False bottom with leca on top? First viv.

[iclimbtrees]

Hello everyone, I am currently building a vivarium out of a 36 gal bowfront, with the idea of housing 3 d.leucomelas in the near future. So far i've cut my eggcrate, screen and pvc supports. My plan was to make a false bottom (3-4" to the top of the screen) then put a layer (rougly 2") of leca on top, with a sunken area using gravel or stone instead, for a shallow pool area. And I'll be using coconut coir (the brick expanding type) for substrate.

So to simplify:
-4" false bottom
-2" leca on top
-sunken area in leca to create pool
-4-6"(?)coconut coir substrate

I'll also be adding a small, accessible sump box under the fb, and possibly a more elaborate water feature later(this may stay empty until i have that all figured out.

So my questions are:
-Is this a good setup idea? I've seen one like this before- ill try and find the picture, but havent been able to find much info on it.
-The water level will be about 5" or 6" deep, is that too much? (I figure the more water the more sustainable, right?
-How deep does the coco coir have to be for plants? And is just plain coco coir good enough to grow plants in? ( should i just stick to epiphytes and semi-aquatic plants? was hoping to use more terrestrial types (e.g. dwarf schefflera))
-is a pvc tube for siphoning a good idea? (or if i have a sump box with lid i can just use that right?)
-If i go with no waterfall, is it a good idea to have an underwater filter/sump just moving the water around? will i get little ripples in my pool this way?(not a bad thing)

-i guess a simpler question is can you have your water feature(water level) above your eggcrate fb?(with leca on top)

I'd be happy to hear all of your opinions, ideas, and suggestions, And I'm sure i'll have plenty more questions as i go. I'll put up some pics when I've got more done, I havent glued anything until i have a good idea of what i want.

[Scolopendra]

I was unable to find a thread to answer my question. What is a false bottom? Is it possible to make one of these using a glass aquarium?

[Epiphile]

Scolopendra, a false bottom is basically just something to raise the substrate above the water level to allow the substrate to drain into a reservoir- you can use anything you like to build one so long as water can move freely through it. People are fond of using egg crate light diffusers.

Iclimbtrees, I think that's a neat idea- I think you're right in your reasoning that more water is easier to maintain. One thing to consider is that you'll be losing about six inches of vertical space this way- I think that if it were me I might try and see if I could build the pond down into the false bottom somehow so as to avoid the need for the LECA layer (though I do have a bit of a bias against LECA, too), and perhaps lower the false bottom an inch or so. Three inches of water in a 36G should still be quite a bit of water. It couldn't hurt to run it through a filter, as well- things can get awfully stagnant sometimes under false bottoms. A siphon point, too, is a great precaution.

If you do decide to go with the LECA, I wouldn't use straight coir, as a lot of the moisture will be wicked up by the LECA and held in the substrate- coir can get awfully soggy and dense on it's own.

Oh, and deep enough to cover the roots of your plants is probably fine- they'll branch laterally, but don't be surprised if they send roots right down into the reservoir, too.

[beckdg]

4" f/b = 3.5" water max really
sump box is good. you could siphon from there if you'd like but extra options are nice depending on how you set it up.
how about sunken area in f/b to create pool? most people do that across the front or in a front corner.
i'd say about 4" of coir is good for most plants... some even less.
coir is good enough to grow plants... it's just void of nutrients so something has to provide them for ya.
you could have a nice variety of plants depending how you prepare for them.
you can't go wrong by moving your water... ripples would depend on pump placement.
definitely cut v-notches in the bottom of your pvc support to allow stagnant water to escape.
imo leca is fine with coir if done right... but water straight up to the coir is asking for trouble. epiphile is a lot better with plants than i am though...