false bottem pump prob in dart frog tank

[nat_the_brat]

Hi I have a false bottem in my dart tank with a pump + pipe underneath so that I have have imitation rain running along the top of the tank (make sense?) the pump was working great at first but the roots from plants seem to be clogging it and now it barely works at all. I think the pump I purchased was intended for table top fountains (which i was told would be ok but I am starting to think otherwise) I am wondering if anyone else has flase bottems and what they have found works for them. I am also wondering if anyone can recomend a good small pump that would be more sutible for false bottem (maybe has some sort of device that could prevent the plant roots from interfering with the water flow) thanks for any advice.
nat

[peterm15]

http://home.earthlink.net/~kenuy/falsebot.htm

http://frogs.tripod.com/TANKSET.HTM

here these might help... i like the idea of putting to behind a log...

[nat_the_brat]

thanks for the links... that's basically how mine is set up w/ the eggcrates and filter but I might have to tear it apart and try "protecting" it with the log. good idea. thanks

[peterm15]

hey what kinda of egg crates are used...where can i get them

[nat_the_brat]

they are the kind you use for florescent light fixtures in offices so you can get them at hardware stores. I actually went to a industrial store and got mine for free because it was scrap.. and the bouns is the guy actually cut it to size for me! Depending on the type of, I have seen them range from $8 to $45. I have seen them home depot and home hardware. I don't know why they call them egg crates. It threw me off totally when I started out but in the end it worked perfectly for a flase bottem. Instead of using air conditioning fliters though I went and got plastic canvas at the craft store. I think I payed .50 for it at walmart and its easy to cut up.

[peterm15]

i never understood what the filter was for though....... is it the wtarefall.. do you have any pics of your tank... i would really like to see it...

[nat_the_brat]

the filter (or plastic canvas that you get at the craft store) is to prevent the gravel from falling through the egg crate (the grating is aprx 1cm2 so gravel would fall through) I don't have pics but I could look up the links I made mine from. I will look for them and get back to you

[nat_the_brat]

http://www.angelfire.com/sc2/dendrobatedesigns/fbottom.html

i couldn't find the link I used (granted that was about two years ago) but this one is equally as good. they call the egg crate lighting panel which makes it less confusing. The only think i don't see is the plastic canvas over the egg crate/lighting panel is order to prevent gravel falling through to the water resevoir.