Bioactive plant help

[moricollins]

I would imagine that Biologically Active refers to just about any enclosure from a box of dirt with a water dish and hide, to the more elaborate dart frog types

So you're saying that a biologically active enclosure doesn't REQUIRE springtails and isopods? I agree completely.

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

So you're saying that your initial response to my post saying that the OP doesn't need UVB light, springtails or Isopods, quoted again below, saying they absolutely need both things was referring to light and springtails / issopods? Which two of the three things are you saying are absolutely needed? In the English language the use of the word "both" refers to "one and the other; two together:
He met both sisters. Both performances were canceled."

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/both

What? If it’s a Bioactive they Absolutely need both those things

that’s part of my point genius

this old man’s

imagine being this old

Ooh, I'm impressed. Insults are a great way to convince people that you have something worthwhile to listen to. I've been keeping reptiles / amphibians / invertebrates longer than you've been alive. Yet, I'm probably still younger than your parents are, unless they conceived you at a very young age, so I'm not that old.

As a reward for anyone who's made it this far in the thread, here are some of my planted dart frog tanks, for your viewing pleasure.

 

[bjjpokemon910]

So you're saying that a biologically active enclosure doesn't REQUIRE springtails and isopods? I agree completely.

I've reiterated this point so many times I'm actually done with this conversation

So you're saying that your initial response to my post saying that the OP doesn't need UVB light, springtails or Isopods, quoted again below, saying they absolutely need both things was referring to light and springtails / issopods? Which two of the three things are you saying are absolutely needed? In the English language the use of the word "both" refers to "one and the other; two together:
He met both sisters. Both performances were canceled."

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/both

Here we see him purposely questioning my intelligence by quoting an obvious definition yet below mocks me for clapping back at him. bro I've lost all respect for you are a straight up hypocrite. at least I can admit I got heated and can reflect on that. This is the reason I've been so reluctant to join this forum because of people like you that get angry the moment someone disagrees with you.

Ooh, I'm impressed. Insults are a great way to convince people that you have something worthwhile to listen to. I've been keeping reptiles / amphibians / invertebrates longer than you've been alive. Yet, I'm probably still younger than your parents are, unless they conceived you at a very young age, so I'm not that old.

As you and your wife Viper have insulted me this whole chat? I'm over this conversation. I spent 6 years in the military dealing with Staff NCO's that were this stubborn but geez man. you flaunt your age yet have the humility and maturity of a toddler. I went from having a simple disagreement about microfauna with you. To being insulted over and over again and having a ridiculous debate about words and how I said something. I apologize for any insults I threw at you. homie you win this argument. peace.

 

[DaveM]

Actually bioactive is not a buzz word.

It is an actual shortened term for,

Biologically Active.

The fact that marketing gurus have jumped on the term is irrelevant.

I think the very fact that marketing gurus have jumped on the term is precisely what makes 'bioactive' a buzzword.

buzzword - a word or phrase, often an item of jargon, that is fashionable at a particular time or in a particular context.
--Oxford English Dictionary

We all know that bioactive is short for biologically active, or at least I thought we all knew that.

Being real words or related to real words, well most buzzwords are, and that's irrelevant.

As an example of a term so famous for being a buzzword in the business world, consider 'synergy.'
Synergy is an excellent real word with a clear meaning and has been in use long before marketing gurus seized on it, but it started getting so overused in business that it became a buzzword and lost some of its original potency, now like a yawn-inspiring cliche.

In biological sciences, we often used to speak of 'synergistic binding' between pharmacological agents, proteins, transcription factors, etc. But now I notice some shift toward synonymous expressions like 'positive cooperativity in binding' -- probably because people got so tired of hearing 'synergy.' It's too bad, a great word getting ruined by overuse.

Buzzwords are a buzzkill

P.S. @moricollins, your enclosures are very beautiful! and thank you for all of the wise advice you've provided over the past decades

 

[Dry Desert]

I think the very fact that marketing gurus have jumped on the term is precisely what makes 'bioactive' a buzzword.

buzzword - a word or phrase, often an item of jargon, that is fashionable at a particular time or in a particular context.
--Oxford English Dictionary

We all know that bioactive is short for biologically active, or at least I thought we all knew that.

Being real words or related to real words, well most buzzwords are, and that's irrelevant.

As an example of a term so famous for being a buzzword in the business world, consider 'synergy.'
Synergy is an excellent real word with a clear meaning and has been in use long before marketing gurus seized on it, but it started getting so overused in business that it became a buzzword and lost some of its original potency, now like a yawn-inspiring cliche.

In biological sciences, we often used to speak of 'synergistic binding' between pharmacological agents, proteins, transcription factors, etc. But now I notice some shift toward synonymous expressions like 'positive cooperativity in binding' -- probably because people got so tired of hearing 'synergy.' It's too bad, a great word getting ruined by overuse.

Buzzwords are a buzzkill

P.S. @moricollins, your enclosures are very beautiful! and thank you for all of the wise advice you've provided over the past decades

I don't require an English lesson from an American, especially using our Oxford English Dictionary for reference.

As @moricollins says, I've probably been keeping inverts and vertebrates and using the English language for longer than you've been alive.

PS
If bioactive is a buzzword it's more than likely another one of these ridiculous " Americanism" that you lot come up with.

 

[DaveM]

I don't require an English lesson from an American, especially using our Oxford English Dictionary for reference.

As @moricollins says, I've probably been keeping inverts and vertebrates and using the English language for longer than you've been alive.

PS
If bioactive is a buzzword it's more than likely another one of these ridiculous " Americanism" that you lot come up with.

Well, shucks, that's some anti-American sentiment there. Are you certain that, just because I live in the US now and have adopted certain sensible American spellings and comma usages, that I am American? or did I just come here for the research opportunities this great country can offer?
It's funny too that you seem to be possessive about the Oxford English Dictionary. Are you sure that one of my relatives doesn't work for Oxford University Press to help create this dictionary? And how long do you think I have been alive and keeping inverts?
Nothing personal, @Dry Desert, and I'm sure you're a fine bloke, just commenting on the topic of this thread.
When @viper69 says that 'bioactive' is a buzzword, I agree with him. When @moricollins speaks of drinking the bioactive Kool-Aid, Americanism aside, I think his point is exactly right that many are misled by a nebulous term with unclear parameters and uncertain benefits to keeping spiders.

 

[Dry Desert]

Well, shucks, that's some anti-American sentiment there. Are you certain that, just because I live in the US now and have adopted certain sensible American spellings and comma usages, that I am American? or did I just come here for the research opportunities this great country can offer?
It's funny too that you seem to be possessive about the Oxford English Dictionary. Are you sure that one of my relatives doesn't work for Oxford University Press to help create this dictionary? And how long do you think I have been alive and keeping inverts?
Nothing personal, @Dry Desert, and I'm sure you're a fine bloke, just commenting on the topic of this thread.
When @viper69 says that 'bioactive' is a buzzword, I agree with him. When @moricollins speaks of drinking the bioactive Kool-Aid, Americanism aside, I think his point is exactly right that many are misled by a nebulous term with unclear parameters and uncertain benefits to keeping spiders.

I am not "a fine bloke" well know for being very outspoken.
Not possessed at all over the Oxford dictionary, the Collins dictionary is also good, it was in reply to your reference.
You see I don't deal in grey, only black or white, and I become increasingly irritated with so called experts that have no real concept of things outside of the wonderful American/ Canadian Tarantula Forum world.

To lay a few facts bare.
1. An expert that only considers their dart frog enclosures to be correct and don't need additional.

2. Another expert that has no real concept of humility and as long as the substrate is damp all is fine, as that's where the book lungs will be.
3. Another expert on millipedes that tells newcomers that you can keep thousands of young millipedes in a small tank, and that millipedes don't need or will benefit from cuttlefish as a calcium supplement, it only a myth.
4. Another scorpion expert who again says it's perfectly okay to keep scorpions communally, and when people, like myself do, or did, and suffer losses, that they are communal and I was unlucky.

I was always told the correct definition of EXPERT is:-

X is an unknown factor, and
Spurt is a drip under pressure
EXSPERT for those having trouble.

 

[viper69]

I think the very fact that marketing gurus have jumped on the term is precisely what makes 'bioactive' a buzzword.

buzzword - a word or phrase, often an item of jargon, that is fashionable at a particular time or in a particular context.
--Oxford English Dictionary

We all know that bioactive is short for biologically active, or at least I thought we all knew that.

Being real words or related to real words, well most buzzwords are, and that's irrelevant.

As an example of a term so famous for being a buzzword in the business world, consider 'synergy.'
Synergy is an excellent real word with a clear meaning and has been in use long before marketing gurus seized on it, but it started getting so overused in business that it became a buzzword and lost some of its original potency, now like a yawn-inspiring cliche.

In biological sciences, we often used to speak of 'synergistic binding' between pharmacological agents, proteins, transcription factors, etc. But now I notice some shift toward synonymous expressions like 'positive cooperativity in binding' -- probably because people got so tired of hearing 'synergy.' It's too bad, a great word getting ruined by overuse.

Buzzwords are a buzzkill

P.S. @moricollins, your enclosures are very beautiful! and thank you for all of the wise advice you've provided over the past decades

Logic will not work on these types.

 

[DaveM]

I am not "a fine bloke" well know for being very outspoken.
Not possessed at all over the Oxford dictionary, the Collins dictionary is also good, it was in reply to your reference.
You see I don't deal in grey, only black or white, and I become increasingly irritated with so called experts that have no real concept of things outside of the wonderful American/ Canadian Tarantula Forum world.

To lay a few facts bare.
1. An expert that only considers their dart frog enclosures to be correct and don't need additional.

2. Another expert that has no real concept of humility and as long as the substrate is damp all is fine, as that's where the book lungs will be.
3. Another expert on millipedes that tells newcomers that you can keep thousands of young millipedes in a small tank, and that millipedes don't need or will benefit from cuttlefish as a calcium supplement, it only a myth.
4. Another scorpion expert who again says it's perfectly okay to keep scorpions communally, and when people, like myself do, or did, and suffer losses, that they are communal and I was unlucky.

I was always told the correct definition of EXPERT is:-

X is an unknown factor, and
Spurt is a drip under pressure
EXSPERT for those having trouble.

Agreed. We are in accord then, no quarrel between us. You can be understanding, probably, if you imagine how much savagery we face out here in the colonies? We're all just trying to survive, clinging to any shred of wisdom from people that have faced similar challenges. I believe there is some real expertise here. We probably agree, though, that the surest sign flagging a supposed EXPERT as false is if he believes his expertise to be perfect and unchallengeable.

Logic will not work on these types.

How am I doing with my milk and cookies?

 

[viper69]

Agreed. We are in accord then, no quarrel between us. You can be understanding, probably, if you imagine how much savagery we face out here in the colonies? We're all just trying to survive, clinging to any shred of wisdom from people that have faced similar challenges. I believe there is some real expertise here. We probably agree, though, that the surest sign flagging a supposed EXPERT as false, is if he believes his expertise to be perfect and unchallengeable.



How am I doing with my milk and cookies?

The milk and cookies are consistent as always

The anti-American sentiment is stupid.

 

[attercop]

Im just gunna go with what i feel like and what will look good and feel good to me and my Ts i like the look of the bio setups just wanted to pick some others brains on the subject, sorry i didnt mean to cause such an argument i just want to be a good spider dad

 

[DaveM]

Im just gunna go with what i feel like and what will look good and feel good to me and my Ts i like the look of the bio setups just wanted to pick some others brains on the subject, sorry i didnt mean to cause such an argument i just want to be a good spider dad

I'm sure you'll do a great job, and please stay! Don't let any minor squabbles scare you away. It is the mark of a great society that people voice different opinions. You wouldn't want a bunch of mindless drones all endlessly repeating the same dogma, would you? Diversity makes us stronger, and you would want the complete spectrum of ideas and opinions to be on full display. It's much better that way, and all in good fun.

 

[Dorifto]

Chill out guys


Yes bioactive it's a real term, but at the same time and unfortunately it's a buzzword used to represent a trend, a planted enclosure, a sales gimmick or even worse, one with a drainage layer... which by their own, won't make them bioactive.


Bioactive it's any enclosure that could cycle soil nutrients using microorganisms, as simple as that. It could have springtails, isopods or any macro animals or simply not.



@attercop please stay here



Answering to your questions, No they don't necessarily need neither of them, but they help depend on your setup.


UV it's used more with reptiles to synthesize vitamins, it's known that they cause issues in scorpions (prolonged exposure), so I wouldn't use them with Ts.


For plants a full spectrum led lamp it's more recommendable. Some also use red and blue light to mimic seasonal spectrum changes to promote bloom or growth, but being honest, I wouldn't go soo far. I use two cheap full spectrum ( plus few blue leds) fish tank lamps, they work wonderfully. Any bright enough led stripe should work, specially the ones designed for plant growing.


Sprintails and isopods, well this will depend on your setup. For tropical enclosures with plants or moisture dependent species, they are quite helpful, but you can keep them without using them without any problem. For arid setups, I personally wouldn't use them, one because the leftovers won't cause so much issues, but also because the species that thrive in arid habitats are more prone to eat whatever food source they have available, sometimes taking more risks to get them, as food it's not so abundant in their habitat. You don't want any species that could look into your T (very very unlikely to happen) like it's food source.


I personally keep springtails, isopods and earthworms, along with soil nematodes, mini centipedes, mites... etc that came with the soil and plants. Once all of them established, I never had any single issue related to any mite, springtail, mold outburst.


Maintenance wise, I literally never removed any leftover. This way I keep all the inhabitants well fed. I trim the enclosure once a year, twice at max, specially keeping attention leaving a clean path for the T. Any obstacle will trigger a "redecoration desire" from your T, as they don't like obstacles in front of their hides. The cleanest the path to their hides, the faster they can put themselves to safe.


Substrate wise, Topsoil, no questions here. Get a nice blend or make your one. This simple decision will save you tons of future problems, making the husbandry much simpler. I personally recommend ones made out of dirt, peat (sphagnum), dirt, clay and sand. You can add any of them to make it suit you better. Sphagnum for moisture retention, clay to make it more cohesive plus retain and release moisture more gradually, sand to drain better, and the organic matter to feed your plants. Don't be afraid if you find fertilizers, sometimes it's naturally present, and low amounts like 0'0X-0'X% are perfectly safe. Be afraid when you see the word "ADDED". Added fertilizers come very concentrated forms and this can potentially intoxicate your T.


Drainage layer.... IGNORE THEM. Hope that someday this stupid trend ends. Those are not intended for Ts, period. Those are for other type of inhabitants and setups. If for any case your soil needs to be drained, then your husbandry or the plants on it are not the correct ones. Period. You can keep awesome planted setups without using them, like I personally do. A much better approach it's to add a base layer with more sand on it, it will drain any excess of moisture if needed but won't go against Ts basic requirements like burrowing, as it will maintain the burrow's shape, instead of collapsing...


Plants, choose them based on your Ts requirements, never the other way around. It's the simplest and safest method to keep your T healthy and safe.




Being said, which kind of setup are you planning to build

 

[The Snark]

They are all "bioactive", but so is a pile of dirt without any plants or added invertebrates. Bioactive is a meaningless buzzword.

I think the very fact that marketing gurus have jumped on the term is precisely what makes 'bioactive' a buzzword.

If you don't have an autoclave and maintain isolation 4 protocols it's bioactive.

I don't require an English lesson from an American, especially using our Oxford English Dictionary for reference.

The anti-American sentiment is stupid.

Game on?


@Dorifto Whatever you do, don't use that mouse in a chess tournament.

 

[Dorifto]

If you don't have an autoclave and maintain isolation 4 protocols it's bioactive.



Game on?
View attachment 432751

@Dorifto Whatever you do, don't use that mouse in a chess tournament.

Phone, my phone....

As usual I wrote the answer using my phone and upon reading it after, well... My thick fingers didn't help keeping it free of grammar mistakes

Tried to edit the post and someway posted it again, twice...

 

[The Snark]

Night before last I went through my electronic junk in an attempt to plug a mouse and keyboard into the phone. Staring at schematics and plugs on my 21 inch monitor I had one of those moments...

Isn't just lovely how this thread went from 'bioactive plant'... hold up there. Plants come in two forms, bioactive or compost. Period. And digressed as I just did into vitriolic hair splitting miscommuniclaptrap and outuendo?

Outuendo: anything and everything that isn't innuendo. "We are forced to search the entire field of human nomenclature much like blind men looting a bazaar for their own portraits." -Paraphrased from Stoppard - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

 

[viper69]

Chill out guys


Yes bioactive it's a real term, but at the same time and unfortunately it's a buzzword used to represent a trend, a planted enclosure, a sales gimmick or even worse, one with a drainage layer... which by their own, won't make them bioactive.


Bioactive it's any enclosure that could cycle soil nutrients using microorganisms, as simple as that. It could have springtails, isopods or any macro animals or simply not.



@attercop please stay here



Answering to your questions, No they don't necessarily need neither of them, but they help depend on your setup.


UV it's used more with reptiles to synthesize vitamins, it's known that they cause issues in scorpions (prolonged exposure), so I wouldn't use them with Ts.


For plants a full spectrum led lamp it's more recommendable. Some also use red and blue light to mimic seasonal spectrum changes to promote bloom or growth, but being honest, I wouldn't go soo far. I use two cheap full spectrum ( plus few blue leds) fish tank lamps, they work wonderfully. Any bright enough led stripe should work, specially the ones designed for plant growing.


Sprintails and isopods, well this will depend on your setup. For tropical enclosures with plants or moisture dependent species, they are quite helpful, but you can keep them without using them without any problem. For arid setups, I personally wouldn't use them, one because the leftovers won't cause so much issues, but also because the species that thrive in arid habitats are more prone to eat whatever food source they have available, sometimes taking more risks to get them, as food it's not so abundant in their habitat. You don't want any species that could look into your T (very very unlikely to happen) like it's food source.


I personally keep springtails, isopods and earthworms, along with soil nematodes, mini centipedes, mites... etc that came with the soil and plants. Once all of them established, I never had any single issue related to any mite, springtail, mold outburst.


Maintenance wise, I literally never removed any leftover. This way I keep all the inhabitants well fed. I trim the enclosure once a year, twice at max, specially keeping attention leaving a clean path for the T. Any obstacle will trigger a "redecoration desire" from your T, as they don't like obstacles in front of their hides. The cleanest the path to their hides, the faster they can put themselves to safe.


Substrate wise, Topsoil, no questions here. Get a nice blend or make your one. This simple decision will save you tons of future problems, making the husbandry much simpler. I personally recommend ones made out of dirt, peat (sphagnum), dirt, clay and sand. You can add any of them to make it suit you better. Sphagnum for moisture retention, clay to make it more cohesive plus retain and release moisture more gradually, sand to drain better, and the organic matter to feed your plants. Don't be afraid if you find fertilizers, sometimes it's naturally present, and low amounts like 0'0X-0'X% are perfectly safe. Be afraid when you see the word "ADDED". Added fertilizers come very concentrated forms and this can potentially intoxicate your T.


Drainage layer.... IGNORE THEM. Hope that someday this stupid trend ends. Those are not intended for Ts, period. Those are for other type of inhabitants and setups. If for any case your soil needs to be drained, then your husbandry or the plants on it are not the correct ones. Period. You can keep awesome planted setups without using them, like I personally do. A much better approach it's to add a base layer with more sand on it, it will drain any excess of moisture if needed but won't go against Ts basic requirements like burrowing, as it will maintain the burrow's shape, instead of collapsing...


Plants, choose them based on your Ts requirements, never the other way around. It's the simplest and safest method to keep your T healthy and safe.




Being said, which kind of setup are you planning to build

You write as if you know you can grow plants with a T

 

[attercop]

Chill out guys


Yes bioactive it's a real term, but at the same time and unfortunately it's a buzzword used to represent a trend, a planted enclosure, a sales gimmick or even worse, one with a drainage layer... which by their own, won't make them bioactive.


Bioactive it's any enclosure that could cycle soil nutrients using microorganisms, as simple as that. It could have springtails, isopods or any macro animals or simply not.



@attercop please stay here



Answering to your questions, No they don't necessarily need neither of them, but they help depend on your setup.


UV it's used more with reptiles to synthesize vitamins, it's known that they cause issues in scorpions (prolonged exposure), so I wouldn't use them with Ts.


For plants a full spectrum led lamp it's more recommendable. Some also use red and blue light to mimic seasonal spectrum changes to promote bloom or growth, but being honest, I wouldn't go soo far. I use two cheap full spectrum ( plus few blue leds) fish tank lamps, they work wonderfully. Any bright enough led stripe should work, specially the ones designed for plant growing.


Sprintails and isopods, well this will depend on your setup. For tropical enclosures with plants or moisture dependent species, they are quite helpful, but you can keep them without using them without any problem. For arid setups, I personally wouldn't use them, one because the leftovers won't cause so much issues, but also because the species that thrive in arid habitats are more prone to eat whatever food source they have available, sometimes taking more risks to get them, as food it's not so abundant in their habitat. You don't want any species that could look into your T (very very unlikely to happen) like it's food source.


I personally keep springtails, isopods and earthworms, along with soil nematodes, mini centipedes, mites... etc that came with the soil and plants. Once all of them established, I never had any single issue related to any mite, springtail, mold outburst.


Maintenance wise, I literally never removed any leftover. This way I keep all the inhabitants well fed. I trim the enclosure once a year, twice at max, specially keeping attention leaving a clean path for the T. Any obstacle will trigger a "redecoration desire" from your T, as they don't like obstacles in front of their hides. The cleanest the path to their hides, the faster they can put themselves to safe.


Substrate wise, Topsoil, no questions here. Get a nice blend or make your one. This simple decision will save you tons of future problems, making the husbandry much simpler. I personally recommend ones made out of dirt, peat (sphagnum), dirt, clay and sand. You can add any of them to make it suit you better. Sphagnum for moisture retention, clay to make it more cohesive plus retain and release moisture more gradually, sand to drain better, and the organic matter to feed your plants. Don't be afraid if you find fertilizers, sometimes it's naturally present, and low amounts like 0'0X-0'X% are perfectly safe. Be afraid when you see the word "ADDED". Added fertilizers come very concentrated forms and this can potentially intoxicate your T.


Drainage layer.... IGNORE THEM. Hope that someday this stupid trend ends. Those are not intended for Ts, period. Those are for other type of inhabitants and setups. If for any case your soil needs to be drained, then your husbandry or the plants on it are not the correct ones. Period. You can keep awesome planted setups without using them, like I personally do. A much better approach it's to add a base layer with more sand on it, it will drain any excess of moisture if needed but won't go against Ts basic requirements like burrowing, as it will maintain the burrow's shape, instead of collapsing...


Plants, choose them based on your Ts requirements, never the other way around. It's the simplest and safest method to keep your T healthy and safe.




Being said, which kind of setup are you planning to build

Mostly for are arboreal species we currently have and obtain in the future just to keep humidity nice for them especially for our new blondi plus i like the way the look all set up as for are more arid species i wont bother as much with plants and such

Not putting the blondi up as arboreal obviously also im not going anywhere despite all that transpired im still learning from it and formulating some ideas to try

 

[moricollins]

Mostly for are arboreal species we currently have and obtain in the future just to keep humidity nice for them

If this includes Avicularia / Caribena species, then I highly recommend not attempting to maintain a high humidity enclosure for them. Stuffy air is the #1 killer in Avicularia / Caribena in the hobby.

 

[Dorifto]

If this includes Avicularia / Caribena species, then I highly recommend not attempting to maintain a high humidity enclosure for them. Stuffy air is the #1 killer in Avicularia / Caribena in the hobby.

100% correct, but you can have a pretty humid enclosure without creating stuffy conditions. And here, plants help a lot keeping these kind of conditions stable, even with high amounts of ventilation.

Usually people overdo moisture in order to keep things humid, and that's a very unfortunate misconception. Eg I keep my pulchra's enclosure between 60s and low 80s keeping most of her enclosure dry (not fully dry/brittle). In my particular case the plants help me a lot to maintain them quite stable, regardles the external conditions, that could vary a lot depending on the season. Obviously there is a constant change in RH, but always it stays within safe margins.

You can keep avics or whatever other species in planted tanks, but always choosing the right plants for it, and most importantly having a very good ventilation system.

Do plants complicate things? In my personal experience, choosing the right plants and substrate, it's just the opposite. I barely maintain my enclosures, as they are almost self sustaining enclosures, a side from the obvious watering, that it could be once or twice a month, only on winters I have to increase the frequency (frequency, not quantity).

 

[attercop]

Question if a sling is moved to a bigger enclosure to early is that really stressful for the spider, what causes more stress moving them between enclosures or if there in a slightly too big an enclosure?