# Hydroballs in bioactive terriums



## Braeden (Sep 14, 2018)

I’m planning to set up a new tank for a fire skink I’m hoping to aquire soon. I’ve been on the hunt for one for quite some time now and i’m crossing my fingers I’ll find one at NARBC... Anyway I’m planning to set up a 40 gallon live planted bioactive terrarium. I’m decently new to bioactive terrariums, the only one I have with a drainage layer is quite small as it is for my crested so it’s mostly an arboreal setup. The thing is, I’ve found that the clay “hydroballs” can be quite pricey, so I’m not sure how I’ll manage to put a 40 gallon together without dropping a bunch of money. Is there a cheaper way to aquire these porous little balls without sacrificing safety and quality? Any suggestions would be appreciated


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## viper69 (Sep 14, 2018)

Don't buy from a petstore, they are in the plant hobby. Also there is better material than that I heard, but it doesn't matter.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Pythonipus (Sep 14, 2018)

I just did a 36x18x18 exoterra and used the stuff the Bio Dude has. It was $40 or so from my specialty LPS for the large bag, and was enough for about 2 1/2 in of drainage all around. If you want to avoid the pet shops, home depot carries expanded clay pellets which are the same thing. $40 for 50L from what I see on their website. I've been curious about using matala mats which are used for aquarium filters. They are basically strings of plastic jumbled together and are pretty light and are cheap compared to hydroballs. They are also less messy.  You could also make a false bottom out of light diffuser panels and screen.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Braeden (Sep 23, 2018)

Thank you everyone for the suggestions!! I ended up finding a fire skink (ahhh omg yay) so I’ll be needing to set it up soon. I’m not sure what approach I’ll take because they do like to burrow... but either way I’ll end up needing to make bioactive setups again anyway! Thanks guys!


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## Keke713 (Sep 23, 2018)

Braeden said:


> Thank you everyone for the suggestions!! I ended up finding a fire skink (ahhh omg yay) so I’ll be needing to set it up soon. I’m not sure what approach I’ll take because they do like to burrow... but either way I’ll end up needing to make bioactive setups again anyway! Thanks guys!


Try Josh’s Frogs. Amazing site and great customer service from these guys. They have complete kits needed for all sizes of bio active terrariums.


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