ok, sorry, now i can wrap my brain around it. i just checked that feather lite out. ehhh....i think if i was gonna go that route, i would just smash up some lava rock. lol $4 for a 40lb bag of lava rock versus $12 + shipping for pumice? you don't have to go by me, go with what you are comfortable using and Black Jungle is an excellent place.

a false bottom is not necessary to make a water feature, but it does make it easier. i recommend you start easy, no water feature. why complicate things right off the bat? there's plenty of time in life for other builds

oh, and get isopods as well. springtails are great, but tiny, the more cleaners you have, the less you will eventually have to do.

changing water in the setup you have planned is easy. get yourself a length of 1/2" pvc pipe, about as long as the tank is high. this is going to hold your drainage tube. what i have done in the past at this point, is drilled some holes at the base of the pvc pipe, about as high as your planned water level, then silicone some fiberglass screen around that section. that keeps the holes from clogging. others do it differently. insert a piece of aquarium airline tubing down the hole and you can now siphon the water from the tank. btw, mount the pvc in the back corner of the tank. it can be hidden by plants. i hope that makes sense.

and thank you for the kind words Joleen, i really appreciate it