^^ This, except I use two holes, one in the back and one in the front, and substitute vermiculite. I was unable to find perlite around here that didn't have chemicals on it. I ended up ordering the vermiculite from Uline, and got two huge bags for a pretty good price.
I've seen a couple people using gravel, and I hope to experiment with that at some point. Once I get through this ton of vermiculite.. It can be cleaned and reused, and holds heat well.