False bottom

[orangeinecrab]

I was thinking about building a false bottom for my 4x2x2ft vivarium but I'm wondering whether the pressure from the substrate above pushing down on the pvc supports will lead to the base of the vivarium cracking or not?

[wodesorel]

Vivarium or aquarium? A lot of the time Viv glass isn't built to hold a lot of weight since it's for no water use and the species it's used for aren't needing much substrate. If it were an aquarium there would be no worries if you chose to, but I would be a little nervous about doing it with the thinner glass of a viv.

[orangeinecrab]

Vivarium or aquarium? A lot of the time Viv glass isn't built to hold a lot of weight since it's for no water use and the species it's used for aren't needing much substrate. If it were an aquarium there would be no worries if you chose to, but I would be a little nervous about doing it with the thinner glass of a viv.

It's a vivarium but at about 5.5-6 inch height there is a sticker saying maximum water height so I'm a bit confused. I may just end up resetting it up without a false bottom again as I will sleep better at night without the fear of the bottom panel cracking.

[wodesorel]

So it's a turtle tank. They can hold more weight than a classic reptile Viv but not as much as an aquarium of the same dimensions.

The dimensions you gave work out to 30 gallons of water which is around 250 pounds, plus decor and the like so under 400 for sure. Wet sand weights double the weight of water, so if you had a foot of sub in there you'd be looking at around 500 pounds which is probably at the borderline of what it was tested at. I would be nervous trying to balance that weight unevenly on the PVC risers, but I tend to always want to over engineer for safety.