concrete bare bottom?

Sm0kin

New member
just thinking if it would be possible. I am thinking it would be like the diy rock. Needs to be cured. Has it been done? Any problems? You would still have the bacteria benefits of live rock but with out the hassles of sand. Could it replace a DSB or at least accomplish the same thing?
 
how big is the tank you want to put it in?
depending on how thick it is you would be adding a lot of extra unneeded heavy weight to the tank, you ever feel the weight of a slab of concrete 2 ft x 2 ft x 1" thick.
 
sm0kin,

It is possible, and has been done.

http://www.rockcanyon.com/reef/

I communicated with Jim back in 2003 and he said all was still running well. I do not know if he has changed anything since, but it's worth a look.

As for replacing a DSB... It won't do that. It's like regular DIY live rock in that sense.

HTH,
 
I read a thread somewhere about epoxy with a sand topping for bare bottom...
I gotta agree with comatose... concrete seems like a lot of unecessary weight.
 
Some numbers from Reade Advanced Materials

portland cement weighs 94 lbs per cubic foot
gravel concrete weighs 150 lbs per cubic foot
wet sand weighs 120 lbs per cubic foot
dry sand weighs 100 lbs per cubic foot

I do not think we are talking a big difference in weight. Starboard is of course lightweight but offers no biological benefits to a reef tank.
 
I guess you could try, how i would do it this way since you want a flat surface anyway is get your empty tank and stand where you want it, then make enough cement to pour into the tank so you have a very thin layer maybe a half inch, that would assure that it's still a light load, and let it cure in the tank. your gonna have to cure it like we do with DIY live rock, this may take months. this would make for a tight fit and as cement cures it does shrink a bit.
the only problem i have with this method is if you ever want to take it out of the tank good luck breaking it up without breaking the glass.
there are a couple threads that do show you how to use starboard and cover it with either sand or Crushed coral......i have one myself on my webpage that i did two years ago and it looks great today.

Covering Starboard
 
one other point, cement is very gritty when you pour it in the tank, be careful not to put a lot of scratches on your sides of the glass.
 
I had a cement bottom tank.

I only poured about 1/4" on the bottom. Made a good bottom for a BB tank, though if I were you, maybe try to add some coloring to it. (Just a suggestion.)

For my current tank, I plan to do the faux sandbed thing though.
 
Just a dumb question... it's not the first time I've heard of it just the first time I asked.... What the heck is Starboard???:confused:

:cool:
 
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