Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I redid my brevs' tank tonight. The substrate all together is about 6". I put 1.5" charcoal on the bottom, then 1.5" perlite, then a layer of aluminum screen, then 1.5" of sand mixed with coconut husk fibre, then 1.5" of coconut husk fibre with some bark mixed in. The total top layer is about three inches, maye more in spots. Is this enough? I have to get more coconut fibre anyway, but that won't be for another few weeks until the pet store here gets more in. I can put more in if i have to, but it is heavly planted with lots of twigs, so that will be a pain in the butt...
Just wanted to check with other brev owners to see if this set up will work ok.
THANKS
~Lindsay

you should try a false bottom tank... they are constructed for tanks that need drainage. the simplest ones just raise the substrate up about an inche or so useing "egg crate" or a floresent light defuser...its a plastic grid usually white or black.
the best way to use it is to make a water fall on one side so the water in the bottom isn't stagnant and it keeps the humidity up.

i could post more about it if your interested

Could you please post more about it for me? the tank they are in now isn't large enough (only about 7" of space for them left as it is), and I don't mist heavily so there isn't too too much water in the bottom normally. i'm trying to dry it out a bit right now (I watered the plants WAY too heavily) but normally it's not bad. In the future though I will be moving them to a 35 gal tall aquarium that my leopard gecko is in right now. i'm just going to wait until I have more of the brev's to make the switch worthwile, and I also don't want to move them around too much. When they are moved into the large tank i'll have lots of room to experiment. Thanks for your help!!
~Lindsay

ok hese are normally used for tanks that people want like a river or a water fall to go from one side to the other...

you first have to find this plastic grid stuff the people egg crate although its use has nothing to do with eggs its used as a floresent light diffuser(when you look up the lights dont blind you) then get some pvc pipes. figure out how high you want the egg crate off the bottom...tall enough for the pump plus som space and use peices of the pvc pipes as supporters. then place window screen on top,pea gravel then the substrate you want.....

if you have a pump its best to be able to remove the waterfall or at least part of the bottom easily so you can change the water.....or just have a pump down there with a tube out of the substrate a little bit and just hook that up so it pumps the dirty water from under neath into a bucket...

if you use black "egg crate"and pvc pipes i looks better as you can see them as well as the white ones.

these can turn into very elaborate setups with a waterfall into a small pool with a river type over flow that carries the water to other side of the tank....very cool but takes some time and planing before hand.