how many quarts of substrate do I need for a forty gallon tank?
What species are you planning on putting in it and what are the dimensions of your tank?
1 Like
a Leo and its a standard 40 gallon breeder
Leopard geckos shouldn’t be kept on substrate. The substrate can be very harmful to them and when they eat it, it can could impaction and be fatal and/or require thousands of dollars in vet bills. The ideal substrate for leopard geckos would be paper towels or slate tile.
I apologize for not answering your question, but I hope you understand that keeping a leopard gecko on substrate is very dangerous for them. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
1 Like
I agree with @erie-herps tile or paper towel is best. I’ve also used cut down sheets of felt as well for color fun with large flat stones to help hold it down but be careful about toes! It needs to be well pressed and not have little strings sticking up to get toes stuck.
If you are planning to try a substrate with leopard geckos, the only one that I have personally used and not had an issue with except for one male, is dry reptidirt/coco fiber. They hate the taste of it.
That said … You don’t want a lot. They don’t need high humidity so a thin layer is fine. Too much can retain humidity.
You will also need to monitor your gecko CONSTANTLY for the first few weeks. If there are any signs your gecko is ingesting any they should be removed immediately. I also highly recommend feeding crickets on tongs and all other feeder insects in bowls they cannot escape from if not tong feeding.
1 Like
I was planing on making a bioactive vivarium, I read that that could be done but if not i won’t do it.
also I have another spare 40 gallon breeder that I want to us for my juvenile ball python for a year or 2, how many quarts of substrate would I need for that? also, if I made I bioactive for my Leo would that be ok?
For a bio active setup you’d need a drainage layer then a thin piece of mesh on top of the drainage layer then add your substrate mix which normally consists of mixed substrates such as soil and sphagnum moss. You then will need a cleanup crew such as isopods. They will be fundamental to your bio setup. Really keeps things clean. You can also add natural plants but nothing that can or will be harmful to your leo. You could add a misting system on a timer or mist when needed. You’ll also need a source of heat for your leo on top of all of this but you don’t want it to humid because leos are naturally from a dry and warm area. Your heat needs to stay a steady 75-85 degrees sometimes 90 degrees but with the heat source absorbing the water it can get very humid and be super harmful to your leos health. I would recommend staying away from a bio setup for a leo. I personally use slate stone, paper towel, warm hide and cool hide and a water source along with a uvb/heat lamp combo and have it set to 80-85 degrees on the warm side and for the cool side low 70’s. This would be the best and safest setup for you leo.
2 Likes
I currently use a 40 gallon for my Leo with a simple easy to clean setup.
1 Like
A lot of people keep their leos in a bio enclosure, but it places your gecko in an unsafe and unnecessarily dangerous environment. A lot of people have done it, and there are lots of reported problems with that setup, and even more unreported problems. If you really want to have a bio leopard gecko enclosure, you should wait until you have more experience keeping geckos so you could quickly identify a problem if there was one.
For a ball python, I’m assuming the enclosure has a footprint of 36" x 18". If you use a 3" substrate depth, you need 34 quarts of substrate.
2 Likes
I’d recommend watching Adam from Wickens Wicked Reptiles on YouTube. Should help with some if not all of your leo questions.
1 Like
ya I do watch him I was just interested in making a vivarium for a Leo but I think I won’t now
2 Likes