Going bare bottom- glass or starboard?

[alten78]

I recently went BB and painted the bottom (outside of course) and it looked really nice. Its been about a month and im kinda surprised at how much purple and red coralline is already starting to cover.

 

[Marc11]

Did you paint it white or black? Rustolium now makes a spray that looks like sand or rock. Not sure how that would look though.

 

[alten78]

White on mine.

 

[reef life]

How thick was the pvc board 1/2"?

Yes, It was 1/2". Both PVC Board and Star Board are buoyant. They look the same, but the PVC Board was better on my wallet.

 

[GOSKN5]

Painted bottom white on mine and a couple prior to this one as well.. really love it... I scrap mine every few water changes.. so it stays pretty white...

 

[Marc11]

I painted the bottom white. Figured if I dont like it I could always put sand or starboard inside.

 

[Reefahholic]

Has anyone painted the outside bottom white. Does it give a sand appearance or does the glare on the glass not allow you to see the white?

I have. Due to the glass having a green tint it made the color a light blue with my T5’s which I really liked. However, depending on your lighting it may look completely different.

 

[Reefahholic]

I bought 1/2" starboard for my 300 gallon tank. Absolutely love it. I didn't care much for sand, as the water flow in the tank always created bare spots.

Only thing I would change is possibly buying it in black instead of white. It cuts very easy. Here's a few pictures... (couldn't figure out how to rotate the last one)

Did it silicone well for you?

 

[Ryan Doolittle]

I bought HDPE board for my tank, 1/2 inch thick, and in white. I like it but I think for new tanks with unestablished rock a sanded is beneficial. I am going to try adding sand and remove it slowly after the tank is more mature.

 

[Adambirk7]

This is my cube with starboard. It is amazing how much more light is reflected up using white. Tank is only 6 months old so still has alot of growing out to do. But I think the white makes the tank look way brighter and cleaner than a black bottom.