Loose substrate

[BeardieDaddio]

Hey guys I’m thinking of going for a loose substrate for my beardies new 4x2x2 tank I need someone with experience with this. He loves to dig so I’m hoping for a more naturalistic approach this time around. I’m want to use a mix of 50/50 organic top soil and play sand with added coco coir. My question is for a clean up crew I would be buying isopods. Will he eat them though? If he does doesn’t this defeat the purpose of having isopods to begin with? What isopods should I buy so he doesn’t eat them? Which are safe to invest in and how often should I have them replaced if I do need to?

Any help is apprechiated. Thank you!

 

[Sadie]

Hey guys I’m thinking of going for a loose substrate for my beardies new 4x2x2 tank I need someone with experience with this. He loves to dig so I’m hoping for a more naturalistic approach this time around. I’m want to use a mix of 50/50 organic top soil and play sand with added coco coir. My question is for a clean up crew I would be buying isopods. Will he eat them though? If he does doesn’t this defeat the purpose of having isopods to begin with? What isopods should I buy so he doesn’t eat them? Which are safe to invest in and how often should I have them replaced if I do need to?

Any help is apprechiated. Thank you!

I have reached out to someone who can help

 

[Sadie]

I have reached out to someone who can help

Here is his response
Loose substrate can be tough to keep clean, so in my opinion it's important to research and implement a good full bioactive enclosure that will be somewhat self sustaining. The topsoil, sand, and cocoa fiber is probably more suitable for a dig box away from the main enclosure so it can be tossed out if it gets pooped in etc. It sounds like in this case, a full bioactive setup is the way to go and kind of what they're looking for anyway. In these setups, the isopods and springtails etc have leaf litter to hide under and burrow in and they establish a colony. Some will get eaten, but overall they will survive and keep the enclosure cleaner. Williamk34 is good at designing these and wrote an article outlining one way to get started with these.
https://www.beardeddragon.org/threads/detailed-guide-for-bioactive-terrariums.248335/

 

[GSieg]

Yes if you are going bioactive your beardie might eat a few of the clean up crew. They wont hurt, and honestly doubt a beardie would decimate their population.

Spring tails and isopods are essential. Also you really want live plants and time to let the enclosure cycle without the added bioload of the beardie. If you want bioactive, do your homework. Its not just dirt, bugs, plants. They are great once you get them going, as clean up is a breeze, but they are quite a bit of work still if you want them to thrive.