Self Sustaining Vivarium?

[HerpDerp]

I've been doing a lot of research lately on different vivarium set ups for a white's tree frog. I started doing a little bit of reading on a self sustaining set up and would like to get some first hand knowledge before I decide if that's what I want to do. I currently have a temporary set up. It's a 10 gallon tank that will be used as a quarantine tank when I get a new frog and terrarium.

So the plan is to get an exo-terra 18x18x24. I know a lot of people here make false bottoms, but is that completely necessary to do a self sustaining vivarium? I was considering using hydroballs with a barrier and then coco fiber. From what I understand, excess water is drained from the substrate and into the bottom with the hydroballs. Does this need to be siphoned or would a UTH sufficiently evaporate the water?

So if I did something like that I would want to put real plants right into the substrate instead of into pots. So how often does substrate need to be changed in a self sustaining vivarium? I would plan on using cleaner insects such as spring tails. That aspect of the set up is what intrigues me most. Creating a whole eco system would be way cool. Would a UV bulb be necessary for this type of set up?

Any other important info or suggestions would be appreciated. I'm pretty excited to do something like this. It should also be noted that I only work part time so I don't have a ton of money to spend on this so cheaper is better