Rocks on Glass

[strayner]

Quick q - i'm putting rocks on the bottom of my tank before anything else goes in, including substrate. Would filter floss be a good material to let the rocks rest on? Or should i just go rocks on bare glass. Trying to prevent scratches (even though it's just the bottom)

[timbruun]

If you're worried get some egg crate/light diffuser. Works great and there there are no worries. Although alot of people just go without anything. I wouldn't use filter floss. It'll get pretty gross after a while.

[Fishful Thinking]

I've used egg crate in some tanks and not in others. I put it in my 150 because it is so tall and had so many rocks that I was worried that some might fall down, but I don't honestly know if it made any difference. Point being, I won't be putting any in my other tanks, especially the smaller ones. Like timbruun said, I don't think filter floss is the answer. Egg crate is cheap anyways if you want some potential peace of mind.

Not scratching the bottom glass? You are treating your tanks far better than I have ever treated mine. Unless the egg crate is cut to be really snug on the bottom of the tank, it still could scratch the bottom glass once you have sand in and start moving things around. HTH

[Dharmie]

Egg grate wont dissolve to quickly or make the tank icky? i am just starting up my first 30 Gallon so this is a great tip!

[timbruun]

It's plastic. It's known as light diffuser also from hardware stores I believe.

[jewels]

Silicone is another option as well.

[Dharmie]

Ohh alright. I was thinking of the stuff that eggs come in, the card board. Is this something that SHOULD be done? or just a cautionary step?

[timbruun]

Entirely up to you. I have it in my african tank because it came that way and I guess I do feel safer with it. Others don't have it and have no problems either.

[rayfong]

I have it in my 72 gallon because originally it was an African tank with rockwork. I've also had a 90 gallon tank that also had a lot of rockwork without the eggcrate so I don't think it made much of a difference. You just have to make sure the rocks are stable and won't fall when the fish decide to rearrange your substrate.

[jvision]

I have about 80lbs of Fieldstone in my 120, NO eggcrate. I've had over 100lbs in smaller tanks and no problems. I put the sand down first (I now use only sand as substrate, no gravel) then stack the rockwork. The trick is to stack your rock so that it won't fall.

Fill the tank 1/2 way, then start adding your rock - make sure you stack the rocks underwater, b/c they can shift if you don't (unless your stacking is perfect). When stacking, see if you can rock (ie. like a rocking chair) the rocks when they're on top of each other. If you can, there's a good chance they'll fall. If there's no movement then you should be safe. If you put the sand down first, then even if a rock does tumble there's practically no chance of damaging the bottom glass.

Edited January 27, 2010 by jvision

[Dharmie]

Thank you so much for the tips.

[timbruun]

Only problem with putting the rocks on top of the sand is if the fish start digging. Mine dig under everything that they can. They even pull the sand up from the egg crate