Eggcrate on bottom of tank

[zezeta]

I have a few questions:

I have seen some tanks where people have added egg crate to the bottom of the tank to help support the live rock. Does the egg crate really help to displace the the weight of the rock evenly on the bottom of the tank or is it unnecessary?

If the egg crate does help displace the weight I would be interested in doing it for my tank before I get any rock or sand. The other question I had though is will the egg crate prevent you from getting burrowing animals such as pistol shrimp?

I would really like to add a pistol shrimp/goby combo once I get my tank established and I want to make sure that the egg crate would mess with them. Also what's the recommended sand depth for a pistol shrimp?

Thanks for the help!

[Tangweed]

Egg crate is used if you don't have a Deep Sand Bed. It help in keeping the LR from scratching or cracking the bottom of the tank.

[LoyalConvict]

the egg crate does help to displace weight and it also helps rocks for becoming unbalance and tumbling over, as oposed to just resting them in sand or on the bare glass. it you are adding burrowing creatures i would use putty to help hold your rocks together better. or better yet, drill holes and use acrylic rods. the egg crate crate shouldnt hurt your shrimp from burrowing. and i'd personaly go for a 4 inch sand bed. though, this topic is highly debated as how deep to make a sand bed.

[kikireef]

I used eggcrate on my 125 and I think its a good idea. All you need it one pointed peice of rock with some weight on it to crack your bottom glass and cause a disaster. And yes it also helps to displace the weight. I also have a 2-4 inch sand bed depending on how strong the current is in any area of the tank. I keep a sandsifting goby, nas snails (which burrow....but not deep) and an engineer eel goby which really gets deep. I haven't had any problems with any of them.

[zezeta]

Alright well it looks like I will be picking up some egg crate soon.

I think I will sleep better at night knowing that the weight of the rocks will be displaced evenly over the bottom. 75 gallons doesn't seem like a lot but after draining the tank today (just finished doing a leak test) I realized how much water that thing was holding!

Thanks again for all the help!

[Whys]

In the case of a Deep Sand Bed, eggcrate is more to prevent collapse than it is to improve weight distribution. With 4 or more inches of sand under your rock, a little shifting and sinking can cause the rocks stacked on top to tumble over.

Here is a photo of my eggcrate shelf for my 5" DSB.

http://www.4everb.com/eggcrate1.jpg


http://www.4everb.com/eggcrate2.jpg

[Lightsluvr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15365920#post15365920 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zezeta
Alright well it looks like I will be picking up some egg crate soon.

I think I will sleep better at night knowing that the weight of the rocks will be displaced evenly over the bottom. 75 gallons doesn't seem like a lot but after draining the tank today (just finished doing a leak test) I realized how much water that thing was holding!

Thanks again for all the help!

Not a bad idea with a glass-bottomed tank... you would be amazed how far and wide 75 gallons of saltwater can travel over your finished flooring... :eek2:

As for collapsing, I was taught to aquascape from the bottom up - meaning that I place my base rock directly on the tank bottom (or the eggcrate)...you then build up from the bottom as you add SW to your tank... every layer is built solidly on the layer below. (That's the theory anyway)

Isn't there something biblical about building on shifting sands? ;)

LL

[khaosinc]

I actually went so fqr as to attach my rockwork to the eggcrate on the walls and floors, nothing will move it

[Wolverine]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15365715#post15365715 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tangweed
Egg crate is used if you don't have a Deep Sand Bed. It help in keeping the LR from scratching or cracking the bottom of the tank.

I've used it with a DSB in the past (when I had one). Like Whys said, in addition to protecting the bottom of the tank, it also makes the structure more stable. I think it's a lot easier to build a robust aquascape when the rocks aren't sliding all over the place.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15366881#post15366881 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by khaosinc
I actually went so far as to

Dude, you could finish that sentence in sooooo many ways regarding the build you are working on now. :lol:

[atwinparadox2]

I only have about 3-4 inches of sand throughout in my 90 and i used eggcrate for the bottom because it secures the rocks so much better. I have a dragon goby who loves to move sand around and if it weren't for the eggcrate I would probably have some major shifting or even collapsing by now. If the sand gets moved enough to expose the eggcrating i just slowly move it back or add a little more on top of that spot.

[moevilla]

Where can I find eggcrate? Went to Michaels hobby store, Home Depot, King Soopers groceries, and I tried another craft store. Nothing!

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15368433#post15368433 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by moevilla
Where can I find eggcrate? Went to Michaels hobby store, Home Depot, King Soopers groceries, and I tried another craft store. Nothing!

Home Depot should have it, in the lighting section. Believe it is also called "light diffuser"

[moevilla]

Thanks, I will check today.

[moevilla]

Any other place that might sell it?

[atwinparadox2]

Yeah ask for light diffusers, they are usually in HD or Lowes somewhere around the insulation aisle, give or take an aisle or two. If you ask them for eggcrate they will look at you like you are from another planet. Ask for light diffusers....

[Miasma_F]

If going with a DSB, then egg crate won't effect burrowing fish/inverts at all. Did this on my previous set up.

If going with a SSB, then I would go with starboard under the rocks. I was too lazy to find pieces big enough so I just bought large cutting boards. I think it took 2.5 boards to give me the coverage I wanted. The smooth bottom isn't as noticeable in areas where current has completely blown the sand away.