eggcrate and fish

[jayinh]

hey guys, I am setting up a new 60g cube and was thinking of using eggcrate under the sand and rock. i was thinking of going 2.5" of sand. will this pose any issues with fish like a wrasse? or any other issues i am not thinking of? i have always just set the rock on the bottom of thank and then sand around it. thanks for any input

 

[woodnaquanut]

Most now say the eggcrate is not needed and can actually cause problems. I think it reduced the ability of sand creatures to move around in a normal fashion and also reduces the natural flow within the sand.

Save a few bucks and leave it out.

 

[haynesw]

I agree with woodnaquanut

 

[SushiGirl]

I agree with woodnaquanut & hanesw. Eggcrate was something that came into fashion after I left the hobby previously & it never made sense to me keeping all that sand compartmentalized in little squares. It would definitely interfere with sand-sleeping wrasses with such a shallow sand bed.

 

[BoisBlancBoy]

I was going to use some eggcrate, just because to me it seemed a little nerv racking to pile rock directly on glass. Since rock only makes contact with the glass in certain places causing more weight in a given area.

Could I put 1/2" of sand down then rock then another 1/2-1 1/2" of sand?

 

[SushiGirl]

Putting the rock on sand is worse than putting it on glass. Sand shifts. If you make sure your rock is stable on the glass then add sand, it's much more stable.

 

[jayinh]

thanks, no eggcrate it is.

 

[BoisBlancBoy]

Thanks for the advice, makes sense!

 

[BlueFyre]

I cut my eggcrate into smaller squares so it was only under the rock and no where else in the tank. Since I had 2 towers the area that has eggcrate is very small. I like eggcrate because I find it easier to make the base rocks stable than putting it right on the glass.

 

[BoisBlancBoy]

That's a decent idea

 

[haynesw]

I dislike putting rock directly on the glass (bc I imagine high psi on the points of the rock that contact the glass...but I have no calculations etc to say that this is actually a problem). I dislike resting rock on sand bc the sand can shift and animals can move it/dig etc. I like to make a pvc frame work, place the frame on the glass, attach the rock to the pvc frame, and then bury the pvc with sand. This may be excessive but that's my general approach to reefing

 

[TL1000RSquid]

I have eggcrate in my tanks, I don't cover the whole bottom of the tank just a strip in the middle where I place the rocks. Never had any trouble even with burrowers and sifters that like going under rock(pistol shrimp, various gobies) I'll likely continue to use it keeps the base layer much more stable IMO. Never had any shifting in my main rock formations using it, however smaller formations up front with no crate under it I've had shift due to shrimp excavating under them.

 

[AT_Hiker]

I cut my eggcrate into smaller squares so it was only under the rock and no where else in the tank. Since I had 2 towers the area that has eggcrate is very small. I like eggcrate because I find it easier to make the base rocks stable than putting it right on the glass.

I like this idea. I was going to put eggcrate across the entire bottom, but I've been worried how that would impact advection in the sand bed. I think only putting eggcrate under the rock will do a nice job distributing the weight with minimal impact to the water flow through the sand.

Does anyone disagree?

 

[woodnaquanut]

I wonder how much weight is actually put on points of the tank bottom after the water is added. The rock weight is reduced by it's buoyancy in SW.

You could also trim off a little of the rock to increase the footprint and stability. No egg crate for me - except as a anti-carpet jerky measure!

 

[jaa1456]

I never got the egg crate idea either. The dead load the glass can handle is greater than the rock you are going to put on it. If it were a live load as in rocks falling or being dropped then yes the glass would be at a greater risk to break. The manufactures have taken into account of there being a load on the glass. I always put my sand in first and then get the rock into the sand moving it from side to side so it gets to the glass. I have never had any rock shift or tanks crack from rock in 20 years of doing this. I think some people over think things.

 

[Bax]

I beleive egg crate leeches something and promotes cyano. I dont use it at all anymore

In my latest tank I used sheets of acrylic set at various elevation levels under my rock. I like it a lot. But I am not using any sand in this DT. It allows for great flow under the rocks.

 

[Mcubed]

I don't like the idea if eggcrate either. I used single sheets of clear acrylic on the bottom areas where my rocks sit.

 

[nanoreefer1000]

I don't like the eggcrate in my sandbed, don't get it