[Lori P]

In my run-in sheds for the horses and goats, starting early winter, I stop cleaning them out and start to pile new straw on top of the old straw to form what they call a manure mat. The stuff at the bottom starts composting, and heat starts rising. In the dead of winter, when there are by then a couple months worth of layered straw, you can walk in, crouch down and feel the heat rising. The goats looooooooove it.

The first few weeks, there is an ammonia odor and so I use PDZ powder to control the odors. After it really gets composting tho, there is no odor unless you dig far down.

Now, as for doing this in a small space like a reptile tank... I would think the ammonia would be overwhelming. Outside in the run-ins, there is plenty of ventilation. I can't think right now how you would get around the ammonia build up in an enclosed tank.