# What to put under rocks in a tank.



## dagizmo19 (Jan 6, 2009)

I am going to be getting 50-75 lbs of Granite to put in my 55g, but I am concerned that placing and stacking these could damage the glass on the bottom of the tank they are sitting on due to the extra weight. 

Is there something I can put between these rocks and the glass on the bottom of the tank to help spread the weight evenly?


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

You can use "eggcrate" on the bottom of the tank. 
You can usually find it in large sheets in the lighting section at Home Depot or Lowes.
It looks like this:

http://www.collins-consulting.org/orchids/eggCrate.jpg


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

eggcrate, which is called light defuser will do the trick

this may however make using a gravel vac alittle more difficult.


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## dagizmo19 (Jan 6, 2009)

onefish2fish said:


> eggcrate, which is called light defuser will do the trick
> 
> this may however make using a gravel vac alittle more difficult.


Excellent, I will stop at Home Depot tomorrow and see if I can find it. Does everyone call it "eggcrate"? 

I was planning on using Sand, so gravel vaccing shouldn't be that big of an issue (just have to suck the junk off the top)


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

i went to home depot asking for eggcrate and no one knew what i was talking about. go into the lighting department and if you cant find it yourself ask for light defuser.

im unsure of how many rocks your adding but i think the tank can support the weight without it unless your planning on lots of rocks stacked high, even then it prob. can support it. i guess eggcrate wouldnt hurt though.


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## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

The tank can easily support the weight but that's not the issue. The rocks are unlikely to be flat and will most likely have points or corners that it will want to set on, these will create a lot of pressure at these points. Putting down eggcrate in the bottom is a very good idea to make sure the weight is distributed in such a way that doesn't stress the aquarium.


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## WisFish (Dec 16, 2008)

As long as the bottom of the tank is support especially in the middle you should be fine. I bought a cheap wrought-iron stand that only supported the tank at the ends. I didn't notice this when I bought the tank and stand. After a few months of all that weight, the silicone gave out and the tank started to leak big time. It's a good thing my landlord was understanding because it left a big water spot on the ceiling of the apartment below. Since then I've used wood shims and sheets of cork to make sure the tank is fully supported.


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