use of egg-crate

F

famman

AC Members
Aug 16, 2002
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Los Angeles, CA
I'm starting up a 46 bow, and I've cut a piece of egg-crate lighting diffuser to protect the bottom. I was planning on using a mix of laterite, gravel and sand as a substrate.

I'm hoping to get to a heavily planted tank, but I'm starting out only 30% plant-stocked or so.

Will the egg crate be a problem in any way?

thanks,
:)
 
I use eggcrate light diffuser to build plenums, to support extensive rockwork, and to make dividers. What is the purpose under the substrate? I don't see the function there.

A 30% planted tank is much harder to do than a 70-100% planted tank IME.
 
The purpose of the egg crate is to protect the tank from my own clumsiness. I'd like to put large pieces of driftwood and large rocks in it without cracking the bottom glass.

As for the 30% planted, for being a large city, Los Angeles has the crappiest selection of aquatics plants I could believe possible. I'm transferring the contents of my 20g high into the 46, so that's were I get the 30% or so. It's not the intention, it's simply all of the decent plants I can get my hands on at one time.

Will the egg crate alter the performance of my substrate? Should I put sand or gravel down first or mix in the laterite?

Thanks,
:)
 
For stress relief for the glass I'll go along fully - that was my first and still most common use.

I'd fill in the eggcrate with plain gravel, then layer mixed gravel/laterite over that, then cap with the thickest layer of plain again. Did that make sense?

Tenor 1/Carlos does not come here I don't think, but does visit Aquabotanic. He is LA (but I don't know which area) and has multiple planted tanks and has mentioned his sources.
 
Yes RTR that makes perfect sense. I'll also check out Tenor 1/Carlos posts at Aquabotanic.
Thanks,
:)
 
Just a thought...
You can skip the messy laterite if you spend a little more cash and get Flourite, or Onyx Sand..
 
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