acrylic or eggcrate?

[dougers31]

So I'm planning on setting up a 30br frag tank/sump for my 40 display and was wondering what the pros and cons are between using eggcrate and drilled acrylic for the frag racks....

I know you should be able to get more flow with the acrylic but if the acrylic gets coated in coraline then it would shut out any light for someof the lower light corals that could go beneath.... Any thoughts?

 

[mfinn]

I like using black eggcrate. White seems to attrach algae.
I think eggcrate will allow more flow between frags.

 

[thewackyreefer]

Only benefit I see to eggcrate is the additional flow, that's what I went with.

 

[boehm742]

I agree with mfinn on the eggcrate and increased flow here.

 

[dougers31]

So eggcrate actually will have more flow? I would think that acrylic having a flat surface would keep the water moving with less restrictions...

 

[boehm742]

So eggcrate actually will have more flow? I would think that acrylic having a flat surface would keep the water moving with less restrictions...

Horizontally ya, but im talking vertically.

 

[Jcr's Reef]

I used acrylic bc I got tired of all the algae (white). With acrylic I just cut circles in the sides and put some Korila powerheads through them to move current beneath the rack. Mp10 takes care of the rest.

 

[dougers31]

Thanks for the input guys.. I think I'm gonna go with black eggcrate.

 

[re-fin-away]

Good choice going with the black the white tends to look bad after sometime, and the last thing you want it to worry about cleaning the crate in your frag tank.

 

[US Marine Coral]

the black is th ebest choice

 

[dougers31]

Good choice going with the black the white tends to look bad after sometime, and the last thing you want it to worry about cleaning the crate in your frag tank.

Yeah, I've heard the white will actually leach phosphate into the tank, maybe why algae grows so good on it.

 

[re-fin-away]

i have heard the same thing now that I think about it.

 

[mfinn]

Thanks for the input guys.. I think I'm gonna go with black eggcrate.

It can be found at bulkreefsupply.com and lifereef.com

If you are interested, I can show you how to make some frag racks using casting resin and neodyimium magnets.

 

[akabryanhall]

The only thing I don't like about acrylic racks is the holes are quite small, so only a small proportion of plugs will actually fit in the holes.

 

[dougers31]

It can be found at bulkreefsupply.com and lifereef.com

If you are interested, I can show you how to make some frag racks using casting resin and neodyimium magnets.

Would be cool to know how to do this..

The only thing I don't like about acrylic racks is the holes are quite small, so only a small proportion of plugs will actually fit in the holes.

If I were to use acrylic I would drill the holes myself and would have a few diff. sizes.

 

[NeverlosT]

I did acrylic. If I had it to do again, I'd do egg crate. In fact, I think im switching to egg crate this week. Acrylic was neat, but no vertical flow plus light blocked to lower critters plus the PITA of using those acrylic plugs... Im going eggcrate.

 

[greg0385]

eggcrate, im going to use it ontop of tank and the back of the canopy to try and keep from having jumpers, might even have it on the back of my stand too