Revealing My Failed Bioactive Leopard Gecko Vivarium Build

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A few years ago we made the best bioactive lizard setup on USmuchs. I mean that was the goal, at least. In reality my architectural and design skills were exposed as nonexistent when I tried making one enclosure into two, building a DIY sand mat and more bad decisions resulting in this instead. Today I talk about what not to do when building reptile terrariums!

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Comments

GoHerping
4 months ago
If you've been watching for a while and remember seeing a blurred enclosure in the background of videos... yeah it was this. Anyway check out the vivariums I think actually turned out alright here! usmuchs.info/net/PLIXZgmnvg0nCpdPBCQYn96AC5ceE9FYJQ.html
Georgia Smith
4 months ago
Do a video rescuing this one. Tear out the foam
Hans Gutierrez
4 months ago
Alot of your problems seem to revolve around finding place to throw things out, may i suggest renting out a small dumpster. :)
Dr Bondoc
4 months ago
Wsp
Dr Bondoc
4 months ago
Yoo
usernamedaniedmrg
4 months ago
Post it on some reptile pages It's still salvageable You only need determination and a glass razor Heck, I'd be happy to have this tank if I was anywhere near 🤣🤣 I've salvaged a tank with a full bottle of silicone exploded in the bottom of it 🤣
kick sy
3 days ago
I had a tank I did this in that I wanted to strip down and redo as well. If you cut out as much foam as possible and let the rest of the foam residue soak in lacqure thinner (use outside or with lots of ventilation) then scrape off with a razor blade it should come off and leavr clean glass. Obvi you should wash well with soap and water afterwards.
Alexzandria's Prehistoric blog
9 days ago
Eh, I'd buy it
down2two Liketoknow
18 days ago
I love GoHerping and appreciate the humility shown in this video. We learn more from our mistakes than we do from what we do correctly. I am a patreon backer of GoHerping and have learned so much from GoHerping. But I have to give a shout out to Clint's Reptile's channel's video DIY WATERFALL PALUDARIUM For MYSTERY PET From Josh's Frogs! Wow. Talk about step by step detailed instructions to make your own amazing habitat. Wow.
Grant Smittkamp
20 days ago
I think someone else built this, left and your operation, and you have no idea how to fix it because it involves building something with your hands.
Jason Kinnear
25 days ago
You can just scrape / sand off all that foam and sand stuff and they you will have a clean empty tank again.
hexaitine
Month ago
is this a particular type of leo morph, or is it just a wild-type? I like that there is relatively dense spotting, but the yellow underneath is still vibrant and not pale. the face is especially pretty
Ksane
Month ago
Aaww! I hate it when that happens 😑 When it looks SO GOOD in my head and so NOT in reality. Been there done that many times.
Dizzying Days
Month ago
I started making bioactive vivariums and it's fairly easy to tear it apart and restart or sell it taken apart. 🤷
MrJkfixe
2 months ago
even if that terrarium was well made, it would have terrible husbandry and would be a terrible habitat... Not bioactive, just a small tank with dirt and bugs
Willard Culver
3 months ago
How do I divide my gecko tank properly. Ive tried with plexiglass and they get thru a gap on the top. Even tho the gap is tiny
Necrodead
3 months ago
Foam weak, Alex STRONG! you can do eeet!!!!
Mega3P1Kness
3 months ago
for real lol why not just clean it out. its just foam, can't be that difficult
Xeriscap
3 months ago
This is so badd whyyyy
Sans Vertigo
3 months ago
This is a mood. I have 6 small failed setups like this for invertebrates. They are just taking up so much space- and I probably should totally get rid of them/redo them.
SumDude
3 months ago
Jesus loves u which is why he suffered and died for ur sins so pls give him a try and u will see y i choose Jesus.
Maxamillian Macey
3 months ago
I thought the employee was his girlfriend
Logan Pittman
3 months ago
Now that's what I call a fucking fail................
Nirvanaquatics
4 months ago
This is giving me flashbacks to my fiberglass 200 gallon aquarium that leaked. I never fixed it. It's still in my parent's garage 😬 whoops.
PLAY
4 months ago
Well that was a complete disaster 👀
MaybeYourMom
4 months ago
I wish i had money to build terariums i got so many ideas but supplies are expensive at pet supplies stores, ive found a few good findings at goodwills
steptoe gaming
4 months ago
Please guys, do your own research for what ever reptile you want. Google is not always best but there are some facebook group's that know what they are talking about (again some) I use over head heating my leo is more active and brighter coloured now. She has uvb now and diffrent bugs rarther that just hoppers also supplements too. Please do your own research and dont take everything you see or hear as gospel there are many ways to look after them but some are old and out of date as some are new and had research done about them recently 😁
Greg Williams
4 months ago
You could probably carefully clean all that stuff out of the terrarium and use it as a normal enclosure for a lizard or snake. I wouldn’t throw it away with out trying to fix it first.
Anna Springs
4 months ago
Just take a blade to it and clean it out. Or smash it while its in a plastic tub for easy disposal of the body
Potato tomatoes
4 months ago
Unpopular opinion: Leopard Geckos need a 40gal to themselves & Ball pythons need larger than 40gal :/
CJ films
4 months ago
I 100% agree with this, balls pythons i recommend a 75gal or even maybe a 120gal
Zoe Gomez
4 months ago
wouldn't it be too small for 2 geckos??? I keep my single gecko in a 3ft tank
izzy malenfant
4 months ago
"i touched it it has to be five stars"
maskedangel
4 months ago
Love your videos ! Learnt so much from them and inspired a first gecko :)
maskedangel
4 months ago
Use Egg crates and do the background removable :) just discovered this new game changer
Ivan Martinez
4 months ago
U have reached level 125653146798654347 of cringe
The BrownMusician
4 months ago
I got a leopard gecko about 4 years ago, hes in a 20 gal long tank, but about a 1 yr and half ago, my cat fell through the screen top and my gecko dropped his tail. I took him out into a smaller 10 gal temporary tank and cleaned his tail, and did everything recommended. But it's been over a year now and it never grew back it jus healed over into a ball shape, is that normal will that affect his life? Hes my first ever reptile and I'm doing my best, but I'm worried about his tail affecting him in a negative way, (it's like literally just a ball shaped hump where his tail should be
David Hazlewood
4 months ago
Its fixable my guy. By the way I ve followed ya for awhile much respect peace and vibes.
Drugzneveronmondays
4 months ago
1.) You can still save this! Tear down the silicon sand layer with cheap box opener blades, than you can add a proper grout layer, sprinkle it with sand and after that use transparent acrylic paint in can to cover it. You will be able to clean it. 2.) Also If you want plants, I recommend grasses which grow high. Let them grow a couple weeks before you introduce the animal to b sturdy enough to survive the trampling. 3.) I could introduce succulents in little glass container such as bulbs to protect them from the animals. They not even look bad. 4.) If you go bioactive in an arid terrarium, use barks. Not bark chip, but big thick chunks. The cleaning crew love them and if you keep slightly moist under the bark they will thrive. Rocks are good too to keep a moist area where isopods can live, but the bark is also edible for them. Leaf litter is also amazing, but for me it just not fit in the arid theme. Maybe you can put some under the rocks and barks to provide extra snack.
Aqua City
4 months ago
Omg bro go look at my recent vid I just failed to
Mako Fetty
4 months ago
Bro cut yo hair😭 nice vid tho
Rynn21
4 months ago
One word: OfferUp Sell that cage lol
Cloud Lad
4 months ago
I have that Tank for my cresty
Jerald Allen
4 months ago
Lmfao 😂 “ I touched it, its 5 stars.”
Sunny
4 months ago
That project was gonna doomed from the start, why would you even think of that.
Coocher Moocher
4 months ago
Hey. Would you get a white's tree from in teh future? Why/why not
Ace Moncrief
4 months ago
This is way too small for an adult leo! That looks to be about the size of a 40 breeder- meaning each section is 18x18x18 when divided. That's a little above the size of a 15, and because it's a cube there's no way to get a proper temp gradient.
Sunny
4 months ago
Fr, why would he even think of such a horrible idea.
Sage Aleese
4 months ago
I’ve redone foam projects before... all you need is a razor blade and vinegar. It’ll scrape right off dude.
Spirals
4 months ago
I fit 4 car tires for my mustang in my Tesla model 3 don’t be a little girl! Lol
GoHerping
4 months ago
it's not about volume, it's about the size of the doors lol
J K
4 months ago
herpes
Dread North
4 months ago
TRY AGAIN!
Tink smith
4 months ago
There is a nack to doing enclosures and this maybe just didn’t get the nack. Rip it all out and make something else. Tanks are expensive!
Fluffy Jellyfish
4 months ago
Is this not too small for a leopard gecko when split up like this? Also, seems a bit of a shame to waste an exoterra! Could you not clean out all the foam and re-use the enclosure?
Fluffy Jellyfish
4 months ago
@Halo DP if he is going to through it out anyway, I feel like it's worth a try!
Halo DP
4 months ago
You would risk scratching or cracking the glass
Charly Smith
4 months ago
Just break it all out and re do the build 😂
Axel J
4 months ago
Do you have kerbside pickups in the US? If so, just dump it outside when it's on or even not when it's on and someone would probably pick it up.
Miah
4 months ago
you didnt waste anything tho you can literally just rip the spray foam out especially since it isnt attached to the whole side of the tank
amanda cabrera
4 months ago
After seeing the foam insulation.... please tell me that is animal safe!
Nicole Inglis
4 months ago
Why would you think that'd be enough space for them anyway?... That's only just suitable for one without being split in half.
Samahrei of Eon
4 months ago
GoHerping: Makes this enclosure SerpaDesign: *and I took that personally*
Internet harassment with Jake
4 months ago
Welcome back to expanding foam asmr episode 2573
Wilson Searles
4 months ago
You can cut the foam off of the class very easily with a knife and a razor blade. No need to waste a large tank like that
Bridget Jennison
4 months ago
Your failed bioactive enclosure sets off my tropophobia. It literally makes me feel sick lol.
Piper Vinden
4 months ago
Honestly fail aside it's a really educational video for people starting to build these it's always better to learn from others then making the mistake yourself
DIGISKETCH
4 months ago
Love the videos man, and all the progress you've made and are making is awesome! Can't wait to see more videos!
CHloE748
4 months ago
This is totally salvageable. You can tear down the barrier or not, but you could def get off most of the foam and redo it.
Mack Gilb
4 months ago
Yo those tiny for a Leo
Mike Cray
4 months ago
Honestly, If I lived near by I'd take it and attempt to repurpose it as much as possible. ^_^
Ryder Reptile
4 months ago
That’s way way way way way to small.
Emma O'Brien
4 months ago
Somebody needs some assistance from LGAH. SMH.
Listerlives
4 months ago
I don't understand the cleaning complaint. You don't clean the substrate on a bioactive setup. That's the whole point of going bio, it's self sustaining. If you have to clean out poop and stuff then it's not a bio. I've had bios setup for years with snakes, lizards, etc. I never clean out substrate, the multitude of isopods and springtails do that for me.
RogueDragon343
4 months ago
I hated the bottom third of a tank I did and razored it and it was as clean as when I started. Foam doesn't seem to stick like silicone which leaves a mess
Kirimi Tavi
4 months ago
I mean >_> if it’s still foam that hasn’t been covered with anything yet, or even if it has, if it’s thin enough you can still cut away the foam and use a razor blade to clean off the sides. I had to do that to one of my larger project enclosures, redid it and it looks better now than what I had before. Alternatively you could try to just carve out part of the divider and plug up any openings you don’t want with more foam (those pockets you can’t clean easily), do minor cover work and make it into one large Leo enclosure.
Kirimi Tavi
4 months ago
Gonna just...Throw my enclosures at the Twitter page. 👍🏻 Snakes included.
Kirimi Tavi
4 months ago
Gonna note that the one I redid completely was a 75gal, the others I’ve done (and sold) have been 20longs and 40Br setups. Have another 40Br I wanna work on and May do something similar to this design, but make a removable lid in the ‘divider’ and make it a nice hide area that’s got an entrance on either side, and open space below so that the floor space isn’t as cramped
Jesse Bonilla
4 months ago
Can we get a Stan cam please
Holly Carfley
4 months ago
I know you said to cut your losses... BUT this could be really cool. It just needs some tweaking- which is okay! Please renovate it to be usable! 😄
Rolando Tokes
4 months ago
I suggest you look up circle design and follow his more comprehensive foam background videos I think that the cutting the excess off was a big waste of time you could have let it dry for about 10-15 minutes and then pushed it down to your liking on how you want to scape and terrain the area
Melody Ayame
4 months ago
i would take the enclosure if you was still selling it
Francisco Torres
4 months ago
I have a question, do leds in your room the ones people are using as decoration do they anyways harm a ball python
rdoyle225
4 months ago
You can take out the foam ot comes out easy off glass.
Layla Atkinson
4 months ago
WOW!!! Now make a video on you trying to fix it :)
theforgetmenot25
4 months ago
Gemmmieeeee i make enclosures and could easily salvage this!
Adriel Phoenix
4 months ago
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Miyuki Wynter
4 months ago
Honestly I think it would have been too small... Just use the whole tank for one I think leopard geckos should be kept in a 40 breeder size anyway since they're pretty active little things.
Jeff King
4 months ago
You can totally re-use that ExoTerra. It wouldn't take too long to break and scrape the foam out of there.
Molly Hope
4 months ago
call the craiglist guy to take it away 🤣
MrsGarks
4 months ago
Fren, a sledge hammer, safety glasses, a broom and dust pan will solve this problem. You can get fancier and put down a plastic shower curtain.
TorQueSS J
4 months ago
Lol use a glass cleaning razor to scrape off the foam and reuse it, silly guy, lol, hey, you never know if ya never try eh? I tried building my own desert fixtures for my beardies enclosure (same exoterra you have actually) but they bombed, the spray on concrete excreted an oil I wouldn’t put near my baby.... scraped it!
Fexx Karp
4 months ago
Ya could make it even more of a "realistic" looking environment and make or buy fake reptiles and turn it in to a environment art piece Maybe add some tiny 💀 trees next to the water etc etc
Jacob Denne
4 months ago
i need a encosure but i dont think you want to give it to me
Yukii301
4 months ago
It would have been absolutely tiny for each gecko anyway, personally I think that whole tank should be the minimum for one gecko, I cant imagine keeping them in anything smaller, geckos need a 3ft imo
MysticMysder
4 months ago
Loads of great comments on getting the foam off! Try again, and maybe use paint instead of sand and make it look like rocks? or even use the backdrops that come ready with rocks. You can do it!
J B
4 months ago
Where was SerpaDesign when you made this, oh man. It would have been so awesome had you some more ideas on executing each step. Don't beat yourself up too much, it was a learning experience!
void puppy
4 months ago
The first step is admitting you're wrong. I'd tear it all out tho. Just needs some time with a sharp knife n a razor blade
Mr Tortoise
4 months ago
Why make bio active tank when you can just use calcium sand... calcium sand best substrate
Sunny
4 months ago
No
Luke Viviano
4 months ago
Im trying to get a bearded dragon but my parents don't want to because my mom hates bugs and once one of the persons at the store told her they liked dubia roaches she freaked and my dad thinks the 75 gallon is a waist of money and he doesn't like lizards.
Yukii301
4 months ago
Please please please wait until you move out and are older. Bearded dragons can live for over 20 years and circumstances can change! You're parents will also have control whether your beardie will go to the vet or not etc or can force you to rehome which isnt fair on the animal. I got alot of animals at 17 and regretted it massively. Trust me, wait until your older!
fallen robin chase
4 months ago
I'm actually building a giant 17ft Panther out of spray foam and chicken wire. Im starting to sell ball python hides, out of the Great Stuff too, i absolutely love the stuff. 💞
Carol C
4 months ago
The box turtle cage is beautiful
HighOnTacos
4 months ago
You need to get on AntsCanada level.
Ashley Tilke
4 months ago
he's got that Jenna Marbles too-much gene
B
4 months ago
My heart hurts that you didn't sell it, omg, lol.
Snowball րհilօძεղძɾօղ
4 months ago
That will come off rather easily.
Rosie
4 months ago
Legitimately the worst thing I've ever seen. lmao
Future Under Improvisation
4 months ago
Make a video improving that same enclosure and making it actually useful please
robbin melton
4 months ago
If a Craigslist person called you to get the other enclosure, I’m not understanding why you didn’t call him back to offer this enclosure to him later.
Suzanne Kobela
4 months ago
You can easily scrape off foam with razors and I am sure there are solvents out there to help get off the rest of which doesn't come off. Would be a waste to toss such a big terrarium.
Carrie Seymour
4 months ago
"It won't fit in my car" What is wrong with your car for that to be the case? That's absurd. I routinely fit larger things than that in the boot (USAlien: trunk) of my little car without breaking a sweat. If I fold the back seats down, I can comfortably fit at least three things larger than that in without blocking my view out the rear window. If you genuinely can't fit that in your car, that is a shockingly poor advertisement for the car that you're so proud of.
Dylan Mccoy
4 months ago
Just cut the foam off if you can carve it you can cut it off and get a putty knife or razor scraper and get excess off it really wouldn't be to hard