# Bioactive Substrate/Clean Up Crew for Gargoyle/Crested Gecko



## DeadLee (Apr 7, 2010)

Hello,

I was wondering if there was a guide for creating a substrate for a crested/gargoyle gecko. I currently just use lino but I am looking for something that I don't have to change.

I am thinking lucky reptile hydro drain then a layer of lucky reptile hydro fleece followed by zoo med eco earth. I was then going to buy some tropical woodlice.

Would this suffice? Any tips or is there a guide out there somewhere?

Thanks


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

DeadLee said:


> Hello,
> 
> I was wondering if there was a guide for creating a substrate for a crested/gargoyle gecko. I currently just use lino but I am looking for something that I don't have to change.
> 
> ...


You've got the basics sorted, but you might want to consider mixing in some orchid bark to loosen up the ecoearth, otherwise it can get a bit soggy. I add leafmould to mine as well, but that tends to make people nervous... :lol2:


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## DeadLee (Apr 7, 2010)

Ron Magpie said:


> You've got the basics sorted, but you might want to consider mixing in some orchid bark to loosen up the ecoearth, otherwise it can get a bit soggy. I add leafmould to mine as well, but that tends to make people nervous... :lol2:


Thanks for the reply I'll do this.


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## jarich (Mar 23, 2012)

DeadLee said:


> Hello,
> 
> I was wondering if there was a guide for creating a substrate for a crested/gargoyle gecko. I currently just use lino but I am looking for something that I don't have to change.
> 
> ...


Wouldnt bother with the reptile branded stuff. Its the same thing for three times the price. Go to your hardware store or your garden shop and youll get the same things at a fraction of the cost. Any garden center clay hydro balls will do, or you can even use gravel. Heres a link for 5 times as much as the lucky reptile brand, and its cheaper:

PLANTIT Clay Pebbles 45L Bag: Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors

Its point is to give the water somewhere to drain to so that the soil doesnt get waterlogged at the bottom. Youll want about an inch or so of that in the bottom. 

Then use some typical weed/plant mesh or even fibreglass screen (like that used in windows) to cover the drainage layer. Here are some links to the same thing (again about a hundred times more of it for a cheaper price than the lucky reptile brand): 

Value Weed Control Fabric 10M × 1M, 0000005346486
Insect Mesh: Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors

Its purpose is to keep the soil from falling down into the drainage layer over time. 

On top of that you can also just use soil from your garden if you know there are no pesticides/herbicides/pollutants in it. Otherwise, you can just buy topsoil from the hardware/garden store, like this: 

Top Soil 25L - Gardening & Maintenance -Gardens - Wickes

If you want to buy a bag of the eco earth to mix with it, that works too. It gives it a bit fluffier feel if you want that. Ive found that just eco earth or other coconut fibre on its own tends to grow fungus easier. As Ron mentioned, its good to put a layer of leaf litter on top as this will aid with the bioactivity of the soil and help keep your soil from drying out too quickly. It also will usually give you some springtails, nematodes, etc to start your cycle with.


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