Eggcrate under rocks & wrasse burrowing

[Reefpuck]

I have some eggcrate under the main sections of my rock, and have about 3" of sand. My concern is there might be some sharp edges of the eggcrate. Most of the eggcrate should be well under the outer edges of the rock.

Should I be worried about the wrasse possibly hitting one of the edges when it burrows. I mean...the way it does it's kamikaze burrow...it doesn't seem too concerned about hitting anything.

[mcgyvr]

Your concerns are valid..
Eggcrate can be sharp..

[RobZilla04]

Keep and eye on your wrasse to see if he shows any signs of injury. Once he has been in there for a while he should get used to the places where the egg crate are. If he shows no signs of injury for a month or more, I'd assume he will be fine.

[rocsec1]

I've done the same thing in my tank and have a wrasse. So far no problem with it.

[Arcar]

I was thinking about putting egg crate under my rock so its not on the glass but people have said it can cause bad areas for bacteria? Would you agree? or just put the rock on the glass?

[oldhead]

Originally Posted by Arcar

I was thinking about putting egg crate under my rock so its not on the glass but people have said it can cause bad areas for bacteria? Would you agree? or just put the rock on the glass?

In my current tank I actually put my rock on short 3" pieces of 3" pvc. I drilled holes through it so it didn't get stagnant inside of it. I used 3 of them and set my rock from there. On my 110 upgrade I am working on atm I set my rock on the glass.

[ca1ore]

If you are going to place something under your rocks to alleviate any potential point loading, seems to me there are far better choices than eggcrate. I have used regular old acrylic sheet, polycarbonate or starboard without any problem.

[Arcar]

Good call

[rocsec1]

I have egg crate and a wrasses so far no problem.

[thegrun]

The primary reason for using egg crate is to anchor your rocks so they don't shift over time due to pressure from the rocks stacked above it and from shifting sand. It does help distribute the weight, but that is just an added bonus. The rocks lock into the holes in the egg crate and rarely shift. I have used it in all my tanks with sand for many years without any issues. I've taken down two tanks that were well over 5 years old with egg crate and the sand in the egg crate slots was just as clean as the sand above it. If you have a decent clean up crew there is no problem with bacteria or detritus build up.

[Ron Reefman]

I raised the egg crate up above the sand by 2" on pvc pipe legs. That way any critter that wants sand or a place to hide from the light has lots of room. It also promotes using all the rocks surface for good bacteria and better flow at the sand bed. Under my egg crate I can see lots of feather dusters and sponges. You can see how I did it in my build thread (link in my signature below). Several others in my local club have done this and we all think it's helpful.