Rock support?

In my current tank I made the mistake of putting the rock on top of the sand. At the time, this seemed to be more logical, as the rock wouldn't scratch/break the bottom glass.

I will be doing a shallow sand bed in my new 90 gallon (~1.5"). What are different methods of supporting the rock structure? And how can I prevent the rock from damaging the glass on the bottom of the tank?

I will be adding 50 lbs of new dry rock and around 50 lbs of LR from my current tank. I will probably add more rock as time goes on, so I want to have a solid base to add to.

 

You could cut eggcrate and place it under where the rocks will be sitting. That's what I did.

 

I did the same I used eggcrate

 

Works for me! Thanks!

 

The only problem with the egg crate is the potential to create little pockets of anaerobic sand under your base rock. These can eventually lead to nastier substances that if disturbed could kill your entire tank!
I have seen some pvc structures that if built correctly raise the rock completely off the bottom except for a few minimal contact points that hide the pvc that rests on the bottom. This also allows for some interesting overhangs and caves as well as improved water circulation.

 

Telgar is right. Here is a couple of pics of what I did with my eggcrate. I did lift it about an 1 1/2 and I have minimal areas that come in contact with the sand.





Hope this helps

 

Yes this makes total sense. I have actually heard of this before but forgot. So you drilled holes in the PVC to allow oxygenated water to flow through, thus killing all obligate anaerobes. I suppose facultative anaerobes would still have the ability to grow, but I'm not sure what impact these have on a reef aquarium.

 

I have read in many articles regarding this affect on a reef and they they are considered denitrifiers. This article is one of them. Check it out you'll find it interesting. Pseudovibrio denitrificans gen. nov., sp. nov., a marine, facultatively anaerobic, fermentative bacterium capable of denitrification