I have had multiple species of reptiles and am looking to get a pair of Ackies in the near future. I will have an 8X4X4 PVC enclosure for them.the substrate is going to be roughly 2 feet deep, and I was wondering about they best way to fill this without costing a fortune. I know I have seen mixing organic potting soil and play sand 70/30. I was wondering if I could use compost instead of the potting soil or at least a portion of it. Any recommendations on a could substrate is greatly appreciated.
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Welcome to the forum @cta16! Excited to hear about your plans! I’m tagging Logan @logar to help you with this project. He is quite an expert on different substrates and how to combine what goes in the substrates!
Stick around and remember we all love reptile pictures!!! 
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Where is the compost from? Do you plan on going bio active for it? Also what was used to make the compost? If you do go bio, I would recommend a 50% topsoil (or compost depending on the previous answers), 25% play sand, 15% excavator clay, and 10% cypress mulch. This is just for a base recipe and would recommend mixing in an additional 15-25% extra into the base mix. i would recomend bio as the amount of substrate that is required is a ton, making it so even if you do use compost, it will still be expensive. also, ackies create elaborate tunnels throughout the substrate which would be very disturbing and could cause stress. plus it will save you time and money. I would use Giant cannon isopods or powder blue/orange isopods along with arid springtails. it will also mean that you will only have to spot clean without ever having to do substrate changes. If you have any more questions just ask!
Edit: I would also recommend using mealworms, superworms, and dubia roaches as a clean up crew alongside the isopods
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Thanks for the information. The compost would be from a local Amish farm that is all about doing things naturally, and I don’t believe he uses any chemicals but would verify that before getting any. I am not sure what was in. I did plan on going bio, and was wondering species of isopods. Around how many isopods and springtails would you think would be necessary for an enclosure this size?
How does using the others in a bio enclosure work I have seen very little about using them?
I have seen varying information what temperatures would you recommend for basking and ambient temperature of the enclosure? Also what humidity do you recommend?
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I have never heard of the mentioned above critters being used as part of a clean up crew? Interesting…….
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depends on how long you are willing to wait. I would personally go for one of the powdered isopods as they are a little smaller and reproduce faster. I would go for at least 250 but if you can get more than that is preferable and let them reproduce for at least 3 months. for the springtails, get as much as you can. The others do a similar job as the isopods, BUT it adds more efficiency to the enclosure as they all have different preferences for what they go after first. They also helps simulate a more natural environment (which in turn acts as a wonderful source of enrichment) as the dubias, mealworms, and superworms will pop up randomly making them have to hunt without being on a perfectly set schedule. Still feed them regularly but in smaller amounts.
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Thanks, I am going to a few reptile expos and looking to get isopods at them possibly. Besides any chemicals is there anything you would watch out for in compost?
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I would watch out for anything acidic such as lemons as it could mess up the acidity of the soil, any soft wood (pine, cedar, etc), anything toxic to reptiles (certain plants, food, etc).
Sorry I didn’t read the last part of your post.
I would go with a basking of 160-170, a warm side ambient of 90-95, and a cool side ambient of 75-80. For younger ones, shoot for a 140 degree basking spot with the ambients being the same.
For humidity I would shoot for around 20-40% during the day and around 30-45% at night. Remember, for ackies, lower humidity is fine. if you have 20% all the time, that isn’t a big deal. However, the substrate moisture is what is important. At the deepest parts of the substrate (around the 18-24 inch mark) the burrows down there should be at around 80% if not higher.
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A thick compost layer will also create heat while it’s breaking down.
I would avoid it.
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Very good point. I completely forgot about that.
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In these there’s bits about the enclosure we made! X
After looking at some setups would it be okay if the whole substrate was not 2 foot deep in the whole enclosure. Could I make it deep on one end and slope down to less substrate on the other end? Also all the compost I would use would have already gone through a heat.
@logar @ghoulishcresties
And thank you for all of the information you have given me.
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sorry I didn’t reply to this earlier. I was in the middle of class and had to do something and my annoying ADHD brain distracted me from doing either of those lol. but anywho, my opinion is that you should make it as deep as possible. even though it will be more expensive it will be worth it in the long run. so to answer your question simply, no you don’t have to, but I would 100% recommend it as it will lead to healthier, happier, and more enjoyable animals in the long run.
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Now Logan, you listen to “Aunt” Caron! When you are in class you should concentrate on your studies at hand and turn off your phone! 
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well technically I am doing it on my school computer during class lol. I am a straight A student though so…
And plus I could be doing a lot worse things. But yes, I do need to cut back on the outrageous amount of time I spend here while in class. 
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Well somehow I am not surprised about the straight A’s! It’s very apparent! Keep it up Logan! 
I would do whole bottom. They burrow throughout and love it. X
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Thank you for all the help before. My cage is here and I am looking for ideas of what to put in it. Obviously I am looking to get some wood and cork bark. I was interested in planting it. What plants have you had work well. I have seen kangaroo paw, sansievera, and aloe. Is there any grass I can plant?
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So one plant that I love and should work great is ponytail bush. Other plants that should work are leatherleaf sedge and other arid sedges, snake plant, French staghorn fern, and spineless prickly pear should all work well. Just remember that you should let them grow in for at least a few months so they can establish their root system. Without waiting, the Ackies will most likely dig them up very quickly. If you want some inspiration, here is a set up that should work well, it will just need scaled up.
Edit: just saw that you already had mentioned snake plant 
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Thanks for the info. Prickly pear will be good I can feed it to my tortoise, if it grows. I have only been able to find ponytail palm when searching ponytail bush. Are they the same?
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