Glue and seal starboard, or not?

panic

panic

Premium Member
I wasn't planning on gluing this down, but does anyone prefer one way over another? This is an upgrade to a 180 with BB.
 
don't bother glueing it down. i glued mine down in a 180 and all the silicone eventually peeled off (silicone does not adhere to starboard very well)

i eventually went to a SSB because the BB got too ugly to look at =)
 
I do find that some detrius gets under the starboard (damn spagetti worms!) after a while. Not sure the long term success of silicone...
 
I completely siliconed the approx 1/4" gap all the way around my "starboard" It has been that way for about 9 months now. Evrything is still holding strong. It is much easier to clean the detritus out. It doesnt go in between the starboard and the tank wall.
 
I ordered my Starboard bottom cut to almost the exact inside dim of my 90, I left like 1/4". I used a 4 1/2" grinder and beveled the edge about 45* all the way around so it would sit flat on the bottom over the tanks silicone. Then I used black aquarium silicone around the outside edges and in between the pieces to "stick" it together. Silicone does not stick well to starboard but this has kept the detritus from getting between the board and glass.

28447IMG_0936-med.jpg
 
It's high density polyethylene. It is the white stuff that people use for cutting boards. It actually comes in all colors.

Mine is a little bit of a loose fit because I have that trim around the top of the tank. I have about a 1/2" gap all of the way around. I have heard that people like the gap because the detrius finds it's way there and is easier to siphon out.
starboardfits.jpg
 
Under mine is a bunch of worms, ampipods, mysid shrimp, and their little tunnels through the thin layer of detritus. It's like a pod refugium.
TimO
 
I would definetly reccomend glueing it in . I regret not glueing mine. The whole premise of running BB is based on having a clean system. I've found not matter what I do, I always have a few minor areas where detritus builds up in my tank. I am always trying to siphon out these spots. There is always a spot I can not get, underneath the starboard.

Just my opinion, but it just seems to make sense.

Dave
 
What I can not understand is if you glue it. How do stop an AIR POCKET from forming? Now everyone knows that air in time air will rise and will loosen the silicone. So how is this stopped? Now if you have water stagnant under there that is another problem. So I would think that not gluing it would be a better choice and once a month get a power head and blow out any sediment that does settle under it. Just my own opinion.
 
That is kind of what I was thinking. A much more serious funk may form under there when the seal breaks, which it would eventually do since nothing sticks to starboard.
 
Getting a powerhead and blowing it out is easier said than done. I can't seem to get it out of some places - or at least have not found a good way to do it.
 
We're talking about an area so minute as to not truly affect the overall bioload to the tank, and as such is almost it's own microenvironment. I see under mine an entire system of different animals that is a beautiful (and perhaps an intrinsic) part of my tank.
I vote for no sealant.
TimO
 
I agree with jsweir. I have 3 Seio 820's facing straight down, in the rear left, rear center, and rear right.(along with my all my other flow) No matter what it seems to always be somewhere-especially underneath the starboard. Even if the silicone were to break away from starboard over time, all that's escaping is air. IMO, that may be better than the rotting material that gets stuck. I guess it's a 6 in one hand, half a dozen in the other.

Dave
 
the new next trend thing will be to start.Is to elevate the starboard 2 inches off the bottom with pvc pipes.
awwwwwwwwww thats my idea and I will call it the new wave bottom. meaning a surge or wave can easly clean the detritus build up underneath it.
 
What about using strips of glass siliconed to the bottom to raise the starboard just a bit? Then using a spraybar at the back to push water underneath it, forcing all the junk to the front?
 
I stopped using the starboard after I saw how much crap was under mine. I prefer the just glass look.
 
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