Quote Originally Posted by buggerdtp View Post
Hi everyone! I'm completely new to terrarium building but it looks like a lot of fun so I took the plunge and bought a 20h Tetra tank from Petco today. Ultimately, I'd like to house two Dendrobates tinctorius (Cobalts if possible) in a living terrarium.

I'm going to start work on a false bottom for the tank, probably going with the egg crate option. I'd like to have one or two holes to drain the terrarium when water levels get too high (I was planning on putting the holes approx. 1 inch above the bottom of the tank ie. there would be up to 1 inch of standing water in the bottom). Therefore, the holes would be on the back of the tank. Is the 20h Tetra safe to drill on the back or is it tempered glass? Is this too much standing water, or not enough?

I do not plan to have any standing water or waterfalls as a feature in my terrarium, besides a water dish for the frogs. But I still assume I need a way to drain excess water out of the bottom of the tank from misting.

I'll have plenty more questions when I really get going on this, but the drainage would be a good place to start.

Cheers and thanks!
Dave
It's safe to drill the back. Normally, only the larger tanks have tempered glass and only on the bottom.

The amount of standing water is up to you. You can drain it directly out if you so choose and have no standing water. Many people do that.

If you don't want to drill the tank, a simple airline running to the bottom of the tank will suffice to siphon water out of the bottom as well.