EarthMix
Tropical & Forest
Arcadia Reptile ‘EarthMix’ tropical & forest substrate has been designed by experts to be the ultimate safe and effective ‘Bio-Active ready’ vivarium and terrarium substrate. Containing the perfect blend of organic matter and volcanic rock to ensure the optimal balance of moisture retention and drainage for tropical and forest species. EarthMix supports both natural plant growth and beneficial microfauna for those keepers who wish to keep their animals ‘Bio-Actively’ or ‘Naturalistically’.
- Bio-Active.
- Allows real plant growth.
- Supports Custodians.
- Optimised for Tropical & Forest species.
- All Natural Ingredients.
- Made in Britain.
- Volume: 10L
- Code: RAREM10
EarthMix is a high-quality substrate for reptile and amphibian use that can be used with all tropical & forest species. Arcadia Reptile EarthPro- EarthMix original substrate is ready to use and has been designed to support the addition of live custodians from the very first day of use. EarthMix is a welfare positive substrate crafted to not only allow Naturalism and Bio-Activity, but to also support plant growth, decoration placement and to provide positive enrichment in terms of body movement, digging and even egg placement.
EarthMix has a high natural mineral content via our addition of volcanic rock which is safe to use, this benefits plants and animals and aids natural drainage.
EarthMix is the only choice for those keepers that wish to keep their animals ‘Bio-Actively’ and ‘Naturalistically’.
Key Details
Arcadia Reptile ‘EarthMix’ has been designed by experts to sustain long term ecosystems, when paired with a suitable drainage layer our addition of volcanic rock lessens the risk of stagnation within your systems. Whilst also providing naturally occurring minerals.
EarthMix is a clean, safe to use, mineral-rich, well-draining Bio-Active ready, naturalistic substrate which, unlike some substrates available on the market, has no non-natural particles that could lead to impaction. Having the correct mix ‘ratios’ between ‘Mineral’ and ‘Organics’ helps to support the vital custodian species used in Bio-Active systems.
Arcadia Reptile EarthPro-EarthMix is full of goodness, this means that custodians can be added in from day one and will start to thrive. If you want to further support your custodians, you can use Arcadia Reptile EarthPro-CustodianFuel, our all-natural small batch custodian food.
Arcadia Reptile EarthPro-EarthMix original can be sprayed down regularly for those species requiring a little higher humidity, or you can just limit your misting to one area for species that come from drier environments, as this will create a small area of humidity should your reptile choose.
EarthMix will support natural body movement, allowing the muscles our animals have evolved to use get the resistance they need to stay conditioned and healthy. Ensure you research your animal’s wild habitat to best replicate this within your décor, allowing areas to climb, burrow, swim and walk when appropriate to the species.
Live plants are highly beneficial within our enclosures, they help to maintain humidity, create natural enrichment opportunities, provide shelter and climbable surfaces. EarthMix allows the sustained growth of live plants whilst the plants themselves help to improve drainage and keep your soil, the microbiome and custodians healthy.
See our full range of EarthMix substrates here
| Code | Volume | Barcode |
|---|---|---|
| RAREM10 | 10L | 5018296999613 |
Bio-Active is the term used to describe a live ecosystem. These systems have become extremely popular over the last few years and for good reason. Bio-Active systems not only look better to the keeper, but they provide enrichment, essential vitamin, mineral and gutflora benefits to the live occupants of the vivaria.
Bio-Active systems will usually be live-planted, and these plants will need food, water, airflow and light to flourish. Using the Arcadia Jungle Dawn LED plant growth system will greatly increase light levels and PAR inside of your system and encourage plant growth.
A ‘clean-up crew’ of microfauna can be easily bought and added to the EarthMix. These small inverts will not only help to keep the soil turned and aerated, but they will convert animal waste back into accessible plant food. We suggest that 3 tubs of springtails are added to a 2-4 inches wide system on day one and one pot added per month after that. Larger custodians such as Isopods, Millipedes and Worms should be researched per species with many options available to suit all forms of habitat.
Arcadia Reptile EarthMix has been tested extensively for safety, in fact it provides essential full spectrum vitamins and minerals to reptiles if ingested in small amounts, as happens in the wild (natural geophagy). We must, however, look to the wild environments of the animals that we keep. If we provide heat and light including UVB to the wild level as part of the light and shade method, factor in good naturalism and variety feeding, making small but positive changes to our care can have much larger impacts to positive animal welfare.
Sick or very old animals should not be kept in these systems without the advice of a vet first.
Find out more about our range and the D3 cycle on our educational video page.
This product has been designed as a substrate for animal use and does not contain fertilizers, nor is it sold as a fertilised soil.