# General Topics > Plants, Plant Care & Plant Identification >  planting mix

## jossh27

I have coco husk, sphegnum moss  and exxo terra  plantation soil. Is there anything else i should add to this mix to make a ideal planting mix/substrate for my vivarium?  My viv has a false floor and a   waterfall pump,  so drainage and stagnant water shouldn't be a issue.  Also i would like to add a culture of springtails to the substrate to help decompose all the  waste how do i do this?

I know everyone swears by abg mix but im not ordering that stuff from the states and no gardening places around me have a mixture even close to that.

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## bill

Add some peat moss, swap the coco husk for orchid bark and fir bark, a little activated carbon for aquariums, and you have yourself ABG. 

Adding springtails is easy, purchase them, dump them into the tank. Isopods are also essential for this.  :Smile: 


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

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## jossh27

ill try t find the orchid and fir bark but i dunno if i'll be possible since the largest nursery in my area didn't have them.

how will i know if the springtails and isopods are  doing well? and how much of each do i add? do they need a minimal thickness of substrate to  thrive in?  its only a 10 gallon tank  with a waterfall feature

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## bill

Orchid bark can be gotten at walmart, Home Depot or lowe's. Fir bark can be gotten at most pet stores. It's sold as reptibark. I also believe understory enterprises sells pre mixed ABG and they are in Canada. 

The microfauna will reproduce, that's how you know they are doing well. You can add as Ich as you like. The frogs will munch on them from time to time, so you will have to replenish them from time to time. 


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

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