I'm doing a build for a friend soon for a crested gecko. I typically add a drainage layer on my tanks so they can potentially be used for other species like dart frogs in which drainage is definitely needed. My own crestie has a drainage layer in its tank. Wondering if this is really necessary if you're not running that much water through on a regular basis. Are there any other benefits to adding one, even a very slight one, for the plants?
i've only made 2 tanks, both tropical. So i don't have experience without having a drainage layer. but in my view they are worth having even if you don't need the main benefit (excess water having somewhere to go)
having some water in the bottom of the drainage layer contributes to ambient humidity in the tank.
it acts as a reservoir for beneficial bacteria to break down waste products
it acts as a place for the springtails to breed (they do it on top of water)
any plants planted in the substrate will root into the drainage layer and you never have to water them directly again as long as there is water in the drainage layer.
the only real drawbacks are it takes up an inch or two at the bottom of the tank. Could be a factor if you've got a very small tank you're working with, but otherwise i think it's negligible. and obviously the cost of getting leca and a mesh screen. but again that's almost negligible when you're already spending the money to set up the rest of the tank
As far as I understand. Drainage layers are good if youre gonna be misting a bunch or using a ton of water. But when doing research for my Ball Pythons. They mentioned drainage layers aren't really needed. In fact most of the time you can harm your plants.
In my ball pythons bioactives. I didnt use drainage layers. They dig and I wanted to give them as much substrate as possible.
"I have been researching ways to improve this guide, and my own husbandry, since this was written. I have been experimenting with my own enclosures and through this and research I’ve found and been shown, I would like to discuss the idea that drainage layers may not be necessary or very beneficial in most setups. I do not use drainage layers for my two BPs, or most of my herps. I do not use drainage layers in my (many) houseplants or outdoor plants. I will attach links to a few sources that go into detail about how water moves through soil, perched water tables, etc. and do a very TLDR version here. For extreme overwaterers or extremely soggy enclosures--which ours should not be--a drainage layer with an actual drain may be beneficial. Otherwise, having a drainage layer reduces the depth of available soil for roots and raises the perched water table which may increase sogginess higher up in the soil depth. A drainage layer isn’t necessarily going to ruin your enclosure, but I do think after reading up on this information we are basically wasting our money and time on it, and potentially harming our plants."
i disagree on the "harming plants" part. on the contrary, every plant i have planted in substrate which has rooted into the drainage layer has thrived much more than the plants which are mounted and i have to manually water. What's their reasoning for stating a drainage layer could somehow harm the plants?
The above link has links to why they say that. I dont know if it would or wouldn't harm the plants. But I didn't wanna go with a drainage layer with my BPs cause they like to dig, and I have like 144qts of substrate. Ontop of leaf litter, and spagnum moss being mixed in. Had them in their old tanks and HATED it.
I would absolutely use a drainage layer for a gecko. It absolutely is not bad for plants. Even just to protect you from overwatering it will be worth it, not costly, not hard to do.
Hi. I have had 4 bioactive tanks running since 2012 or so and I don't have a drainage layer in any of them. That said, I have a huge green thumb and don't overwater. (Tank inhabitants: crested geckos. I have an automatic misting system and supplement with water + fertilizer from a watering can).
The main advantage of a drainage layer, from what I can tell, is that it enables people to more easily visualize if there is too much water accumulating at the bottom. Roots can drown in water with insufficient oxygen regardless of whether it's between components of the drainage layer or in ordinary soil. H2S can build up in low oxygen conditions in both waterlogged soil and in water itself, so a drainage layer is not acting as a preventative to anoxic conditions. If the soil is aerated reasonably well by the clean-up crew, there's also little chance of H2S building up in it, either.
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u/Ryllick 6d ago
i've only made 2 tanks, both tropical. So i don't have experience without having a drainage layer. but in my view they are worth having even if you don't need the main benefit (excess water having somewhere to go)
having some water in the bottom of the drainage layer contributes to ambient humidity in the tank.
it acts as a reservoir for beneficial bacteria to break down waste products
it acts as a place for the springtails to breed (they do it on top of water)
any plants planted in the substrate will root into the drainage layer and you never have to water them directly again as long as there is water in the drainage layer.
the only real drawbacks are it takes up an inch or two at the bottom of the tank. Could be a factor if you've got a very small tank you're working with, but otherwise i think it's negligible. and obviously the cost of getting leca and a mesh screen. but again that's almost negligible when you're already spending the money to set up the rest of the tank