egg crate bottom?

It's only 1/4" thick and it comes in sheets 2' x 4'. Get the white one as I heard the colored ones can be harmful. I use it for other things like instead of using a glass top you can use the eggcrate. I put a piece in the sump around the pump top keep bags of chemi pure and phoslock etc from getting caught up in the pump. I have a piece in the fuge to protect the heater from burning the cheato and another piece to keep the cheato from getting into the sump.
I use 3 pieces that are half the width of the tank on the top in between the braces to keep fish from jumping out. I have a canopy so I don't worry about them jumpimg out the front and this way I can feed the fish and do some maintainence without disruption.

 

There it is.

 

i just used it in my 90 upgrade. i too didn't like the idea of stacking the rock directly on the glass. im sure it would have been fine to not use it. i did try and move a couple pieces the other day, the whole "island" seemed much more stable then in my 55.

 

I can give you a real good reason for not using it. I will create a dead zone, an area where nothing can move or stir up the sand or substrate. It also releases Phosphates into the water, the amount it releases by itself isn't allot but in combo with other things it might just be enough to cause a problem.

If you don't want rocks sitting on the bottom then use PVC pipe to create a base for it to sit on. This is what I did with my reef, none of my rocks sit on the bottom. They and are glued to PVC pipe and sit about an inch and a half above the glass.

 

If you go the in-tank DSB route, this may actually be preferable; I know plenums were very popular for a while because of this.

Also, where do you guys buy eggcrate? I've gone all over, to Home Depot, Lowes, and an industrial electrical supply store in my area, and none of them stock it. Only the electrical supply store can get it - in bulk, so at least 6 sheets, and by then you get each for like $30 because it's not a typical part to get alone.

 

If you live in a state like IL, with a Menards, they sell it there and it works great. One sheet cost about $10 though.

 

i got mine from an lighting supply store/fixture show room.

i do some some concern for creating dead spots, but not much. the stuff i used is pretty thin. as far as phospates go, it may at first but dint think it will be a long term issue, and have a GFO reactor running. i can however say that it did create a huge diatom bloom cause of the extra silicates, but that too is a temporary problem

 

I got mine in Home Depot. It's in the lighting area by the floresent light fixtures and coveres - sold as light difuser

The dead spots are easy enough to minimize, I cut 4 strips of crate 3 squares wide and spaced them across the bottom then laid the main sheet down on top of it. This raises it 1/4 inch off the bottom and the only potential dead spots are in the 4 strips.

 

The egg crate is 1/4 inch thick and will be at the bottom of a 2 1/2 inch sand bed. Do you think any dead spots down that far will be an issue? What about any silicates or phosphates? I would like to avoid any issues before they begin, especially in a tank this small.