DIY Ideas for almost bare bottom tank

AndrewNS · Jul 20, 2019

I'm considering going bare bottom in my 93 cube but I really do like the look of having sand.
Any suggestions on a type of glue that could be used to glue aragonite sand to acrylic. Or maybe there is a better material to use.
I have 50 lbs of dry special grade reef sand and lots of spare acrylic.

This is what I'm thinking...
- Using a brush to coat an acrylic sheet with slow curing cyanoacrylate.
- dump a whole bunch of sand on top and hope it sticks

Any thoughts/suggestions would be great.

JumboShrimp · Jul 20, 2019

Ever think of letting GSP adhere to the bottom and take over?

Fishnut · Jul 20, 2019

I was thinking of using a tank safe silicone to spread on the bottom and then sprinkle sand to coat it. Another idea was to spray a textured paint from underneath the tank so you still have the look of sand. Not sure though so will be following to hear about other ideas.

JumboShrimp · Jul 20, 2019

Of those two ideas I like the 'paint the underneath' best.

AndrewNS · Jul 20, 2019

I don't want to do anything directly to the bottom of the tank. I would rather have something that could be taken out. That way when it's time to upgrade, the next tank owner can have the choice of the bottom they like.

Is there anything special about the reef branded super-glues that make them more appropriate for salt water or perhaps don't release unwanted chemicals?

How about a liquid rubber product?

TheGreatWave · Jul 21, 2019

A possibility is to make a mold the size of the floor of your tank.

Put your sand in there and cover with a quality casting epoxy. This has the advantage of being able to be poured on thick, so you can still have some ripples in the sand if you want.

It will of course have to be cleaned at times.

Some epoxy may slightly yellow over time depending on the quality and thickness.

I dont know if you would run into issues with stagnent water underneath or not. Most who install starboard bottoms silicone the edges to keep detritus out.