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Creating a bioactive enclosure
 is becoming more common in the exotic pet

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keeping community, first, starting with
 dart frog keepers in the early 80s

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and spreading through to other aspects
 of exotic animal keeping.

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in the early 2010s.
 We now see a wide variety

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of bioactive enclosures
 for a wide variety of taxa.

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So what is bioactivity? 
Put simply, bioactivity is the art of

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keeping a self-contained ecosystem
 in an enclosure.

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And this video, I'll walk you through the
 steps of creating a bioactive enclosure.

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The first step is to select the animal
 and the enclosure that's appropriate.

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Once both the animal and 
enclosure have been selected.

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you need to clean the enclosure
 first, using animal safe disinfectants.

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This is to ensure that the animal
 is not affected by any pathogens

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that may be already lurking
 in the accommodation.

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Always start from the substrate up.  Substrates will 
play an important role within the enclosure.

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The substrate is responsible for aiding
 in the regulation of the humidity.

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It provides a safe place for fungi, 
help for bacteria, custodians and plants.

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Start by placing the drainage layer
 at the bottom of the enclosure.

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This will aid in keeping  the substrate moist
 and prevent it from becoming waterlogged.

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The substrate divider is placed on top. 
This prevents a substrate 

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from falling into the drainage layer
 and the water from becoming stagnant

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and leading to harmful bacteria
 or a fungal build up

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the substrate is then introduced. It is 
always best to use a mixture of substrates.

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This is because this adds definition to your substrate, 
making it look more natural. 

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Some substrates are also higher in minerals, 
which will aid in the plant growth 

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When all the substrate is added, bark, logs 
and rocks should now be placed.

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This will give the enclosure
 a unique look and will also give refuge

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to your custodian's
 and the animal living in the enclosure.

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Now it's time to add the plants. 

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Using the correct plants will have
 a big impact on your planted enclosure.

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The typical rule of thumb
 is to use a background filler plant

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These plants are typically large
 and have broad leaves.

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These offer the perfect cover
 for the enclosures inhabitants.

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Other great plants to use are creepers
 such as this creeping fig.

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This can be attached to just 

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about any surface in the enclosure
 when it takes a hold.

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Other plants, such
 as bromeliads, can be placed

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and attached to pieces of wood or bark.

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This is because they are Epiphytic. 

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Some bromeliads species are a great way
 for animals to collect

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water from, and even in some cases, aid
 in the reproduction

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of the animals, such as dart frogs.

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Now it's time to add
 the finishing touches.

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using leaf litter spread across the bottom
 of the floor of the enclosure.

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This will aid in the regulation of humidity.

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And again, give refuge to the custodians
 that will be living within the enclosure.

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Once the leaf litter has been added, 
it is now time to add the custodians. 

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Use multiple different species of isopod,
such as spring tales, wood lice and worms. 

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Worms can also be added to the substrate.

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This will fertilize the plants
 and keep the soil moving,

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preventing it from becoming stagnant. 

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Now, the enclosure has been fully planted.

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It is now time to add the appropriate
 heating and lighting for our species.

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I will be covering this in a later video.

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Once we've done this, we can now add the
 animal into the enclosure.