# Fiberglass screening vs weed barrier cloth



## NorMM (May 25, 2010)

First post!!! I love this forum. The problem is I can see myself spending entirely way too much time on here. I've been reading a ton of threads trying to get as much info as I can so I don't bother anyone w/ newbie questions.

Anyway, I am trying to decide between using fiberglass screen or the weed barrier cloth to separate my substrate from the Terra-lite. I saw that different posters prefer the screen and others the weed barrier. I wanted to ask what do each of you prefer and why? Or does it really matter and it is just a matter of preference?

I have both and was going to use the screen but worried about my substrate falling through the mesh and clogging my pump. However, I saw that some people like to allow the roots to penetrate the mesh and get additional moisture. I am placing a small stream feature in the viv. I am mixing coco, peat and sand for the substrate. I may leave out the sand if I use the screen. I'll post pics when it is done.


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## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

I would go with the screen. Why would you want to limit the plants from rooting, unless you are trying to stunt them?


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## pl259 (Feb 27, 2006)

I'm a weed barrier guy. Plants root through it just fine. Fiberglass screen breaks down faster. The weed barrier lasts for years which makes it easy to pickup and dump old substrate.


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## laylow (Apr 6, 2009)

Great first post, I've been wondering about this myself! I will be watching this post!


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## AzureFrog (Feb 3, 2009)

Great question!

I recently had to tear down a viv that I used fiberglass screen in... the LECA (Terra-lite) underneath was a muddy mess, a lot of the substrate had fallen through the screen. Only one of the plants had roots all the way down to the screen and it was one that had outgrown the tank. 

So, for me, weed barrier is the way to go... I used it on the last viv I made and I will use it on the next. It was easier to work with and I think it is a bit cleaner in the end.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

I would not have thought that fiberglass breaks down faster than weed cloth. Interesting.


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## Morgan Freeman (Feb 26, 2009)

Weed cloth all the way.


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## nawth21 (Apr 17, 2008)

I use weed cloth, I find it's easier to work with and is easier to get your hands on (not that window screen is hard to come by). It doesn't stop root growth either.


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