This is assuming you want a woodland or rainforest viv:
I use an inch and half to two inches of LECA (Light Expanded Clay Aggregate) as my bottom drainage layer. This is lighter than gravel and has more surface area. It's a hydroponic growing medium and as such, available at hydroponic garden centres.
Over top of that I would lay a fine nylon or fibreglass mesh. If your tank is drilled all the better, otherwise, you can install a drain by taking a section of PVC pipe about two to four inches in diameter...you'll want a cap for it, it's easy enough to find the parts at Home Depot...drill multiple small holes in the sides, set it within the LECA, leaving the centre clear. Now you can lift the cap and siphon excess water out easily...I'll be posting a short series of pics on constructing this drain as soon as I get more materials, so forgive me if this doesn't come across well in print.
For substrate, you can use two to four inches of any mix you want based on your research and preference, but a couple of options:
1. Unmilled sphagnum moss. Plants can grow directly in this and in some instances the dormant moss spores will sprout.
2. Ground coconut fibre, although on its' own it gets quite sodden, so I would cover it in a layer of leaf litter, which I would use anyway, or a thin layer of soil.
I notice Kyle likes to use organic fertilizers...Mark and I do not, for reasons already cited, but to each his own.
Pillbugs are great decomposers, I have found small earthworms in my tanks from time to time, but I've heard that the castings left on the surface by worms will kill delicate mosses.
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