Waterfall Terrarium

So a tank went on clearance at my work that was just ridiculously cheap for what it is, and given my 30% off day is coming up, I've gotten grudging permission from my wife to nab it. It's an Marineland Eclipse 37, which comes with a mirrored back and a built in biowheel filter and light. It would normally retail $200, but I should be getting it for approximately $30 dollars!

Now, my wife and I have agreed to spend no more than $50 of any Christmas money we receive each, the rest will go to bills. Given this limitation, my current crazy fantasies will probably not come to fruition this holiday season, but I that's no reason not to frivolously plan extravagantly, is it?

So I am buying this tank without specific plans, or at least I had no plans initially. But after some thought, some inspiration, and some poking around on the internet, I think I've decided on a truly awesome idea that this tank would be nearly perfect for: a tree frog terrarium with a built in waterfall! Specifically White's Tree Frogs, as pictured courtesy of Wikipedia.

The basic concept is as follows. Build what is commonly referred to as a "false bottom", hook up the filter intake to it, and then watch as a beautiful cascading waterfall becomes the centerpiece of the terrarium.

So first off, what is a false bottom? Basically you lay down a drainage layer, which can be either large grained gravel, a hydroponics substrate like Viastone, which is basically large clay spheres, or even just leaving it empty but building a raised, permeable platform of eggcrate. You then line this with fine mesh to prevent the aquifer being clogged with waste, dirt, or plant material. Atop this you lay your normal substrate, usually soil, moss, or coconut fiber. Left like this, it serves to increase the humidity of a tropical enclosure by providing a artificial aquifer.

A fairly common practice among tree frog enthusiasts, however, particularly dart frog keepers, is to put a water pump inside the false bottom, connect it to a tube, and then run it to the top of the enclosure, typically hidden behind a cork background, to create a trickling waterfall effect. It will often empty into an area of lowered substrate that in some way accesses the aquifer of the false bottom, creating a small pond.

It's my hope to partially recreate this basic plan using the aquarium filter. If I build a false bottom and then extend the filter intake tube into it, assuming the filter pump is strong enough this should create a waterfall by drawing the water up from the drainage layer to the top of the tank and then dumping it back in. I'm not sure if I'll try to create a pond or not, although it seems like it might be prudent so as to allow the water to pass more quickly back into the drainage layer.

I think it should actually be fairly cheap to do this. I just need the mesh, a drainage substrate, and possibly a piece of tubing to extend the filter intake, although I think it may already be long enough as it is. Hopefully the filter pump proves strong enough. Once the basics are in place I can add on to it over time by buying a cork background to hide the components, live plants to grow in it, and, of course, frogs!