a plant in it lol. Bioactives started in the dart frog community but since we have discovered ways to keep Arid animals Bioactive.
No. Definitely do not need one.
No. Not necessary and provide little to no benefit to most tarantulas.
What? If it’s a Bioactive they Absolutely need both those things?? Have you kept bioactives b4? How are the plants gonna get enough light in a basement? Maybe not a UV light but LED is needed for proper growth. And what is with people on here telling people that springtails aren’t needed in BIOACTIVES. Without them it ain’t bioactive! Especially if it’s a Tropical biome he will Absolutely Need springtails, like I’ve explained before the springtails do more than just clean up after the T. They eat mold (which WILL pop up in a humid bioactive) and they make nutrients bioavailable to the plants that provide more oxygen to your T. And they also are more prolific and will outcompete your other microfauna that will inevitably pop up if you don’t get them established early on. Sinella tropical springtails are the way to go.
You've drunk the "bioactive" Kool aid. .
Where did I say that plants don't need light? Seems you're looking for an argument and are imagining words that aren't in posts.
Yes, it is. Soil has bioactivity without us adding springtails or Isopods. Springtails and Isopods are not necessary for successfully keeping tarantulas. They, often, complicate the care of tarantulas.
“Looking for an argument” in other words I don’t like criticism… you didn’t specify rather he needed light or not. And when did I say Isopods are necessary? You see how people like you project and get angry when I wasn’t being rude or argumentative? Yes you are right the soil will have microfauna regardless but that’s part of my point genius, I’m an Ecology and Bio major. If springtails aren’t in there other things will show up he may or may not want. And they help with mold outbreaks…are you gonna argue that too?
Also When did I say that springtails and isopods are essential for keeping Ts? See that’s the projection I’m talking about, I said they are essential for TROPICAL BIOACTIVES. Read my guy
Pardon? Your post quoted below says you believe them to be necessary.
Correct. I answered their question exactly as they asked it.
Bro scroll up and read. I literally said isopods are not essential Twice. At this point I’m starting to think you are blatantly ignoring facts to sound smart and get a point across. I get it it’s hard for people like you to admit when they are wrong.
I love how In the text you quoted I literally say nothing about isopods, yet you quoted it as if it was a gotcha moment….bro you can stop at any point and get off the computer and get some air to help you think clearer.
@moricollins is a respected member of AB. He has considerable experience, and to your point- he doesn’t ignore facts, nor make attempts to sound smart- this person is smart.
Read through this entire thread— take your own advice first.
Did I hurt his feeling that Bad? Is that supposed to scare me away? Is this supposed to intimidate Me? Because he has internet freinds that will defend him when he blatantly didn’t read my post when he said I said Isopods are essential? think about it? If he is so “old and wise” lol why do you need to come to his rescue? I agree Bioactive is a buzz term I’m aware of that all I was saying is that for what he was asking he specifically said “bioactive” and you all can pretend to not know what he meant by that, just because I haven’t been on a site for a long time doesn’t mean I don’t have experience. But if you think a Grown Man getting his spider buddies to scare me away is going to work go try that on some other dude. My point still stands…y’all can be Mad all you want y’all just keep recycling a point I already get. If he wants to keep a fake plant and yadayad I DONT care!! If it works it works…homeboy asked about bioactives and I answered his question. So sad that this old man’s spider buddies had to come save him. Springtails are very helpful and those as y’all call the “kool aid drinker” Bioactives! well guess what my Ts and Scorpions and anything else has done very well in them…next guy needs to be the guy I was originally talking to he a grown Man let him defend himself gurl. Experienced people make mistakes to..it’s okay we can all learn to cope with togetherness’s
Did you guys read what I said about springtails outcompeting the other microfauna in the soil soooo potentially, mites, nematodes so on so on… I get it you all are trying to defend your boy I get it. But dang this is just getting sad. I GET THAT SOIL HAS BIOACTIVITY. Did y’all read it this time… it’s just that springtails help jumpstart a healthy microfauna that is proven to work in what we will call to make y’all feel better bioactive Kool aid. We can do this all day I’m off work. Let’s Gettie
This Man literally in 4k, in plain English, blatantly, Clearly didn’t read my post. Please explain this
oh so now we are cool…fine I’ll drop itDude I am totally not sure what you are reading that we didn't write, but think we did. No one is defending anyone, were just agreeing with their information lol. It shouldn't matter if anyone is anyone's "spider buddy" that's not a negative and no one is trying to make you feel unwelcome, just trying to correct misinformation on this thread. So far there's been pretty basic objective responses on the subject for the benefit of the OP. Not everything in the world is personal. I can pretty much guarantee none of us have any personal issue with you; so you trying to make it personal isn't something we're interested in getting into. We are giving our time to help provide info, nothing more nothing less. It wasn't personal, there's no need for that man! It's all good friend
Im not surprised at allDude I am totally not sure what you are reading that we didn't write, but think we did. No one is defending anyone, were just agreeing with their information lol. It shouldn't matter if anyone is anyone's "spider buddy" that's not a negative and no one is trying to make you feel unwelcome, just trying to correct misinformation on this thread. So far there's been pretty basic objective responses on the subject for the benefit of the OP. Not everything in the world is personal. I can pretty much guarantee none of us have any personal issue with you; so you trying to make it personal isn't something we're interested in getting into. We are giving our time to help provide info, nothing more nothing less. It wasn't personal, there's no need for that man! It's all good friend
Mites are a noted scourge of springtail cultures, I wouldn't count on springtails outcompeting mites. Also, grain / soil mites (which are by far the most common in tarantula enclosures) are no threat to tarantulas so eradicating them isn't important.
(bold and underlining is added by me).
Your terrarium wouldn't be self sustaining unless you aren't adding in anything to the terrarium (i.e. not feeding the tarantula). The most accurate, IMO, term for what you're discussing is a planted tank.Maybe self-sustaining is a better term for it then?
You see how this guy took what I said out of context I was clearly referring to LED lights with plants READ MY WHOLE POST SON, this guy has clear issues with admitting he is wrong. I'm done with this ring around the rosey gloves are off. If respect was ever gonna be a thing with you and me, it aint happening after this you clearly have a profound issue with admitting when you are wrong even after quoting something I directly said out of context just to prove his False point to his spider buddies. imagine being this old and this experienced in the hobby yet keeps embarrassing himself by doing this again. also some people just don't like mites when they overpopulate and it looks unsightly that's what I was referring too if I took a picture of one of my enclosures I guarantee it will have mites in them, mites and springtails live together all the time in nature I KNOW THIS I'm an Ecology Major I get it, but putting springtails in PROACTIVLY will almost never give them a chance to outcompete them, this has worked in 100% of my Kool aid Bioactive's. Dawg you keep responding and yet look worse and worse the more you try. I'll give you one more chance to grow some fortitude and admit you misquoted me like a Man or we can just keep playing internet street ball son.
THANK YOU this is what I'm trying to say. I think he knows this but just does NOT wanna swallow his pride. I know springtails are not essential to keeping inverts in general BUT they do make Bioactive keeping better and has proven to help them flourish. That's all I'm trying to say Man.
Dude I am totally not sure what you are reading that we didn't write, but think we did. No one is defending anyone, were just agreeing with their information lol. It shouldn't matter if anyone is anyone's "spider buddy" that's not a negative and no one is trying to make you feel unwelcome, just trying to correct misinformation on this thread. So far there's been pretty basic objective responses on the subject for the benefit of the OP. Not everything in the world is personal. I can pretty much guarantee none of us have any personal issue with you; so you trying to make it personal isn't something we're interested in getting into. We are giving our time to help provide info, nothing more nothing less. It wasn't personal, there's no need for that man! It's all good friend
This is the definition of personal. Viper came at me sideways when I hadn't insulted him at all....I'd respect you all more if you at least admitted to being wrong once. This was clearly a snobby attack from Him. Clearly.
Actually bioactive is not a buzz word.