My parrot is a hero!

[keane]

Hi,

eggcrate......what exactly is it? where do i get it from?

have been told to get some to put at the bottom of my mbuna tank when setting up so the weight of the rock aquascape i build is evenly distributed and not at one single point on the glass base?

thanks

steve. B)

 

[leon]

eggcrate is just basically a sheet of plastic grid, that can be cut into different sizes for different uses, ive cut it so it fits onto the top of the tank to stop wannabe carpet surfers, and still allow evaporation/cooling and light to pass. Others use it to build reef racks, or shelves for their L.R. its good stuff, but not really that cheap.
If you want i can post a pic so you know what it looks like!.
leon.

 

[Navarre]

this is eggcrate.
I used it for the reefrack on this tank

 

[amstar15]

interesting. so tell me what is the benefit or why did you set up a "reef rack?" I would love to see pics of the tank if it is set up with the reef rack.

 

[leon]

People use reef racks to build up their rock with, some have a single layer on legs just above the bottom to still allow circulation, some have shelves to help aquascape, and allow then to have a big looking reef without all the costs of all the live rock they'd need to fill it. Circulation is the biggest thing, so it allows all water to pass everywhere so no stale areas develop. I personally have "reef feet", basically plastic tubes of varying size siliconed onto the bottom (with a pump and spraybar behind it all for extra circulation) and the rock placed on these, it took along time to get them to fit, but eventually when i did, i just carried on building up the rock dry-stone wall style, no milliput, and only a few pieces of rock on the actual substrate, 1- to hide the reef feet and 2- to give certain things the chance to burrow under, namely my pistol shrimps. I personally feel that this way is more natural, nothing is hindered by a big crate, and the inhabitants can go where they fit, like a real reef, personally.
how mine kind of looked, these were moved and more added, but you get the idea

leon

 

[Navarre]

here is the tank just after it arrived

The eggcrate is cut out and the shape of the reef is defined by the shape of the rack.


Now the rack has feet so the entire rock structure will be lifted off the bas of the tank.

(The shelf later got ripped out to make room for more rock)

This is the tank just after its setup.
You can see the 2 powerheads that are connected to the reefrack, the spraybar under the rack will send a flow of water up into the structure thus giving the liverock more flow and more circulation.. this means better filtration

This is the tank as it was just before Christmas.

There is an acrylic barrier around the fron ot the rack and this stops the sand from drifting under the rack.
To the naked eye there should be no visible sign that the rock sits on a rack but in this case you can see the front of the rack. The base is covered in coraline algae in the center at the front.