Make a Drainable False Bottom (Aquarium to Viv Conversion pt.3)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.ย. 2024
- Welcome to part 3 of the 10 gallon aquarium to vivarium miniseries. In this episode I will show you how to make a drainable false bottom. This is a crucial element to the long term success and health of your vivarium.
As implied in the video, there are many other ways that you could do this, but this rendition is by far my favorite for many reason.
1. It keeps your vivarium light.
2. It allows room for more water than any other method.
3. In the long term it is cheaper than other methods.
4. Aesthetically it looks the nicest, IMO.
If this seems to complicated for you, check out this easy version:
• Make an Easy Drainable...
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Sorry @1:53 meant to put Isopods, not isotopes lol. My bad! You look over a video 50 times and something so obvious can get missed. -_-
i dont understand the purpose of egg crate. is it to reduce weight by using less gravel?
bi0dude42O yes, it replaces ALOT of gravel. Saves money and shaves weight
@@bi0dude42O replacing gravel also means it holds more water, because less gravel is taking up the volume of the false bottom.
There's not really any videos on TH-cam showing the process of building a false bottom. I've experienced a lot of trial and error building these. And I appreciate you uploading this to help us. Thanks man. Great videos. Great hobby.
Thank you and yes they can be pretty finicky at times. I used to use hydroballs, but I much prefer this method.
SerpaDesign can u use normal rocks / pebbles ? And then cover it with mesh screening ?
Sorry for the drought in videos the past few weeks, I've been very busy getting ready for the holidays and what not. As always I hope that you enjoy this video and that it has been beneficial to you in some way.
I also want to wish you and yours a very merry Christmas! Spend some quality time with your family and have a good time! If you're a workaholic like myself, it's nice to a have a few days off.
Stay tuned for 2017, some really great stuff coming up. I have nearly 10 projects in the works, so there is a lot to come. I will also be announcing something pretty cool on the 1st that is my way of thanking you guys for supporting this channel.
merry christmas!
SerpaDesign really looking forward for your videos!
I hear these comments in your voice
The smell of terrariums is the best smell ever. So fresh and foresty
thanks, been waiting for this 3rd video on false bottom drainage. nobodys put one out or its not covered well enough to understand. great job
Thank you, I'm glad that you liked it.
Finally a good false bottom tutorial! Love the vids!
That was a great way to do the false bottom. Thanks fur the ideas
Thaaaaank you!
I have been looking for this for a long time. I am planning a pure plant terrarium, and never found instructions on how to create false bottoms.
Thanks, man, for another informative and great video. I'm a big fan. You've awakened something in me, lol. I have made several lightbulb terrariums and am planning out a succulent one for the near future. Thanks for all the work you do!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching and best of luck to you.
This is the best false bottom idea !!! Love your vids
your videos are incredibly useful and informative
they helped a lot for my own projects
thanks for sharing your experience
Love the video guide, its been a real help thus far
i just found a great website for uniseals seeing as they mostly sell in bulk they get expensive really fast, in the uniseal warehouse they are cheap af im making my first terrarium on the good ol college budget but i bought a 1/4 uniseal for 69 cents, the shipping was around 2.69 but thats still way cheaper than the rest, plus the more you buy the cheaper they get its amazing, i sound like an add but its really fascinating, just so you know you're still inspiring people with these tutorials, also do i need a false bottom like this for a pet snake itll probably be a ribbon snake or a green snake
whats the website
Hpw about the glass enclosure,?
I really enjoy the videos, good job!
That’s great 💡 idea thanks for showing to us🤙🏼😎all tips and to prepare it🙏
Is that a 1/4 uniseal or a 1 1/4 uniseal sorry for the confusion
1/4th If you're still wondering I bought the 1 1/4 by mistake and it's huge!
I'm a new subscriber. I really like your channel. Your instructions are easy to follow and seem like something I could do. Thank you.
thanks for the video!!! I love this idea.. Im going to try it!!
awesome ty for the video. i been looking for something just like this.
I love all your vids
Hey!! Can you PLEASE put up links for 1/4" uniseal, airline tubing & airline tube flow valve? I went to home depot & got completely overwhelmed. Any help would be appreciated!!
1/4" BULKHEAD That's the words you are searching for:
OK so as someone who was trying to follow this video and ended up wasting time gas and, in the end, money on trying to find one... 1/4" bulkhead. That's what you really want. Search that. I even checked the comments before going on this adventure and I really wish I had been told this information. It will thankfully save me on future builds but for now the money is wasted.
I went to Home Depot and they not only didn’t have anything, they had no idea what I was talking about! I also went onto amazon and the 1/4” is stupid expensive!
I’d love the link to the ones you found.
the airline tubing and airline tube flow you can get at any petco or petsmart. they are in the aquatic section
Love your videos! Thank you so much for making them! I had a question about the pots mounted in the GS foam. I see you have drilled holes through the cups to drain through the background but are you concerned about water draining into the spongy foam and becoming putrid or possibly deteriorating the foundation of the design? Thanks again for the videos, my gf and I are excited to try our hand at designing vivariums.
You are so helpful!
I am trying to do do this but I'm having a devil of a time finding the uniseal. I can find 1/2" but no smaller. Herm. The search continues!
I need a false bottom for my 90 gallon crabitat for my hermit crabs. They constantly dig down to molt or play so I have a question of what I should do with the top of my screen? If I leave it loose they will dig under it. Also, I have a 90 gallon aquarium. Meaning I can't drill into the bottom side to place the valve, right? Please help. I have 7 babies eager to get into their new home.
Do you have links for the Uniseals and flow valves? I can't seem to find the 1/4" Uniseals on Amazon.
Some places that sell fish tank equipment have items for making these ~ tell them what your building ~ and they will point you in right direction and some will even show things you may not have seen or heard of before!
man awesome video
Good video. Just wondering why you prefer this method to hydroballs? And is the gravel around the sides just to hide it?
Thank you. Yes the gravel is used to hide the sides. Hydroballs are great, but I like this method because...
It keeps your vivarium light.
It allows room for more water than any other method.
In the long term and for larger vivs it is cheaper than other methods.
Aesthetically it looks the nicest, IMO.
Can I use a rubber grommit? Is it the same thing? Amazon doesn't have the uniseal anymore in 1/4". Also I was thinking of using a Sharkbite valve. Thoughts?
I can’t find UNISEAL Flexible Tank Adapter in 1/4 where did you get?
are the drainage at the bottom neccesary? i have a glass tank so i don't think drilling a hole in the glass would work lol
I'm so excited to make a closed terrarium that I can't wait for winter to be over. I really want to try terrarium out of local materials, but there's nothing really to be found at the moment except lichen on trees
Can you use (safe / inert) window screen mesh in an Aquarium ? (to wrap small stones and create height / hills ... etc)
Have you made any videos where you talk about different plants, moss, and woods that you can use/are best ones for a terrarium? If not can you make one? Thanks. Ps. I just found your vids and I find them very informative, thanks again.
I am going to cover that somewhat in the next installment of this series, but I can elaborate in the future. Thanks for watching!
What if you have a glass tank?
I just got a diamond tipped hole saw and drilled a 1/2in hole in my vivarium. Then I used marine epoxy to seal the valve into the hole since I couldn’t find a uniseal that small near me.
Will the mesh/window screen rust at all?
why do you use the eggcrate instead of hydroballs?
Hey dunno if you have time to answer this but qill any mesh do? I have left of pet mesh left over from when i made a cricket enclosure. But i was watching other videos and they were suggesting gardening cloth of something. Didnt know how much i matters....
Do you think this is better than a clay ball false bottom?
Im making my crested gecko a terrarium and im wondering if i need the false bottom. Im thinking of having live plants but no springtails as i cant get them where i live. Do i need a false bottome?
How often do you drain your falsebottom?
Does this also work if you skip the egg crate, and just fill the whole drainage layer with rocks?
I have a 60 L gallon fish tank. I want to convert to a terrarium. How to remove water from the false bottom. I can't drill through the glass. Thanks,
SerpaDesign Hey i’ve been watching your videos recently to help setup some of my reptile enclosures, and they have been very helpful! I was actually wondering if the drainage technique you used for this enclosure would work for a palidarium in a vertical tank? any advice helps thanks!
What is the point of filling the bottom with water before adding the substrate / planting? Does this need to be done? In all your other builds the false bottom just acts to drain / evaporate water that is added after watering plants / terrariums / etc.
Can you post a link for the uniseals? I ordered 1/4 inch ones off of amazon and they were HUGE compared to the ones you’re using. Thanks!
Literally just experienced the same problem lol
Same. I just ordered uniseals from Amazon and they were not the correct size for airline tubing by any stretch of the imagination, and I can't find anything smaller than 1/2".
I have big grey isopods in my viv will they affect in any way if i add some dart frogs?
What are the two pieces that help drain the tank called? A uniseal and a what? What is the name of the device that has the nob the water comes out of?
If doing this on a glass tank, is it possible to drill through the glass? Can I use a reg drill?
Just get a diamond bit from home depot meant for cutting glass. I am building one these and had to cut a hole for the fogging machine I am putting in, its really east to cut, just makes you nervous that your going to shatter the whole thing. but the bit works great.
You cannot drill into tempered glass no matter what so make sure the glass isn’t tempered first
Really love the uni-seal design. It looks like it makes a easy way to drain and am going to attempt. What type of drill bits did you use to drill in the glass?
To drill through glass you will need a diamond tipped hole saw.
Is it possible to make a drainable false bottom with an actual aquarium? Will the glass hold up without shattering? If not, any other tips to drain water with false bottom?
I like that you don't see the egg crate around the sides.
3:31 toss a ground cover fabric on that and you got yourself an undergravel filter
🤔 I like this 👍
Could you link where you got your flow valve and uniseal? I am having a hard time finding a flow valve that looks like that.
I think the prices went up since I made this video, but these are what I used.
www.amazon.com/Hydro-Flow-Uniseal-Inch-Bag/dp/B00WBZZ11U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495673943&sr=8-1&keywords=1%2F2%22+uniseal
www.amazon.com/uxcell-Plastic-Aquarium-Tubing-Control/dp/B00WW6LSWY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1495673971&sr=8-2&keywords=airline+flow+valve
Thank you! Hmm. Maybe not the best economy for me. I think I'll just go with your other design with the PVC pipe and hydroballs. I have a 10 gallon gravel vacuum with a bulb pump so I won't be drinking any terrarium water, lol.
Sure looks like the link lists a half inch seal, meaning 1/2 PVC pipe. Isn't that too big for airline tube?
can i use hardware cloth instead of egg crate. it is pretty stable
Tnx for this video, man. I wonder what you think of using vermiculite or perlite as a false bottom in a only plant terrarium. Can these be used or is it better to stick to gravel or leca? Tnx
can you do this method with leca clay?
where can you buy those large acrylic aquariums?
Why not put the drainage system underneath? Even when it let all the water out you can always close the drainage and pour a small amount of water afterward to add a bit of water in it again.
I know you've said several times you prefer the false bottom method and I've seen you use Hydroballs or small stones for the bottom as well. Is there a reason you prefer this egg-crate method over just filling the bottom with Hydroballs or something similar? I'm guessing it's a bit lighter, but I can't imagine it's a huge difference. Just wondering.
I like this one for vivariums because it allows room for more excess water than the others. Therefore I have to drain it less frequently. I have shown the others so that people can see a variety of different methods. I briefly discuss it in my newest video: th-cam.com/video/slDOiWyKWu0/w-d-xo.html
I am wondering if an airstone a was added to the false bottom and some tubing exiting the f/bottom and piping the mist up to a selected spot in the vivarium would work as a mister/humidifier. Any comments on this??
Yeah something like that could work. You would have to tinker around with the setup a little bit to get it to work effectively.
for a mesh over the egg crate. i have what ibthink is an aluminum window screen not the fiberglass stuff would it make a difference. not sure if it would make a diffence.
Over aluminum will corrode and create an unhealthy environment, so i wouldn't use it.
Do you need to drain it?
Is there an alternative to using egg crate while still making a bottom similar to this? It is alot more expensive where I am
I think you could use a silverware holder (knives, spoons, ect.) And get from the dollar tree, then drill many many holes in it.
Do you use the same steps with the drill and bits on glass as you did with the fiber glass
You'll need to use a diamond tip home saw to cut glass, but the process would be similar.
how fine mesh can I use in a sealed terrarium? I have access to old drum filter sheets which is glued to plastic grids. Sort of looks like the grid material you're using.
The finer the better. If yours is synthetic and not metal, then you should be good to go.
Would the mesh in screen doors be okay ~ I have plenty of this left over?
what happened to part 2B? was there a point in calling the other party 2A?
I never intended to release all of the part 2's before moving on to the additional installments in the series. That being said, I wont release pt 2b, 2c, etc. until after pt4. There will be about a 2 month gap between 4 and 5 because I don't stock my vivariums immediately. In this time I will release the other pt 2s.
Is the drainage necessary or is there a different way to drain the water without putting a hole in the glass
There are other ways that you could incorporate a feature like this. For example, you could run a pvc pipe or something similar, down into the rock layer and then siphon the water out using an airline tube. The pvc itself shouldn't have any rocks in it though.
hmm dont know man , unless your mister goes haywire or something , dont really need a drainage , less holes is better ,haha
Hi and thanks for the awesome instruction! I couldn't find silicone without the mold inhibitor. On Amazon I found some and it says silicone rubber. Is that the same thing?
If it's 100% silicone with no additives then it will work. Idk about the one you're looking at, but here's the one that I use...
www.amazon.com/General-Electric-GE5030-Window-Silicone/dp/B000RMROGY/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1483054418&sr=8-13&keywords=100%25+silicone+ge
Thank you!!
2:09 2:47 Whats that stuff called Ache crate? It's hard to understand....
is egg crate
Great videos, but i don't really get the point of the grate in the middle. Fair enough, it makes the whole setup more light weight, and allows for a larger volume of water, but i thought part of the point of having gravel at the bottom was to - like in an aquarium - provide growing surface for bacteria and act as a filter as the water circulates through the setup. Gravel-only would not make it less "drain-able", especially not at the size you are using here. I'm not criticizing, just trying to understand the factors to take into account.
Thanks for the rewarding tutorial and sorry for the noob questions.
No problem I understand what you are saying. Incorporating the egg crate as you have suggested doesn't make it any more drainable than if it were completely full of rocks, leca, etc. I like to use it because of the weight and water volume factors. Also it is much cheaper when making larger vivariums (which is usually what I do). Since so much water is coming into this setup, it is not being filtered. It just builds up in the bottom of the setup. I have to drain it every 2-3 days or else the water will get into the substrate layer and cause issues.
so what are the odds for me breaking the glass when i drill :X Sooo nervous about that part!!
Glass?!
You need a special diamond coated bit, and use it gently.
For acrylic, sharp, regular bits are fine, start small and go up in size gradually like in the video. It won't be a problem, don't worry.
it went well... but damn drilling in glass with diamond coated bits takes time :p
Right on, man. I've been considering this move myself for my dart frog vivarium I'm working on, but I decided not to, just for the piece of mind that I needn't worry about a leak developing. If I ever needed to goop on more silicone, I'd have to quarantine the frogs and blah blah... Best of luck with yours.
Can i use hydro fleece
Do I need a false bottom if I wanted to put coco fiber down and put live plants in it
Absolutely you do.
can I drill into a exo terra tank like in this video, without it cracking?
did you do it?
What if your terrarium is glass?
Hey, you got a really nice channel going on. Can you give me/us any tips on "watering tools"? I've heard a lot of terms from spraying to misting, I know there are such things as foggers... What are each of those for and when should you use them? And are there really cheap alternatives to the devices that you find online? Thanks!
Misting and spraying are more or less the same thing. Misting is just a very fine spray. Any hand sprayer will do both. You can them for about $1-$5 at a hardware store. A fogger is just a fancy name for a humidifier. You can get one meant for people and modify to work for this purpose for about $20. They are mostly for looks, unless you can't keep your enclosure humid enough otherwise. Here's an example...
th-cam.com/video/IM3G5BcCF-M/w-d-xo.html
So whats wrong with sealing the hole with silicone?
If you move the flow valve even a little bit it tends to break the seal.
Really? But shouldn't silicone be flexible...?
Of course it is, but it doesn't hold to plastics as well as glass. You can try it if you want, but I don't suggest it. I just uploaded this video on an easier drainage method if you're interested. th-cam.com/video/NqT9TLfD6u0/w-d-xo.html
Yeah I saw that method after I drilled the hole, which I did through glass btw. And after that I realised that the uniseals are not available where I live (bit stupid, you don't have to mention it). So I tried it with silicone. We'll see if it holds. Thanks anyway! :D
It worked. :D So on glass it doesn't seem to be an issue. But I was wondering, aren't you afraid that somebody just pulls out the plug...? It seems so easy to be done.
why not just use a submersible mini pump?
Hello guys can anybody tell me difference between placing mesh on egg crate and directly on gravel? I think maybe gravel it self is maybe drainable inaf.. Or even water traped between each particles of gravel is bad? Im just looking for simplyfied solution without egg crate...
You can definitely use just gravel. The advantage of using the egg crate is that it will keep the whole tank lighter (less rocks) and able to hold more water (more space than if filled with gravel). I used just gravel, and my tank is a lot bigger than this one, but it is so heavy that I have to get someone to help me move it. Wish I'd seen this video before I did mine!
motha nacha motha nacha Hello thank you for help my friend. Soon i will have my first spiders and they need high humidity so i search for best solution to prevent molds. Now i will make it easier when i know i dont need egg crate... I will also use springtails... My spiders will be avicularia 1cm so my vivarium will be very small... So i dont care for weight :) maybe its even better in this size if its heavy...
May I ask... I am making a terrarium out of a 70 cm long fish tank. does it need to be near a window for sunlight?
It depends are you going to use artificial lighting? If so I would keep it far away from a window.
Can you make vivarium - paludarium jungle combo
SO
MANY
ZIPTIES!
Love the videos! You've inspired me to pick up this hobby over the last few months. How does one buy springtails and all these kinds of mosses? They don't seem to be at Home Depot or anything. Thanks!
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👏
сеточка поверх решетки со временем разлагается и камни проваливаются внутрь решетки. нужно стелить геотекстиль, оборачивая им всю конструкцию. и можно клеть на термоклей.
It's made of fiberglass, it won't decompose.
это же противомаскитная сетка? у меня такая прогнила через три месяца.
1. ypu cpuld have simply cut the top mesh larger and ziptie it down in one piece vs strips.
2. had u used ypur head the tank can fully drain if u made a 90 degree turn to the bottom of the tank leaving about a mm between the tank bottom glas and the 90 elbow. this would drain it completely.
Who else had a pizza hut add
Hmmm...If some people don’t want to bother themselves with zip-tying egg crates and drilling holes, you could just buy some hydrogen for $8.00 😂
Autocorrect...Not hydrogen, hydroton
Would this be effective for a hermit crab tank?
Yeah it could work.
can I use a different sized uniseal
Yeah you will just have to alter the other components accordingly.