# Egg crate alternative?



## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

I want to use something at the base of my tank to offset pressure points created by the rocks I put in but want to be able to easily stir the sand substrate to prevent anerobic gas pockets. I know most people use egg crate if they want deal with the rock issue but I'm wondering if the sand caught in the squares would be a concern. This might be a dumb question but is there any reason why a sheet of plexiglass at the base of the tank wouldn't be an ideal solution to this problem?

Thoughts?


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## alanvickiuk (Jun 14, 2009)

use a thin 10mm sheet of polystyrene thats what i have with 230kg of granite rock on it and its fine and i can still stir the sand up to stop gas pockets in it  :thumb:


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Thanks for the feedback, alanvikiuk. I'm wondering why more people don't do this. People on this forum regularly talk about not being able to find egg crate. What's so special about it (assuming something is needed at all)?


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## duds (Apr 16, 2010)

*alanvickiuk*, where did you find your polystyrene? Hardware store?


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## alanvickiuk (Jun 14, 2009)

its from a place called B&Q warehouse i think its a uk store but they do sell it in all hardware stores here 
:thumb:


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

*What's so special about it (assuming something is needed at all)?*
Not a thing special about it.
Many, myself included, do not use it.


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

_Tank bottoms cracked by rock pressure point_s and _fish killed by anaerobic gas pockets_ are the two enduring legends of fish keeping; there's lots of talk about them happening but very little proof that they actually happen.

Having said that, there's certainly nothing wrong with stirring your sand.

And I can give you the name of a plexiglass supplier in Hamilton if you want to PM me.

kevin


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## Riceburner (Sep 3, 2008)

Home Depot sells plexi.


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## cgmark (Aug 18, 2010)

Not really a concern if you have a deep enough sand bed. The sand will perform the same function as egg crate. A few inches of sand is enough to spread the load over a wide area.
Realize that in order to break glass with a pressure point you need to be applying pressure over a very small area. Look at the tools sold for breaking auto glass in an emergency. These are punches that have the surface area of an ice pick where they contact the glass. Unless you got some really sharp rock I wouldn't worry about it.

I don't like the plastic in bottom method because things can grow under the plastic that you cannot get access to without taking apart the tank.


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## alanvickiuk (Jun 14, 2009)

the polystyrene i use i only use it under the larger rocks other than that i just use sand as said above


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

*A few inches of sand is enough to spread the load over a wide area. *
That wouldn`t work if you have diggers.
Certainly not if you were to stack rock.
For myself, I put the rock right on the glass so they can not dig under them and cause any shifting.
If you have diggers, they will uncover the egg crate around the rocks.
If you use it, I guess painting to match your sand would be a good idea.


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## Bryeman (Aug 25, 2010)

I just simply put larger pieces of gray slate on top of my sand, and then stacked the rock on top of that. This likely works better than anything because the the slate has big surface area to begin with, but then the sand spreads the weight out even more. The fish can dig all they want, but won't shift the slate I'm using. I'm happy with it anyways!


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## cgmark (Aug 18, 2010)

Bryeman said:


> I just simply put larger pieces of gray slate on top of my sand, and then stacked the rock on top of that. This likely works better than anything because the the slate has big surface area to begin with, but then the sand spreads the weight out even more. The fish can dig all they want, but won't shift the slate I'm using. I'm happy with it anyways!


Years ago you could buy aquariums that had slate bottoms instead of glass. Guess glass was determined to be cheaper.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

I have hundred of pounds of limestone in my tanks, all sitting directly on the bottom. I don't use eggcrate because the fish would expose it and I don't think it's neccessary. I also agree with the kaiser regarding fish digging under rocks, not a good idea if the rocks are stacked.


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