# What is your substrate and do you have a false bottom?



## Reptilian (Oct 22, 2006)

What is your substrate and do you have a false bottom? If not on the list be sure to post it (with pics please)


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## defaced (May 23, 2005)

I do use a false bottom, but I don't know whether of not my soil mix is worth a crap so I'm not posting it.


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## Alan (Jan 12, 2005)

Atlanta Botanical Gardens mix/false bottom/Leca


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## Josh_Leisenring (Jun 19, 2005)

False bottom: depends on my mood/laziness level and availability of egg crate :wink: 
Substrate: everything from live moss to peat to topsoil to potting soil to coco fiber, often in combination; again, just depends on what I have on hand. 

- Josh


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## DartMan (Nov 29, 2005)

No False Bottom. Pea gravel from HD for drainage, natural color.

Mix: Bed-A-Beast Coco Bedding / Jungle Mix / Jungle Earth


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## a Vertigo Guy (Aug 17, 2006)

Orchid bark with cocofiber and maybe some sphagnum if I feel like throwin it in. Topped with sheet moss on a false bottom.


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## Reptilian (Oct 22, 2006)

Kewl

I use eco earth/spachum(sp?)/pillow moss(on top on one side) 
no false bottom
no drainage layer. (do I need one?)


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## Josh_Leisenring (Jun 19, 2005)

For the substrate itself, it's generally considered best to have a drainage layer; otherwise the substrate will quickly become and remain saturated with water, drowning/rotting your plants. You could either make a false bottom, or just throw an inch-or-two layer of gravel/leca/whatever beneath your substrate for excess water to drain into. Good luck! 

- Josh


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## Homer (Feb 15, 2004)

It depends. If I'm going to have a "show tank", I'll usually use a false bottom using egg crate. My substrate is usually coco husk chips ("chc")that have been washed and are produced for use by orchid growers.

If it's just a froglet rearing tank, I will probably just use a layer of long fiber new zealand sphagnum, or a small layer of chc.


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## Reptilian (Oct 22, 2006)

K I'm gonna use gravel.


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## Guest (Nov 9, 2006)

I use Expanded Clay Pellets and gravel for drainage, followed by some large rocks for bulk, and either, bed a beast coco fiber, or jungle mix by exo terra, or leaf litter, and or live moss (which takes a long time to grow.) Substrate near my ponds is almost always gravel with or overgrown(hidden) by live moss.


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## Raymond (Aug 26, 2006)

Just a layer of leca, with some screening material on top of it. Then some orchid mix on top of that I believe. That's pretty much it. Then a drainage tube running down and under the leca to get excess water out. Simple yet very effective. 

Personally I like using leca more than gravel. Firstly, it wieghs much less, which is only a benefit, for me at least. Second, I find it looks better when the glass is left clear and not siliconed up.

Then the usual leaf litter, comprising of usually all magnolia leaves.


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## Steve (Apr 8, 2006)

I use roughly 30% eco-earth, 30% non treated mulch, 20% sphagnum peat moss, 10% sheet moss and the rest ismade up from coco bedding.

Then i top this off with sometimes sheet moss and then oak leaves.

Its quick draining, plants grow quickly and its not so fine that it sticks to the frogs.

Steve


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## zaroba (Apr 8, 2006)

false bottem: yes
substrate: haven't made it yet, but it will be a mixture of topsoil, hardwood mulch, and milled peat moss.


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## Guest (Nov 17, 2006)

false bottom: no. just a bottom layer of gravel.
substrate: mixture of forest loam and soil. no screen between the soil and gravel.


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## joeyo90 (Nov 5, 2006)

couple inches of gravel then coir peat moss and orchid bark on top sometimes jungle mix i used those plastic quilting or sewing sheets in between my gravel and mix oh if i have extra oak leaves i chop them up and put them inthe mix to


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## Guest (Nov 17, 2006)

zaroba said:


> false bottem: yes
> substrate: haven't made it yet, but it will be a mixture of topsoil, hardwood mulch, and milled peat moss.


Hows that gigantoviv of yours coming along????


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## RGB (Jan 15, 2006)

Eggcrate False Bottom. Substrate is Orchid Bark, Coco-Fiber and Sphagnum covered with Leaf Litter.


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## Blort (Feb 5, 2005)

From top to bottom: fir bark mixed with coco fiber, screen, LECA.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

bottom to top
eggcrate false bottom
screen
aquarium gravel 
mix of coco fiber, horticultural charcoal, shredded spagnum moss(or crumbs at bottom of bag) tree fern and/or leaf litter mixed in if I have it around
live moss or riccia on top


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## melissa68 (Feb 16, 2004)

Bottom to top:
1. Expanded clay pellets on bottom (aka leca, geolite, hydroton, etc...)
2. Coconut husk chips over the clay pellets

Only use the 2 ingredients not, with leaf litter on top.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

false bottom and then some variation on clay, clay plus organics (sphagnum, cocofiber, coco husk, leaf litter etc) and then leaf litter. 

Ed


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## michaelslenahan (Mar 10, 2009)

false bottom (egg crate/pvc connectors/#7mesh) 2 inches of leca, 2 inches of sphagnum, planted directly into the sphagnum. Will be adding leaf litter.


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## SamsonsFrogs (Mar 4, 2009)

I dont use a false bottom.My mix is cocco husk chips, cocco bedding, and topsoil(no cow poop or chems). As for my bottom drainage i use fiberglass screening(window screening) and hydroton. I am in the process of buying some Intermedius and imatators and i think for them i will use a false bottom.I am new to building Viv's so i cant say if a false bottom is better or not, but i can tell you i just bought to big sheets of eggcrate


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