Placing LR directly on glass???
- Thread starter addicted2
- Start date
sepulatian
Moderator
Originally Posted by addicted2
Question??..when setting up tank, do you place LR directly on the glass and then add sand..or set rock on top of sand?....I am wondering because of thinking maybe rock directly on glass would scratch glass and weaken it with so much weight..opinions please??
Some people say rock first then add sand around it. I agree with your theory that there should be some sand under! I say lay some sand then rock then build it in with the rest of the sand. Better safe than sorry
Question??..when setting up tank, do you place LR directly on the glass and then add sand..or set rock on top of sand?....I am wondering because of thinking maybe rock directly on glass would scratch glass and weaken it with so much weight..opinions please??
Some people say rock first then add sand around it. I agree with your theory that there should be some sand under! I say lay some sand then rock then build it in with the rest of the sand. Better safe than sorry
hatessushi
Active Member
Actually placing sand first will be less safe after the rock is placed. If the rock shifts from a sand tunneler it could fall and break the tank. If you don't want the rock directly on the glass then go to Home Depot and pick up a sheet of egg crate used for lighting, about $10 or less. cut is to size and place it on the bottom of the tank then place rock and it will be sturdy and then place sand, works every time.
sepulatian
Moderator
Originally Posted by HatesSushi
Actually placing sand first will be less safe after the rock is placed. If the rock shifts from a sand tunneler it could fall and break the tank. If you don't want the rock directly on the glass then go to Home Depot and pick up a sheet of egg crate used for lighting, about $10 or less. cut is to size and place it on the bottom of the tank then place rock and it will be sturdy and then place sand, works every time.
That sounds like a safe security measure!!!
Actually placing sand first will be less safe after the rock is placed. If the rock shifts from a sand tunneler it could fall and break the tank. If you don't want the rock directly on the glass then go to Home Depot and pick up a sheet of egg crate used for lighting, about $10 or less. cut is to size and place it on the bottom of the tank then place rock and it will be sturdy and then place sand, works every time.
That sounds like a safe security measure!!!
reefrobert
Member
I placed the biggest three rocks on the bottom to make a cave and then placed the rest in. then I added the sand a week later, just my opinion!
windmill
Member
I'm a paranoid feller, so perhaps i'm overly cautious. I have a bunch of base rock that I use so I find a good cut piece with a flat side and lay it directly on the glass. I do this with a couple large, well balanced pieces to establish a base to build up. Once the "first layer" (bottom level) of rocks are placed, I put sand in and pack it around the rocks for a good, solid base. Then I check to make sure no pieces "wobble" too much. Then place some more base rock or live rock on top of the first layer and so on until I have many caves, crevaces, and a few "open" areas surrounded by rocks.
If I put a piece of live rock on the bottom (I like live rock closer to the light) then I make sure it rests very stabily on sand. My logic leads me to think pods and other creatures that live in sand and rock like a connection that's easy to traverse from one to the other. And live rock usually has no "flat" sides that allow it to rest "wobble-free" on the glass. I never lean anything on the glass too. I like to build towering rock structures that get as close to the surface as possible, so my paranoia is a good thing, considering one off-balance piece could someday tumble and shatter a wall of my aquarium.
If I put a piece of live rock on the bottom (I like live rock closer to the light) then I make sure it rests very stabily on sand. My logic leads me to think pods and other creatures that live in sand and rock like a connection that's easy to traverse from one to the other. And live rock usually has no "flat" sides that allow it to rest "wobble-free" on the glass. I never lean anything on the glass too. I like to build towering rock structures that get as close to the surface as possible, so my paranoia is a good thing, considering one off-balance piece could someday tumble and shatter a wall of my aquarium.
addicted2
Member
paranoid??? you and me both..I bought this 75 gal and stand in April..it's still sitting waterless, lifeless in my family room..but oh my..I have tub after tub filled with LR just waiting to be placed..bags of sand lying all around...all kinds of equipment on my love seat...Aqualight pro leaning against the wall waiting to be suspended from ceiling...20 gal long tank/ with 3 cut glass baffles waiting to be siliconed...ASM skimmer in box...10 gal quarantine tank in basement, RO unit spitting out RO water as we speak! Preparing for the BIG day....blah blah blah..ALL because I have this great idea that you can't have too much information...and I have been accumulating all this stuff for months now (paying as I go..because I refuse to use credit cards) and OMG!!! the time is NEAR!. I swear, when this baby is up and running... Awestruck you all will be!..
*Thanking all of you....
*stepping down from my soapbox...
*Thanking all of you....
*stepping down from my soapbox...
colourmop
Member
yeah i like eggcrate at the very bottom idea, if you put rock directly against glass, it will create a pressure point where all the rock's weight press against the glass at 1 point (break!) but if you have eggcrate at the bottom, it will help distribute the pressure, and you could make it into a filter system too
1journeyman
Active Member
Hmm... I don't really like the egg crate idea. I like my rock in place directly on the bottom of the tank with the sand put in afterwards.
I guess my only real concern with the eggcrate would be if the weight of the rock crushed through a tiny section of it and impacted the bottom of the tank after It was filled.
I guess my only real concern with the eggcrate would be if the weight of the rock crushed through a tiny section of it and impacted the bottom of the tank after It was filled.
1journeyman
Active Member
No, not as long as it is covered in sand. In a shallow sand bed it allows critters to crawl in and feed. In a deep sand bed it shouldn't ever attract nutrients.
acrylic51
Active Member
Originally Posted by 1journeyman
No, not as long as it is covered in sand. In a shallow sand bed it allows critters to crawl in and feed. In a deep sand bed it shouldn't ever attract nutrients.
I've always used eggcrate under my LR.......I don't like the idea of LR sitting directly on top of sand.....It will and does create dead spots in the tank......With your rock suspended a bit it allows for complete water flow and circulation and if needed your could take a power head and blow anything that might settle in that area.....
I then add my sand after my bottom portion is in place....and work up from there.....
No, not as long as it is covered in sand. In a shallow sand bed it allows critters to crawl in and feed. In a deep sand bed it shouldn't ever attract nutrients.
I've always used eggcrate under my LR.......I don't like the idea of LR sitting directly on top of sand.....It will and does create dead spots in the tank......With your rock suspended a bit it allows for complete water flow and circulation and if needed your could take a power head and blow anything that might settle in that area.....
I then add my sand after my bottom portion is in place....and work up from there.....
reefrobert
Member
Ever if you LR is sit on egg crates, it has to make contact with the glass surface and the live rock surface some where and that will still cause A dead spot!