# weed block not draining any water



## wriggles (Apr 5, 2014)

Has anyone tried "easy gardener weed block"?
I tried pouring water on it and the water just pooled up and hasn't drained at all in 2 days 









I tried poking holes with a needle and a drill bit but the hole just stretches back shut and still doesn't let water through. If I poke holes any larger the substrate will fall through.


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## Dev30ils (May 1, 2012)

Yeah weed block does not drain well. You're better off using window screen.


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## Friggy_frogger (Aug 24, 2014)

I bought a huge roll of window screen for 5 bucks at Lowes


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## wriggles (Apr 5, 2014)

Dev30ils said:


> Yeah weed block does not drain well. You're better off using window screen.


I've seen lots of people using it though. Did I just pick the worst brand ever or does all weed block do this? It's literally letting zero water pass through it.

I have window screen to replace it, it's just going to be a big hassle tearing some stuff apart to get the bottom out =(


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Dev30ils said:


> Yeah weed block does not drain well. You're better off using window screen.


Agreed. People have been using fiberglass window screen for many years with no problems. Fiberglass window screening is both stronger and better draining. The move towards poor-draining, weed block baffles me. Why would we be trying to keep our roots from growing into the dead space? Isn't that a good thing? It lets your plants access the water down there, allowing them to grow better, and act as a filter for the water. Better roots means healthier plants and a better filtered, cleaner smelling viv.
Plus, window screening is free! All we use are scraps. Go to any window repair/screening business and ask them to save you a few scraps for your frogs. Having a frog picture to show them will likely interest them enough to help. (This is a great way to get free glass for a tank build, too.)


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## wworker (Nov 23, 2011)

I tried landscape cloth too and had the same thing happen. I ripped it all out and replaced with window screen. Doh!


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

Try flipping it the other way. Its upside down. I have found it needs to be primed a little bit sometimes too. But basically if you put a bunch of it down and smother it in water it will start leaking through.


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## wriggles (Apr 5, 2014)

Pubfiction said:


> Try flipping it the other way. Its upside down. I have found it needs to be primed a little bit sometimes too. But basically if you put a bunch of it down and smother it in water it will start leaking through.


It's supposed to be like this right?








Shiney side up, bumpy side down with the "funnel" shaped holes funnelling the water downwards? 
I tried putting the substrate on top and even after a few days it's still just a soupy mess.


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

ya that should be right I guess you just got some really bad stuff. It obviously doesn't drain as well as screen but the stuff I have had does drain.


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## Dendrobati (Jul 27, 2012)

I'll speak up in favor of weed block. It's all we use in our tanks and I love it! We switched from screen to weed block many tanks ago and we haven't looked back yet. 

Yes, if you cut a piece fresh and dump a little water on it, it will bead up and seem to repel. However, once it's in contact with the drainage and soil, it passes water well. Give it a little time to become moist and you'll see a big difference. It won't drain as fast as screen, but it does pass well. 

Some of the reasons I prefer it to screen are:

It keeps springtails, isopods, and others out of the drainage layer and ultimately prevents them from washing away! Our microfauna has improved greatly with the use of weed block. 

It prevents fine particulates from entering into the drainage layer. This provides a cleaner look that last. 

Soil stays slightly wetter, meaning we can mist a little less often. 

Some of the downsides that I see:

It has a cost. I don't know if you can or cannot get it for free anywhere, but a small roll does go a long ways. A $20 roll is likely good for 50 tanks or more. Use a little for a tank or two and then save the rest for the follower garden. 

Plants don't root through it. They will eventually root down the side of the glass and get underneath, but that takes a while. 

Overall, I really like the stuff but I don't think you could go wrong with either screen nor with weed block (aka landscaping fabric). 

Brad


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## scoy (Jan 22, 2013)

Brad pretty much said it all. Just give it alittle time, in a few days it will work fine. I used to use screen but witj my false bottom hundreds of springs were always floating on the water and living away from the substrate and frogs.


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## wriggles (Apr 5, 2014)

Dendrobati said:


> However, once it's in contact with the drainage and soil, it passes water well.
> Brad


I think this is why it's not draining for me. If I used hydroton/ leca/ gravel as a false bottom it would probably wick through, but on the egg crate it's pretty much airborne. The only reason it went through when I tested it is because the bottom of the sheet was touching my hand.
Have you tried this brand or were you using a different weed block? I've tested substrate in one spot for 4 days and it's still pretty soupy 
Maybe the piece I used was a factory mishap or something.
I'm going to try putting more substrate on and give it till friday to start working. After that it's outta here!


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## Dendrobati (Jul 27, 2012)

I haven't tried that brand. I don't know what brands we've used but Scotts is the one we currently have. 

If you want to try what we use, drop me an email with your address and we'll send you out the size you need. [email protected]. 

Thanks,
Brad


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## phender (Jan 9, 2009)

I don't know the brands, but I do know that I bought two different kinds at Home Depot. The cheaper stuff (brown) that looked very permeable, didn't pass water worth a darn (and doesn't in my yard either). The slightly more expensive stuff (black), that didn't look permeable at all, works very well.


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## scoy (Jan 22, 2013)

wriggles said:


> It's supposed to be like this right?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I dont know what type of weed block this is but its not the kind i was referring to. The black fabric type from home depot or lowes works great.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

I'm just addressing the springtail comments. I'm not arguing that one method is wrong. They can both work. 
Try watching those springtails floating on the water for a while. They come and go as they please. Springtails often feed on the film on the water's surface. If you watch them over time, you will see that there may be times you find hundreds on the water's surface, but 8 hours later, you may not find a single one. I'm of the opinion that it simply gives springtails more room to grow and thrive. I don't believe for a second, that a springtail in the false bottom is living on borrowed time. Ed pointed that out to me.

I've never seen isopods managing to get past the screen mesh and into the false bottom. Only the baby isopods could pass through the mesh, and they simply don't go down. They smell food in the substrate and leaf litter areas. I'm not sure many baby isopods would venture down. 

We all have our favorite building materials and methods. Both can work well, but you'll never change my mind. 

One last comment, there are many brands of weedblocker. As I understand it, some brands work well, while others may not drain well. Sharing which brands have worked well for people would probably be helpful to some.
Every brand of fiberglass window screen mesh will work well.


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

and the irony of the "weed block" is that weeds will eventually grow UNDER it and push up the fabric.... some of the weed blocks are meant to drain if it has water on the top, and the bottom is touching something...there is a word for that somewhere in the cobwebs of my brain...hydroscopic?? So if you hold a piece, water will pool on the top--touch the bottom, and the water passes through.


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## wriggles (Apr 5, 2014)

Judy S said:


> and the irony of the "weed block" is that weeds will eventually grow UNDER it and push up the fabric.... some of the weed blocks are meant to drain if it has water on the top, and the bottom is touching something...there is a word for that somewhere in the cobwebs of my brain...hydroscopic?? So if you hold a piece, water will pool on the top--touch the bottom, and the water passes through.


Yeah that's what happened when I tested it, it didn't drain till it touched my hand. I don't think egg crate's a good match for it.



Dendrobati said:


> I haven't tried that brand. I don't know what brands we've used but Scotts is the one we currently have.
> 
> If you want to try what we use, drop me an email with your address and we'll send you out the size you need. [email protected].
> 
> ...


That's alright I think I'll just use my window screen. I'm getting pretty impatient with this tank.
Thanks for the offer though =)


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## wriggles (Apr 5, 2014)

I covered it completely with substrate Tuesday morning and poured lots of water on it, hoping it would break in eventually. Checked it today and it was still a swamp. Every handful was dripping lots of water as I removed it. I don't know if it's the brand or what but I'll be keeping it on my "never again" list...


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

as I described...it will not penetrate unless the other side is also "touched", and will then drain--albeit not quickly


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