In the how to thread on BB it says lexan or plexi is bad.

[kevensquint]

According to that very infromative thread plexiglass or lexan will warp and let crap get trapped under. Is it possible to silicone lexan or plexiglass to the tank bottom to prevent this? I can save alot of $ if I can find basically anything besides starboard to cover the bottom of my BB tank.

 

[SeanT]

You really won't save that much money.
Cost of plexiglass and silicone and time and effort, all that adds up.

 

[kevensquint]

1/4" white non transparent acrylic 18" x 72" =$59 silicon=$5. Starboard 1/2" 18"x72" = $162.90. These are prices from around my area. The starboard is only available at one specialty cutting board shop.

 

[SeanT]

You can get a piece of 18" x 72" for $97.20 plus shipping at www.cuttingboardcompany.com
And unless your tank is braceless I would go with two 18" x 36" boards.
Same price at that website.

hth,
Sean

 

[jmkarcz]

For what it's worth... I got away from plastics all together in one system, (as a BB) I used tumbled limestone tiles I found at a tile shop. I siliconed them (4"x4") relatively close together, Then added about 1 cup of sand to the system. The sand "grouted" the joints. It looks like a "ancient road" umderwater that time has fogotten. The limestone is like live rock... it readily grows coraline or, better yet, frags take to it easily.

The tiles are what they call tumbled and unfilled. This means they are beatup around the edges, and there were no filler epoxys used to fill the holes.

I was thinking originally of using some larger liverock that I have, and bringing it to the brick yard I work at, and having the guys in the stone shop cut it like a loaf of bread. I would then piece it out on the bottom.

Jason

 

[Scuba_Dave]

I like the idea of the limestone tiles, has anyone else installed these?

 

[jcorso]

You can get that cutting board material for a whole heck of a lot cheaper at Interstate Plastics

A 3/8" x 18" x 72" peice there is $58 or you can get a couple of 24" x 36" for around $20 each and cut them yourself.

 

[jer1198]

i like that idea of limestone tiles, are they available online?

 

[szeth13]

i installed them on a floor before, but not in a tank. as i was doing it i thought to myself (hmmmm this would make a pretty sweet background if i got the ones with alot of holes and such)

 

[doody]

Those tiles got my attention as a background. Can you put limestone in a reeftank?

 

[doody]

Probably expencive huh?

 

[nofrills]

I REALLY like this idea. Does anybody know what is safe to use?

 

[marino420td]

jmkarcz, any pics of the tank with the limestones?