[jruffing46]

I have 2 10g verts that have alot of water collecting on the bottom of them. It forms small pools in the substrate and causes everything on the bottom to get saturated. I was wondering if other people had problems with this and what they did for it. I realize a drain would help but I built these a while ago. Where do people put drains in 10g verts when they build them and how?

 

[Yobosayo]

Here's an easy way - just lay some tubing along the bottom buried in some LECA and run it up / behind your background. Leave enough tubing coming out of the tank, you need it to reach below the piece you buried on the bottom. Once done you've created a way to siphon out the excess water.

 

[jruffing46]

Thats a really good idea. Ill have to try that next time I make tanks. Right now I have found the best alternative to be a turkey baster to suck excess water out.

 

[randommind]

I am by no means an expert, but from all that I have read here on the board...I would highly recommend pulling your frogs out of those tanks and revamping your substrate layers and adding a way to drain the excess water. Sucking out the "pools" will remove the standing water, but the substrate will remain saturated and eventually begin to rot. Your plants and frogs will eventually begin to suffer from the ill-effects of this, so if I were in your situation I would go ahead and nip it in the bud.

 

[jruffing46]

Sounds like a job for this summer. So do you suggest taking some aquarium tubing and just sticking it down in the bottom and then covering it up with the substrate?

 

[player9]

For my 10 gal tanks I silicone a piece of PVC pipe in the corner that runs from top to bottom. Then I build the rest of my tank. When I need to get the water out I just stick a tube down the pipe and siphon the water out from the bottom.

 

[Brian317]

For my 10 gal tanks I silicone a piece of PVC pipe in the corner that runs from top to bottom. Then I build the rest of my tank. When I need to get the water out I just stick a tube down the pipe and siphon the water out from the bottom.

Yep, this is what I do and it works very well !

 

[jruffing46]

Anybody have some pics of what this looks like to give me a better visual?

So you would put a piece of PVC in a back corner, silicone it a few cms from the bottom and let it stick out of the substrate a ways. Then to suck water out you just run a tube down it?

 

[Golden State Mantellas]

You could also cut an angle at the bottom of the PVC and run it to the bottom.

 

[randommind]

I use the same technique however, on my verts I run a piece of pipe from the bottom up just an inch or so above the substrate in the front corner. I then cap it off, cover it with leaf litter and when it is time to drain I push the leaves aside, pull the cap, run a tube down and siphon out the water. In your particular case I am not sure what the best approach would be as I do not know exactly how you built your tank.

 

[Freeradical53]

I have a 10 gal that I forgot to provide drainage for. I usually push back the substrate, lift the screen and use a baster to suck it out. This tank doesn't have a false bottom, just a layer of leca so its easy to get to the bottom. This tank also collects more water than the others. It was on the first incoming line on the mister so I switched with the last one and I think it is getting less wet than it was.

 

[player9]

Here Are some pics from when i did my ten gallon.

Hope they help ya.
I have redone the tank once already and i just left the PVC in when I built the next background.

 

[jruffing46]

Any problems with it getting plugged up?

Do you usually test it out with the hydroton in before you put in the substrate?

 

[player9]

Any problems with it getting plugged up?

Negative. It has always worked for me. The hole is probably about a 1/4" to 1/2" big. So pretty hard for it to get clogged up.

Do you usually test it out with the hydroton in before you put in the substrate?

I didn't. I trusted that it would work lol.

 

[jruffing46]

Do you think I could pull this off without removing all the substrate and hydroton?

 

[player9]

Do you think I could pull this off without removing all the substrate and hydroton?

Not sure. It depends on what you have in the back corner of your tank. If you don't have a background you could probably do it.

If you have a background it is going to need to be removed enough to get the tube in the corner.

 

[jruffing46]

Ok well it would probably be a good idea to redo them because the substrate is pretty gross