Glass Tank bottom question

[georgec]

Hi all,

I bought a used 65AGA RR tank. I thought I read somewhere that you're not supposed to but live rock directly on the glass. Is there something I'm supposed to line the bottom with before adding rock on top? Also, am I supposed to put some foam between the tank and the stand?

My plan is probably to get some PVC and acrylic rods to build a stand or two to make pillars in the tank. I'm tired of the current fruit stand, random rockslides that I have going on in my current tank.

Thanks!

 

[Raddogz]

Sure you can put live rock on the bottom. You'd be surprised but the water actually slows down the impact of the rock before it hits the bottom. Of course it doesn't mean you won't scratch the bottom though.

 

[sfsuphysics]

Well you can put glass on the bottom, but depending upon how much rock actually comes in contact with the bottom you could be putting some serious pressure points on it. If you want you can use something as simple as a little square of acrylic or something under the points where the rocks touch.

 

[Gomer]

I lay down a small piece of plastic pieces (clear floor runners which I place in front of my tank when doing WCs) under the base rock for the reasons mike specified.

 

[tuberider]

I've used ABS in the past, it seems to work well, although when I was breeding monster fish I put the rock down on the glass bare bottom without any problems.

 

[iani]

I used PVC from tap in the past. Just for peace of mind and because I like my reef tanks to have black bottoms. Don't use styro under that tank. If the tank sits on a rim (like I am assuming) it would be counter productive to use any styrofoam.

 

[georgec]

great, thanks for the info. I was a little concerned about the pressure points. I'm assuming all acrylic or plastic is fairly stable in salt water?

 

[sfsuphysics]

Hope so, there's an entire industry based on tanks that are out of acrylic

 

[georgec]

Yes acrylic tanks would be a problem if they degrade. I meant to ask about plastic, in case I find some easier to cut sheeting for the tank.