The Bio Dude HydroGrow V2 Drainage Layer — 18 qt

Every wet build needs somewhere for the water to go. HydroGrow V2 is The Bio Dude's terrarium drainage layer — 100% natural clay that captures excess water out of the bioactive substrate above while aerating top to bottom, preventing the anaerobic water pockets that make tropical enclosures go sour. It's the base layer under Bio Dude's own Terra Flora and Terra Fauna tropical substrates — if you're building a dart frog, tree frog, or planted gecko vivarium, this is the layer that goes in first. This item ships direct from The Bio Dude with Bask & Burrow as your seller of record — see our shipping policy and refund policy for how delivery and returns work.

• 100% natural clay: a purpose-made drainage medium, lighter to work with than pond media and sized for terrarium builds.
• Captures and aerates: pulls excess water out of the substrate while keeping the layer aerated top to bottom, so trapped water doesn't turn anaerobic under your vivarium.
• Use a screen divider: The Bio Dude specifies that HydroGrow V2 must be used with a screen or mesh divider between the drainage layer and the substrate above it.
• Rinse before use: a quick rinse before it goes into the terrarium is recommended — five minutes that keeps clay dust out of your water column.
• Know when to skip it: arid and terrestrial mixes like Terra Sahara and Terra Firma don't need a drainage layer at all — HydroGrow is for wet, tropical, and planted builds.

Whether your build needs a drainage layer at all — and how deep to make it, how the mesh barrier works, and when a false bottom beats loose media — is exactly what our guide to drainage layers and false bottoms for wet enclosures walks through, HydroGrow V2 included.