Hello all, This is my first post here so be gentle. Am just getting started with vivarium building. I've read many different sources regarding false bottom construction. I thought plastic egg-crate was generally accepted as the best method for setting up recirculating water features, etc. Then I read an article in a recent Reptile Magazine that did away with the egg crate and used foam "peanuts" as a drainage layer on the bottom. Seemed like a much more elegant solution without the ugly edge of the eggcrate to worry about. The peanuts were hidden from view by using a stiff card to insert a layer of aliflor between the glass and peanuts. Then I recently went to the Daytona Reptile Expo and saw some stunning displays that used LECA (aka Aliflor) as a drainage layer directly on the tank bottom. A small pool was dug out on one end, and the Aliflor was covered with a layer of sheet batting (polyester fiber from Walmart) and on top of this was a heavy layer of "Atlanta Botanical Garden Mix" that was nicely sculpted. Java moss, plants and rocks were used to cover the bottom of the pool. A pump was concealed in a back corner in short section of 4" pvc pipe. The aliflor seemed to work very well as a "false bottom". Seems like it is much easier, is lightweight, and would serve the same purpose as a more complicated system of egg-crate and window screen. Is there an advantage to the "old-school" egg-crate method that I am overlooking ??
George
George