# Eggcrate pros and cons?



## Jaffy (Jul 10, 2010)

I'd like to go sand over ugf in my next setup. My question is does the eggcrate trap air and cause bad gas pockets under the stones?


----------



## Saleen281 (Feb 22, 2012)

i think it might depend on the type of sand you use. i have used various types some work some dont stay away from clay like sand like the play sand from home depot that traps air.i now HAVE been using quickrete medium commercial grade sand and have had no problems with it. so it depends on the type of sand you use all in all.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Eggcrate does not trap air and cause gas pockets. IDK about the advisability of a ugf, but that was not your question. Why would you use eggcrate over a ugf I guess is the question for you?


----------



## Jaffy (Jul 10, 2010)

Ah, to clarify, up to now I have been a ugf with gravel. After my move I plan to setup with sand and seem to recall using the eggcrate was advisable with a large quantity of rocks which I like to keep. My last tank I kept enough slate that it went about 3/4 of the way from bottom to top of my 125's.


----------



## 6Gears1Speed (Mar 18, 2013)

Aside from the pros that everyone mentions about weight distribution and general glass protection I've found another pro. I use PVC for caves and put rocks and substrate over them. When I just did my floorplan I was able to line up the PVC where I wanted it easily because I had the egg crate grid to measure with. Everything is nice and straight and properly lined up where they needed to be. I loved working with this stuff and will use it from now on. I had never heard of it back when I was keeping fish years ago.


----------



## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Pros: None that I'm aware of.
Cons: You have to buy it, cut and install it and it's unsightly in tanks with sifters.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The advantage of having egg crate between the glass and the rocks is debatable. But you already have the UGF to perform that function, so I would omit the egg crate.


----------



## Derpfish (Jul 26, 2012)

I'm not sure egg crate is necessary if you have an inch or 2 of sand/gravel under the rocks.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You don't want ANY sand or gravel under the rocks because the cichlids will dig it out and topple the rocks. You want to put your rocks in first (directly on the glass is fine, or on egg crate, etc.) and then the substrate so it does not get underneath.


----------



## Jaffy (Jul 10, 2010)

Awesome thx for the info I appreciate it.


----------



## Derpfish (Jul 26, 2012)

DJRansome said:


> You don't want ANY sand or gravel under the rocks because the cichlids will dig it out and topple the rocks. You want to put your rocks in first (directly on the glass is fine, or on egg crate, etc.) and then the substrate so it does not get underneath.


I was thinking of big rocks. Heavy, wide rocks with a large surface area aren't going anywhere no matter how much the fish dig around them.


----------



## ozman (Sep 7, 2012)

Derpfish said:


> DJRansome said:
> 
> 
> > You don't want ANY sand or gravel under the rocks because the cichlids will dig it out and topple the rocks. You want to put your rocks in first (directly on the glass is fine, or on egg crate, etc.) and then the substrate so it does not get underneath.
> ...


sorry but i disagree with you. i had some very large rocks as base rocks on which to stack upon, and my experience was that thank god i put them on the glass floor.
i had mbuna and wow do they like to dig! so much so that the bottom of the tank was often visable around the rocks after only 1 week. i had about 1.5 inches of sand in that tank.

if i had put them on the sand then the whole lot would have come down, quite probably destroying the tank and then of course my home.

it's your call, but be carefull, do you want the contents of your tank all over your house when you come home?


----------



## 150tk (May 10, 2013)

This thread of info is great - Rocks before substrate for more stable hardscape, eggcrate not required if using ugf. The engineer in me says that if you were using large rocks with angular bases the 'point loading' on the glass would be distributed evenly over the base glass by using eggcrate or similar.... As i am just setting up a 150g after a long break (30years) I have a Q ref sand - how do you vac clean without sucking up the sand..? I would be tempted to go with gravel but this forum leans to sand for haps/peacocks....


----------



## qtssima (Jun 13, 2012)

My pref. is to use eggcrate b/c I am paranoid and sometimes not so graceful with the rocks inside the tank. If you had mbuna, I could see it might get annoying with all the digging. With a hap/peacock tank, all they do is sift through the sand for the most part. I use aragonite sand and have had no issues. As far as vac cleaning - a little annoying at first, but once you have started the siphon, take the tube off the end of your python and just use the hose and hold it about an inch from the sand. This seems to concentrate the vac and will go alot faster than keeping the tube on. It will take a little practice and you will vac up some sand initially, but you will get the hang of it.


----------



## b3w4r3 (Dec 14, 2012)

150tk said:


> This thread of info is great - Rocks before substrate for more stable hardscape, eggcrate not required if using ugf.


I would not recommend using an ugf with sand. It simply won't work as the sand packs too tightly to allow water to flow through it. If just using the ugf to support the rock work make sure it can handle the stress of all that rock. Most ugf I have seen and used in the past don't have adequate support for heavy rocks and would cave under the strain. Rocks directly on the glass works just fine.


----------



## Jaffy (Jul 10, 2010)

I'm not using the ugf at all. I used it for the last 8 years. Since I will be running sand I think I will be going with the eggcrate in all but the show tank


----------



## Derpfish (Jul 26, 2012)

ozman said:


> Derpfish said:
> 
> 
> > DJRansome said:
> ...


A 15 pound rock that has a wide circumference and isn't top heavy, sitting on top of less than an inch of sand, isn't going anywhere. They can't dig enough under it to get it to move. Obviously, it's more risky with small, lightweight rocks. 
Anyway, setting it on the glass is good enough, regardless.


----------

