Reusing substrate from old terrariums

In the past years, I've been making terrariums of different sizes for different projects.

Here is one of my first terrariums.

Some terrariums I have already made videos about and many more are still in process.

Here is the most recent a very small terrarium with Springtails.

And I have a 30 gallon paludarium.

Which is a combination of aquarium with terrarium.

My aquatic pets, fish and newts enjoy feeding on terrestrial critters living on the land part.

Feeding my aquatic pets is the reason I get into terrariums.

Here you can see Isopods.

 And there are Springtails, worms, and land snails lurking in the green land part of this paludarium.

Isopods and Springtails are the most popular cleaning crew for bioactive terrariums in the hobby.

They feed on dead organic matter we don't want to see in terrariums and they breed proficiently.

There are many varieties of isopods and springtails to choose from.

I culture isopods and springtails that do great in high humidity environments. 

And again, feeding live food to my newts and fish is the main reason I start with terrariums.

In my sustaining paludarium everything works as it does in Nature.

Here is an example.

A terrestrial isopod fell in the water.

A couple month old isopod is already too big for my toothless fish.

Ha-ha. One of my newts hit and miss the isopod.

It's funny to watch the isopod crawling all over the newt.

My Eastern newts eat only live food.

This type of isopods stay alive under water for about 10 minutes.

That's enough time for newts to find and eat isopods.

I've been culturing live food in large quantities for feeding my newts and fish.

Here you can see my worm farm assembled in a stock of 16oz plastic containers.

Please check my previously published videos for details about culturing worms, isopods, springtails and many other critters.

Every container shown here is a very basic terrarium.

Not a terrarium for display, but a very effective terrarium for culturing live food.

Terrariums with worms more commonly known as composting bins.

Using worms to produce compost is very common practice among gardeners and farmers.

Compost is the best natural organic fertilizer.

I culture worms for feeding them to my fish and newts.

And I use compost for my houseplants.

I culture isopods also in 16oz plastic containers stacked on top of each other.

And I reuse parts of old terrariums for setting up new terrariums as needed.

In this example I am transferring isopods with tree barks and leaves to another container.

Slices of vegetables that I feed to my isopods look good - transfer them too.

The bottom part of the old terrarium is covered with waste produced by isopods.

The waste is mixed with remains of leaves, bark and whatever other detritus.

And there are dozens of different size isopods.

Catching those isopods one by one is not practical.

There is an easier way to catch many isopods in one move.

Isopods and many other critters for that matter, love damp tree bark.

So, let's moist some tree bark and put it in the container.

Cover the container and let it sit overnight.

Isopods always gather under the tree bark they feed on.

Pick the tree bark and brush off isopods to another container.

Moist the tree bark and place it back to catch more isopods the next day.

Repeat it all until you transfer all isopods.

I collect waste from 6 months and older isopods cultures in this way.

Store all waste in one container with tree bark on the top for picking isopods and springtails.

All this waste is basically organic fertilizer - the same as compost produced by worms.

Earthworms and red wigglers are superior in compost production for sure.

Nevertheless, my isopod farm of 3 dozen cultures yields a noticeable amount of compost every season.

 All this waste/ compost is ready to be used for fertilizing houseplants as it is at any moment.

Plants benefit greatly from isopods an springtails you can see here.

Though, you can sterilize the waste by heating it in a microwave for 3-5 minutes.

The heat kills all critters hidden in the waste.

Let it cool and store it in a cold dry place.

And when time comes you will have home produced organic fertilizer for your house plants.

That is how I use and reuse everything from my terrariums.

100% - including the waste.

And for the record - there is no bad odor at all.

I keep my isopod and worm cultures in the living room on the shelf under aquariums.

You are welcome to check my other videos for more details.

Have fun and happy terrariums :)