# question on placement of leca/hydroballs.



## crazybizzle (Jan 5, 2012)

hey new to the site, new to vivs/darts..my question is i have set up my false bottom egg crate i will be having a water fall. my thing is considering the water needs to be at least 1 inch in the bottom of tank for my pump to run do i just let the leca sit in the water or above the water? if above the water line do i just leave the false bottom empty minus the water so my pump can pull the water for the falls?? thanks sorry for the newb question


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## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

Here's a handy image of how the substrate layers in a basic vivarium should look. Since there will be standing water at the bottom, you may want to go with 3'' of hydroton (aka leca). The bottom 1" of hydroballs/hydroton/leca will be submerged in water.










There will be a new blog posting tomorrow discussing the different layers of a vivarium posted here:

Josh’s Frogs How-To Guides


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## crazybizzle (Jan 5, 2012)

ok perfect. thanks brinks wasnt to sure if it was okay to have half the leca submerged or not...but that helps ill do 3 inches leca so just 1 inch is in water.


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## crazybizzle (Jan 5, 2012)

crap. actually i have a false bottom thou..so it would be best to just put leca on top of eggcrate than do my layers of soil etc..so underneath the false bottom will just be water for my waterfalls? would that be better?? so i would go..

bottom of tank---1 inch water
egg crate on abs 2 inch high
mesh
leca
abg mix
moss litter


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## motydesign (Feb 27, 2011)

i like to do

2" Leaf
1" clay sub. (turface is easiest)
mesh barrier
2 to 4" egg create false bottom (depending on tank and what i want FB to be able to hold)


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## ConFuCiuZ (Jul 13, 2011)

crazybizzle said:


> crap. actually i have a false bottom thou..so it would be best to just put leca on top of eggcrate than do my layers of soil etc..so underneath the false bottom will just be water for my waterfalls? would that be better?? so i would go..
> 
> bottom of tank---1 inch water
> egg crate on abs 2 inch high
> ...


Eggcrate method replaces the leca method. They both do the same job as far as uplifting the soil above the water table so your soil wont get water bogged. Using the eggcrate method makes the vivarium lighter. Make sure you put support in the middle or any where else you think it will fail if you put lots of weight. 

3-4 inches of eggcrate
mesh
abg mix 
sphagnum moss
leaf litter


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## ConFuCiuZ (Jul 13, 2011)

If you want you can mix in a clay additive sold on website or make your own.

http://neherpetoculture.com/substratesvivarium.htm

Two great tutorials by Pumilo:
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/members-frogs-vivariums/76581-pumilos-75-corner-viv.html

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/63732-clay-substrate-how.html

I would recommend checking them out.


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## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

Its typically one or the other. I preffer egg create, its lighter and you maybe able to get more builds out of it depending on how big your tank is. If your doing a waterfall, the water will flow a lot easier with egg create than leca. You maybe able to save money with egg create.


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## crazybizzle (Jan 5, 2012)

oh ok i get it now i was confused cause ive seen alot of builds with ppl using egg crate and leca together didnt know one replaces the other thanks alot... another question has anyone ever used bio balls or ceramic disks like in fish tanks in their water coloumn to get populated with bacteria to help clean the water and wastes?


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## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

Hydroton provides a lot of surface area - similar to bio balls. I also prefer hydroton because it wicks a bit of water back up into the substrate, helping to maintain humidity.


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