Egg Crate in sand bed?

[Thoax]

Hey guys getting ready to start up my new tank in my old tank i just had sand and the live rock sat on top of that sand.

I have seen people use egg crate and then fill it with sand, My question is what are the pros and cons of using egg crate?

I figure it will help with the coral not touching the glass tank bottom but won't stuff build up more in the sand bed and make it harder for the cleaning crew?

 

[reef heaven]

I only use it under my rocks where they would make contact with the glass so i don't have issues with buildup. I can still clean my sand and I have gobies with no issues.

 

[Jlentz]

If you're worried about your rock sitting directly on the tank bottom just knock the sharp bits off before you put it in. If you are using pukani use a saw on the bottom to make it perfectly flat. It's surprisingly easy to cut.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

It makes your scape more stable and modular in a way. In case of emergency you can just pull it out.
Plus you have a stable base to do some very cool builds.

Myself , I'm an advocate of sand cleaning. With the rocks completely stable you turkey baste the sand or stir it aggressively with no fear of the rocks falling over. Stops the build up of poop and rotten food n the sand.

 

[Thoax]

Thanks guys looks like i get some egg crate then

 

[Rixar]

It makes your scape more stable and modular in a way. In case of emergency you can just pull it out.
Plus you have a stable base to do some very cool builds.

Myself , I'm an advocate of sand cleaning. With the rocks completely stable you turkey baste the sand or stir it aggressively with no fear of the rocks falling over. Stops the build up of poop and rotten food n the sand.

Do you think that moving the sand violently will remove excess dirt?

What tool do you use to move it? His own hand?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Do you think that moving the sand violently will remove excess dirt?

What tool do you use to move it? His own hand?

Yes it allows small dirt to go into the sump.

Very very easy to do.

 

[AdamNC]

I use it but use caution with wrasse as they can hurt themselves. I had a Yellow Coris Wrasse that broke his lip when burying himself, didn't or couldn't eat after that and ended up passing.

 

[frank@wall]

I used it in my old built and I regret not using it again.

 

[d2mini]

I don't like the idea of using it. Just a place to trap detritus, even worse than a standard sand bed.
And I've never ever seen an instance of a glass bottom breaking due to weight of the rock. The rock isn't all that heavy in water, and even if it fell, it's not hitting the bottom with much force.
I think this is one of those weird practices that caught on because one guy got worried and came up with the idea and then everyone else followed.
And when I scape my tank, the rock gets pushed/twisted down so it's making contact with the bottom. It's not being supported by loose sand.

 

[fishbox]

I don't like the idea of using it. Just a place to trap detritus, even worse than a standard sand bed.
And I've never ever seen an instance of a glass bottom breaking due to weight of the rock. The rock isn't all that heavy in water, and even if it fell, it's not hitting the bottom with much force.
I think this is one of those weird practices that caught on because one guy got worried and came up with the idea and then everyone else followed.
And when I scape my tank, the rock gets pushed/twisted down so it's making contact with the bottom. It's not being supported by loose sand.

Exactly!

 

[Bacon505]

Some eggcrate leak phosphate so make sure you do some research on it before you put them in your system and have algae problem in the long run.

 

[Susan Edwards]

It makes your scape more stable and modular in a way. In case of emergency you can just pull it out.
Plus you have a stable base to do some very cool builds.

Myself , I'm an advocate of sand cleaning. With the rocks completely stable you turkey baste the sand or stir it aggressively with no fear of the rocks falling over. Stops the build up of poop and rotten food n the sand.

Does this mean you are on the side of okay to use egg crate? I'm on the fence here. If I use it, I'll only put under the main structures with none sticking outside of the rock. I don't want gobies getting harmed. I do the turkey baste method of cleaning sand so the egg crate shouldn't interfere with that if only used under the rock

 

[mfinn]

I don't like the idea of using it. Just a place to trap detritus, even worse than a standard sand bed.
And I've never ever seen an instance of a glass bottom breaking due to weight of the rock. The rock isn't all that heavy in water, and even if it fell, it's not hitting the bottom with much force.
I think this is one of those weird practices that caught on because one guy got worried and came up with the idea and then everyone else followed.
And when I scape my tank, the rock gets pushed/twisted down so it's making contact with the bottom. It's not being supported by loose sand.

I agree 100%.
I too have never seen a bottom break from rock in several decades in the hobby.

 

[Kmsutows]

I don't like the idea of using it. Just a place to trap detritus, even worse than a standard sand bed.
And I've never ever seen an instance of a glass bottom breaking due to weight of the rock. The rock isn't all that heavy in water, and even if it fell, it's not hitting the bottom with much force.
I think this is one of those weird practices that caught on because one guy got worried and came up with the idea and then everyone else followed.
And when I scape my tank, the rock gets pushed/twisted down so it's making contact with the bottom. It's not being supported by loose sand.

THIS

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Does this mean you are on the side of okay to use egg crate? I'm on the fence here. If I use it, I'll only put under the main structures with none sticking outside of the rock. I don't want gobies getting harmed. I do the turkey baste method of cleaning sand so the egg crate shouldn't interfere with that if only used under the rock

I think it’s perfectly fine yes. But again application needs to taken into acount. If you have a digger, yea maybe don’t use use it. If you need a base for stability , you could use rods,( I have one rock with two rods Front and back) or use a piece of acrylic.

It main and only real function is for structural stability. Esp if you have a snazzy crazy scape in mind it’s a good trick.


And yea, you could use a piece of flat rock.

 

[Susan Edwards]

thanks. So I could cut it so it is at least a half to an inch smaller than the rock base and a digger would be fine as they wouldn't be able to get under the rock anyway if the rock is placed before sand and I cut it so there are no pcs of the squares sticking out. If I do it, it would be for stability but I also might not need it. I do have a couple of caves/arches so would not have it there and the crate would raise the rocks on each side of opening a bit higher so the sand doesn't fill it in.