I built out this IKEA Rudsta two months ago and mostly just winged the design based on some YouTube videos I watched and advice from plant friends who had gone through the process already. I sealed the bottom with aquarium-safe silicone and leak-tested overnight multiple times with 2-3 inches of water. A friend of mine suggested I install a bulkhead drain valve (I used [this one](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NX697C0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)) which I did before starting the hardscape and adding plants. [Pics of the valve](https://imgur.com/a/NE5A7Mk). This turned out to be one of the smartest decisions I made in this build.
For the first month, I found the bulkhead mostly useless since my misters weren’t on enough to cause water to build in the drainage layer. [I even made a post about my build last month](https://www.reddit.com/r/terrariums/comments/1dm3qgh/one_month_update_on_this_ikea_cabinet_terrarium/) and mentioned in the comments that the bulkhead was just a precaution and I had never actually had to use it before.
Fast forward a few weeks ago. My WiFi smart strip which controls my misting system turned on and then decided to never turn off. It released a little under 2 gallons of water into the terrarium overnight. I woke up to water all over my floor and a slow leak since I forgot the drain valve was locked. Was able to drain it all very quickly once I realized what has happened.
* If you plan to go the WiFi outlet route for a misting system, I would add multiple off switches in case the first one doesn’t work, e.g. on at 7:00am, off at 7:01am, off at 7:02am, etc. * I switched to a MistKing system with their own brand of digital timer and haven’t had any issues since. * A substrate barrier over the intake of the drain valve is good to prevent any substrate from getting in there. I used a substrate barrier from Josh’s Frogs at first which was a huge mistake. It let like one (1) drop of water through every hour. I had to shove my hand into the substrate and rip it open when I had the flooding issue to release all of the built-up water. I used a [mesh screen](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C2HTB21S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) instead which was more than sufficient to let water through and block most of the substrate.
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I built out this IKEA Rudsta two months ago and mostly just winged the design based on some YouTube videos I watched and advice from plant friends who had gone through the process already. I sealed the bottom with aquarium-safe silicone and leak-tested overnight multiple times with 2-3 inches of water. A friend of mine suggested I install a bulkhead drain valve (I used [this one](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NX697C0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)) which I did before starting the hardscape and adding plants. [Pics of the valve](https://imgur.com/a/NE5A7Mk). This turned out to be one of the smartest decisions I made in this build.
For the first month, I found the bulkhead mostly useless since my misters weren’t on enough to cause water to build in the drainage layer. [I even made a post about my build last month](https://www.reddit.com/r/terrariums/comments/1dm3qgh/one_month_update_on_this_ikea_cabinet_terrarium/) and mentioned in the comments that the bulkhead was just a precaution and I had never actually had to use it before.
Fast forward a few weeks ago. My WiFi smart strip which controls my misting system turned on and then decided to never turn off. It released a little under 2 gallons of water into the terrarium overnight. I woke up to water all over my floor and a slow leak since I forgot the drain valve was locked. Was able to drain it all very quickly once I realized what has happened.
* If you plan to go the WiFi outlet route for a misting system, I would add multiple off switches in case the first one doesn’t work, e.g. on at 7:00am, off at 7:01am, off at 7:02am, etc.
* I switched to a MistKing system with their own brand of digital timer and haven’t had any issues since.
* A substrate barrier over the intake of the drain valve is good to prevent any substrate from getting in there. I used a substrate barrier from Josh’s Frogs at first which was a huge mistake. It let like one (1) drop of water through every hour. I had to shove my hand into the substrate and rip it open when I had the flooding issue to release all of the built-up water. I used a [mesh screen](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C2HTB21S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) instead which was more than sufficient to let water through and block most of the substrate.
How is your moss surviving on the background? 😭
Wow is that a burl marx?!