Substrate questions. Need a little advice.

[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.