Acrylic on bottom of tank?

[Lunger50]

So, I purchased a new 65 gallon and am in the process of collecting parts and getting ready for sand and rock.

Was debating egg crate on base under sand to stack rock on. Lots of stories about that being a crap trap. Would like to not stack directly on the glass or work about breaking it if I happen to drop a rock or two during scaling. So was thinking a thin sheet of acrylic or lexan on the bottom. I would silicone all around the edges so nothing can get under.

Was also going to get a sheet of black acrylic cut the same dimensions as the top of my black stand and silicone that on so no water would ever sit on the stand.

Thoughts?

 

[lou dog420]

I know people use star board for that sometimes.

 

[Lunger50]

I have also heard that but don't really know what exactly that is or where to get it.

Buddy of mine works at a shop that uses lexan and acrylic a lot, so easy for me to get, he can cut it to size and should give it to me cheap if not free.

 

[Lunger50]

Bump up, just hoping to keep this on the first page for more than an hour rather then immediately being relegated to page 3...lol

 

[ca1ore]

Sure, you can use acrylic, starboard or even PVC sheet on the tank bottom to protect the glass from point loading. I always did when I ran a glass tank, though I never bothered to silicone it down.

 

[Servillius]

So, I purchased a new 65 gallon and am in the process of collecting parts and getting ready for sand and rock.

Was debating egg crate on base under sand to stack rock on. Lots of stories about that being a crap trap. Would like to not stack directly on the glass or work about breaking it if I happen to drop a rock or two during scaling. So was thinking a thin sheet of acrylic or lexan on the bottom. I would silicone all around the edges so nothing can get under.

Was also going to get a sheet of black acrylic cut the same dimensions as the top of my black stand and silicone that on so no water would ever sit on the stand.

Thoughts?

Anything you put on the bottom is going to trap waste under it and a surprising amount at that. The only way to prevent it is to glue it down and even then it seems to sneak in. Your glass will be fine. Just don’t drop dumbbells from height into it.

That said, I’ve been a bare bottom guy for many years and I’m slowly going back to a thin layer of sand. Sand is not the problem, it’s just one of the places a problem manifests itself.

I have a sand bed in a small auxiliary tank connected to my main tank. I’ve never cleaned it and thanks to snails, cukes, hermits, etc., it stays cleaner than my bare bottom on the main section of the tank.

Focus on eliminating waste by effective filtration.