Gecko enclosure smells

[Arachne13]

So I know everything pooops but... I have a bioactive enclosure set up for my tokay gecko which I have dumped several sprint tail cultures into as well as some dwarf isopods. I feel like I either don’t have enough or springtails just aren’t enough. This is honestly my first bioactive enclosure and my first time owning a gecko. I’m thinking I need to get him out and remove the corkbark and clean out the feces soon. I’m just wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how I can make this bioactive enclosure more self cleaning or if it’s just best to clean it out periodically. I’m considering purchasing some larger isopods and possibly some millipedes?
also, I’ve been dealing with fungas gnats as well. I’ll admit, definitely not the best go around for my first bioactive

 

[StampFan]

If you're seeing poop, the isopods aren't doing their job. A healthy colony of isopods in a bioactive will destroy a poop literally overnight. I suggest using several different species of isopods. If one out-competes the other over time, you have the one or two species left that work best in that microclimate in the enclosure. You could also let the soil dry out a bit, that seems to help with bacterial smells.

 

[Arachne13]

If you're seeing poop, the isopods aren't doing their job. A healthy colony of isopods in a bioactive will destroy a poop literally overnight. I suggest using several different species of isopods. If one out-competes the other over time, you have the one or two species left that work best in that microclimate in the enclosure. You could also let the soil dry out a bit, that seems to help with bacterial smells.

So I actually just checked over the whole enclosure and I’m not seeing any poop anywhere. It just smells. I’m assuming in this case the isopods are doing their job and I should just stop misting for a while to allow the enclosure to dry out a bit and allow the smell to go away. Thanks for the response

 

[Frogdaddy]

Maybe it's not poop your smelling but anerobic decay in your substrate. Bioactive substrates can't be too dense or air will never reach the lower layers.

What is your substrate composed of?

 

[Arachne13]

I’m using the mix from the Biodude with some coco fiber mixed in as the top layer and the bottom layer is Joshs from abs with pumice mixed in

 

[Frogdaddy]

I’m using the mix from the Biodude with some coco fiber mixed in as the top layer and the bottom layer is Joshs from abs with pumice mixed in

I've never used Biodude's sub so I can't really comment on it. I've used Josh's before and it's a good, light, fluffy mix.
Just so long as your sub is a bit on the coarse side.

 

[Arachne13]

Biodude soil is in the fine side. Would mixing vermiculite into the top layer be helpful? I did mix a bit in initially but wondering if a bit more would help?

 

[Frogdaddy]

Perhaps the layering is causing oxygen to not get to the bottom?
Here is the standard recipe for ABG mix, you could replace the peat with coco fiber. Standard mix as developed by Atlanta Botanical Gardens.

2 parts fine orchid bark

2 parts fine tree fern fiber

2 parts milled sphagnum

1 part fine charcoal

1 part peat moss

 

[Dandrobates]

Bear in mind -any and every enclosure has to be spot cleaned from time to time and despite what people say no enclosure can function without some maintenance. Now as far as the smell goes, the situation depends on what type of smell it is. A rotten egg odor indicates over abundance of anaerobic bacteria. This could be caused by substrate that is too moist and/or too dense. If you smell an earthy odor that means that things are working properly. However odors can be subjective. The other issue is the size of the enclosure and how long it was left to establish. It can take weeks and even months for a vivarium to cycle and reach a healthy balance. Fungus gnats mean that the enclosure hasn’t cycled long enough and/or the substrate is too moist. However- I have seen them in sub that was overly moist but dried out. I’m this case the spring tails died off but we’re succeeded by gnats.

A few pics would help

 

[Arachne13]

Bear in mind -any and every enclosure has to be spot cleaned from time to time and despite what people say no enclosure can function without some maintenance. Now as far as the smell goes, the situation depends on what type of smell it is. A rotten egg odor indicates over abundance of anaerobic bacteria. This could be caused by substrate that is too moist and/or too dense. If you smell an earthy odor that means that things are working properly. However odors can be subjective. The other issue is the size of the enclosure and how long it was left to establish. It can take weeks and even months for a vivarium to cycle and reach a healthy balance. Fungus gnats mean that the enclosure hasn’t cycled long enough and/or the substrate is too moist. However- I have seen them in sub that was overly moist but dried out. I’m this case the spring tails died off but we’re succeeded by gnats.

A few pics would help

I can definitely see the springtails app just a glance, and it definitely smells nothing like rotten eggs. This enclosure has only been set up for a couple months honestly. To me it smelled like poop but when you use the term earthy I cant help but wonder like that’s Not a better way to describe it.

 

[Dandrobates]

I can definitely see the springtails app just a glance, and it definitely smells nothing like rotten eggs. This enclosure has only been set up for a couple months honestly. To me it smelled like poop but when you use the term earthy I cant help but wonder like that’s Not a better way to describe it.

Yes the earthy smell is unpleasant to some people but it usually indicates that the substrate hasn’t fouled. I would try adding some leaf litter over the substrate though. It will provide more cover for your microfauna and it will keep the humidity closer to the ground where they will need it.

Also, it has been my experience that larger enclosures are more effective with this type of setup. A larger surface area equals more bacterial and microfaunaL biomass. More biomass equals better breakdown of unwanted material. Bear in mind though that this is all relative to the inhabitant. I am not familiar with tokay gecko care so I cannot comment on how much waste they produce or what an appropriate vivarium size is for them. However remember that your enclosure is effectively a living thing now and it may take extra care to get it right. That in and of itself takes patience.

 

[StampFan]

I wonder if a few earthworms/night crawlers in the sub would help break up the bacterial load a bit while their constantly aerating the soil, or if that would make the problem worse.

 

[viper69]

The recent fascination with bioactive tanks for everything from herps to Ts is odd to me.

I find it easier to spot clean with my herps.

 

[Dandrobates]

The recent fascination with bioactive tanks for everything from herps to Ts is odd to me.

I find it easier to spot clean with my herps.

Agreed, and people are making big bucks off of it.

 

[Frogdaddy]

The recent fascination with bioactive tanks for everything from herps to Ts is odd to me.

I find it easier to spot clean with my herps.

I didn't realize it had become so trendy until seeing some YouTube videos.
In the dart frog hobby it's been the norm for years. Because it works for dart frog husbandry. The humidity, the plants, microfauna, very suited for those animals. Not however for every animal kept in captivity and certainly not for a vast majority of T's.

 

[Arachne13]

I chose to go with a bioactive enclosure for the tokay because they are supposed to be kept in a relatively moist/humid environment, they eat a lot and therefore poop quite a lot and need higher head and lighting. It seemed like a good place to start with a bioactive enclosure as I am used to keeping Moisture dependent species of tarantulas and Snakes. Snakes didn’t seem like the best for a bioactive and I’ve considered bioactive for my Ts but wanted to try with a larger enclosure first

 

[viper69]

I didn't realize it had become so trendy until seeing some YouTube videos.
In the dart frog hobby it's been the norm for years. Because it works for dart frog husbandry. The humidity, the plants, microfauna, very suited for those animals. Not however for every animal kept in captivity and certainly not for a vast majority of T's.

Yeah froggers have it down to a science, as they should, you guys make slices of rainforests in a tank!

But Ts? And most herps? Not needed at all

 

[Arachne13]

Yeah froggers have it down to a science, as they should, you guys make slices of rainforests in a tank!

But Ts? And most herps? Not needed at all

To be fair most of the care information I found on Tokay geckos recommended bioactive enclosures. I read a ton of care sites and watches about every video about them I could find and all the best enclosures from the most experienced sources used bioactive. So that’s why I did it. I’m not a person that’s into “trendy” things. Never been that type of person. Just tried to provide the best environment for the animal with the information I had available to me

 

[viper69]

To be fair most of the care information I found on Tokay geckos recommended bioactive enclosures. I read a ton of care sites and watches about every video about them I could find and all the best enclosures from the most experienced sources used bioactive. So that’s why I did it. I’m not a person that’s into “trendy” things. Never been that type of person. Just tried to provide the best environment for the animal with the information I had available to me

I wasn’t speaking about you specifically. If I was I would have used your name, or quoted you.

If you read my posts you’d see I’d written about the trend- there was no need to respond. Save your breath and enjoy your lizard

 

[The Snark]

The recent fascination with bioactive tanks for everything from herps to Ts is odd to me.

This always cracks me up. First years getting sent out across campus to take a census of the common bio-active organisms present. Outside of autoclaves and continuous applications of biocides, there is no such thing as a non bioactive environment. "I want a bio-active terrarium!" Uhhh, let me get this straight, you want an indoor compost bin? Or are you starting a new career in biological warfare? With very few exceptions, everyone already has a bioactive containment. It's called a septic tank or sewer system. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/university-of-arizona-coronavirus_n_5f480505c5b64f17e13a9ac3