Can I use eggcrate under my aquascape?

[Ron Reefman]

Here is a crazy idea, set the egg crate up on pvc pipe legs so 80% of the rocks don't even sit in the sand. Here is a link to the post where I wrote it up how I did it in my tank build:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ron-reefmans-50g-cube.409412/#post-4867204

And here is a photo of the final result. Now remember, more than 80% of this rock is 1" or more above the sand. And there are several reasons why this worth doing.

P9020001 R1 by Ron Lindensmith, on Flickr

 

[PhreeByrd]

I can describe what I have done for tanks in the past:

Take a flat sheet of cell-cast acrylic at least 1/4" thick. Cut it so that it's just slightly narrower than your tank is wide, and about two thirds of the tank's dimensions from front to back. Example: your tank is 18" x 48". Cut the acrylic 12" x 46", or two pieces 12" x 23". You could make this wider than 12", but there is a reason for leaving this dimension short. If your tank has top braces, make sure you can get these pieces into the tank without breaking or cutting anything apart. Adjust the dimensions as needed.

On one face of the sheet, lay out a grid pattern of roughly 2" x 2". You can increase this dimension slightly if necessary, but I wouldn't make it more than 2-1/2" on center. When you have a nice uniform layout, use a 1/2" diameter flat-bottom-cutting drill bit like a Forstner bit and drill a blind hole 1/8" deep at each grid intersection. A drill press is a big help for this. After deciding on how deep your sand bed will be, get some 1/2" acrylic rod. You'll need quite a bit of it. Cut the rod to equal lengths the depth of your planned sand bed (don't worry about the 1/8" seat depth unless you're completely anal-retentive about this stuff). Cut a rod for each drilled hole. Clean up the cut ends of the rods, and using thickened acrylic cement, set each rod into a drilled hole. Take care to make sure each rod is fully seated and standing plumb. Then let the cement cure overnight. You've just made a really deluxe platform for your rockwork.

Set the thing you've made into the bottom of your tank, add sand up to or just very slightly above the tops of the rods, and start placing your rock. The rock will sit on the platform much better than it would on a flat, smooth bottom, because it accommodates irregularities in the shape of the rocks. The real benefit is that sand-dwelling animals will still have full access to the full depth of the sand bed. They can do whatever they like without bothering the stability of the rockwork. This is now a true sand bed, with the platform taking the place of base rock in a much better way.

I may still have one of these I'm no longer using lying around, in case anybody needs a photograph to figure out what the heck I'm rambling on about...

Oh. The reason for leaving the platform short is because nobody in their right mind would set rock right up to the front glass. This also gives you good spots to place things like trachyphyllias, plate corals, gonioporas, or other things that like to be bedded in the sand.