Protection under substrate.

I've build a couple pillars with overhangs for my new 125g and was going to use egg-crate. However, this worries me because I want to keep many leopard and tamarins, and don't want them digging into the sharp edges.

At the end of the day, is there a really GOOD reason not to put starboard or egg-crate under rock. I just like the idea of dispersing some of that weight over a large area not a focused point.

I've done a few searches and have not found anyone convincing..

 

I had it under mine and after time it just gets brittle. I tore my tank apart to get all that stuff out of there. I wouldn't do it.

 

If you want wrasses I wouldn't suggest it. Make the rock as stable/secure as possible or use a safe epoxy/ fiberglass rod to hold it together.

There is 0 need to put anything under the rock.... even with a pillar.

 

I'm in the same boat. In search of something more than egg crate.

 

You could technically put the same mesh covering you use for DIY lids over the egg create.

Presto chango you will then have a plenum.

 

I've done a plenum.

I had eggreate in plenum for 5 years and it still was not crumbling.

All my rock is e-marco-400 mortared together so im not worry about shifting just the psi if the few points of the rock on the glass. also in case it somehow fails and droped an overhang I know it would be ok on eggcrate or starboard.

Long story short I will probably go with the starboard if my local plastic manufacturer can do me right on monday.

 

Starboard? I thought you were on Port!

Sorry, sailing humor!

The rocks don't weigh as much in the water as on land, with the bouyant effect of the saltwater- right?

If the pinpoint PSI is your issue, maybe you could make a sort of base to even in out/disperse it more?
Isn't that why many tanks have tempered bottoms?

 

Yeah, but as you may be a sailor, i'm a pilot and I like redundancy. Also since its my thread:

I'm going to building some small (8-12ft) sailboats using marine plywood (cause its better) what would you recommend for types of boats, (scow sloop etc....)

 

I have a DIY rock that is basically just a solid chunk of concrete (or whatever the original maker of it made it from....) it seriously weighs 25+lbs out of the tank.... Not thinking about it when I was breaking down my 180 I stacked a ton of rock on the one end and since this piece was on the bottom it ended up on the top near the top of my 24" tall 180, needless to say it wasn't sturdy, I bumped it trying to catch a fish and fell all the way down to the bottom on ~1/4" of sand.... barely even disturbed the sand and certainly did no damage to my tempered glass bottom.

Also when you place the rock on the bottom and fill with sand it will work its way around the rock which will put pressure on that sand which puts pressure on the glass so it is naturally spreading it out, it isn't fully on the 3 points (or however many) that actually touch rock to glass.... and if thats not enough, its not like you have 50 lbs in one spot and 0 everywhere else as the weight of your sand will be spread out to balance things even further.

Your really overthinking the whole thing its not really that complicated or necessary, infact putting anything like that under the sand is really just creating an area that could cause more problems then you think it may solve. If you leave that area untouched and then bump/ or shift the starboard you could release whatever is trapped under it.....

 

Or you could get some 1" or 1.5" PVC pipe and cut it into enough 1/2" or 3/4" rings to cover the bottom. Then you could have a framework for weight distribution and wrasses could dig but only so far...
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