Substrate questions. Need a little advice.

[Bnagy]

So I am building a 36x18x36 WTF enclosure. I will most likely not have a waterfall, but maybe a mister or a fogger. I will have a planted enclosure, I want to do a natural substrate that will not smell. I have ordered some hydroballs for the drainage layer. I plan on using the hydroballs, then weed block, then coco fiber and finally magnolia leaves. I want to make sure that I am not making a mistake with the substrate. If all of that is right, how much water should I put in the hydroballs first? How about cleaning the water out, is it necessary? Do I need Isopods or Springtails? The main feature will be a foam background with driftwood. Thanks in advance!

[kueluck]

I had a planted viv in that size but went with this instead for the three WTF's and LOVE IT!!

So much easier to keep clean and I don't have to worry about them ingesting any substrate if a feeder gets out of the bowl.

But if you want to go with planted I highly recommend drilling the bottom, put in a false bottom with ABG mix for planting. This is my 24x24x18 done that way for my pair of AGTF.

The plants have taken off like crazy and doing outstanding. I plan to redo all my tanks this way with the drilled bottom.

[Bnagy]

Can you post something that shows your drilled hole? Also, on your planted one, does it ever smell? How often do you drain the water? Do you use a pump or not? Do you have springtails or isopods? What is the plant in the back left with the long leaves? What is the top substrate?

[kueluck]

I'll take a photo after work. It just has a earthy smell and the water drains into a buckets, so gravity does all the work. I'll be adding sprintails after the frogs move into it. It's a button fern, and it forest moss on top, but I wouldn't use that for WTF's, they would ingest it.

[kueluck]

This is the 18x18x24 so this just a smaller scale than the 36x18x36. The bottom is the "egg crate" Plaskolite Inc (www.plaskolite.com) which can be picked up at any home improvement place. I took the tank into an aquarium supply place to drill the bottom & get the bulkhead. Got a small piece of tube, a plastic bin and TADAH. For the false bottom, I made a frame piece fitting the bottom, attached another square piece for support, then cut a single flat piece, covered it with 4 layers of screening material then topped with ABG. The plants have lots of new growth and I might move Vern & Vern in this weekend. I'm going to redo the toad tank and Vern and Vern's old tank this way also. Only way to go with a planted tank IMO. All I need is some fake maiden hair to attach to the top to make a cover for them to hang out on the top.

[Mentat]

Congrats on the large White's enclosure . If going with a natural vivarium style set-up, recommend use a dead space as mentioned by Gail. Reason for it, is that a drainage layer in a 18 x 36 in. bottom is going to be very heavy. Do not use coco fiber (no plant nutrients) in combo with live plants, use ABG soil or similar mix.

Don't need to put any water in tank unless there is a water feature. Normally. the water collected at dead space will drain through the pre-drilled bottom hole. The hole should be located no closer than 1 in. to any edges and use a standard aquarium type bulkhead. That can drain into a bucket directly, or have a valve to control drainage as desired. If there is a water feature; then you are talking another design based on your water feature and that could include filters, pumps. heaters, etc.

Would seed the vivarium with everything nice (isopods, springtails, etc.) and let mature with plants for a month or two before introducing frogs. All frogs going into a vivarium should have been quarantined for at least 30 days with two negative fecals done two weeks apart. Not doing that, risks the possibility of a pathogen being introduced to vivarium and then... show is over !

[Bnagy]

Is there an alternative to the ABG that I can use and get from a local gardening center? What about a top layer of substrate? I want something that wont be so messy and get all over the frogs.

[Mentat]

There are many formula variations to ABG; but all of them at the end, are just "soil." You can spread magnolia or similar vivarium leaves on top of soil if desired. Or, you could use a coco mat for substrate (like in post no. 2) and limit the vivarium plants to epiphytes which grow without soil .