Question About Barebottom...

Devtech · #1 12/03/2007, 08:35 PM

ok so im going to be buying my 30gal Cube made by Red Sea it comes with a 150w HQI. wondering whats that white piece most people place on the bottom of the tank? or do i even need it? should i just paint the bottom black?

also would u think 150w HQI bulbs would be good enough for that tank for SPS and LPS?

richofoz · #2 12/03/2007, 08:40 PM

It's called starboard (not sure if that's a brand name).
It's used to protect the bottom of the tank from falling rocks and gives a nice clean look...

Devtech · #3 12/03/2007, 08:43 PM

any idea where i can find it?

masonicman · #4 12/03/2007, 09:04 PM

That fish place.com

ihavenoidea · #5 12/03/2007, 09:13 PM

look in the lighting section of homedepot. looks just like the stuff they put in floresent lights.

jcpatella · #6 12/03/2007, 10:22 PM

Actually, there are two different things people commonly use. I've seen starboard (which is similar to a kitchen cutting board - what richofoz is mentioning) and eggcrate (which is the fluorescent light covers you see in commercial buildings).

James77 · #7 12/03/2007, 11:04 PM

Using eggcrate would trap detritus and crud. whichever you choose to do- paint the bottom or add starboard(HDPE)- it will be covered in coralline within a few months.

Devtech · #8 12/03/2007, 11:11 PM

yea i kno the bottom would be covered in coraline thats what i want. i was thatfishplace and couldnt find the starboard.. any direct link to it? if i go to homedepot do i just ask for starboard and they'd know what im talking about? ...

about flow for this tank.. im thinkin 4 koralias the 4 model.. or should i be good with just 4 koralias 3's?

James77 · #9 12/03/2007, 11:39 PM

you'd be better off going to a plastic shop- if the tank is small enough, you can use a few pieces of cutting board from walmart or the like. Those Koralias are pretty big pumps- about the size of a soda can. You could get the tunze nano 6025 and do a simple mod to get ~1200 GPH(search for Tunze mod)- I would start with two- you can always add more.

King-Kong · #10 12/04/2007, 12:14 AM

Homedepot doesnt sell starboard.

DO NOT place eggcrate on the bottom of your BB.

If you arent going to be stacking your rocks high or in dangerous positions, dont worry about putting a cutting board or starboard on the bottom.

Besides, with just glass, it will be easier to keep clean / scrape clean.

Also, please spend time researching the needs of a BB tank and dont just jump into it.

Devtech · #11 12/04/2007, 12:24 AM

ive been looking at BB tanks for a while now, ur build thread helped alot. im not going with alot of rock so i can actually have alot less dead spots in the circulation. ive been curing the rock for the past 4 weeks now before i even put it into the tank this friday if the LFS has it. im really just doing two stacks of rocks mainly two levels with a huge piece on the bottom and two smaller rocks on top making two other areas.

King-Kong · #12 12/04/2007, 12:27 AM

Cool... be sure you avoid introducing things like bubble algae now, by the way, so inspect your rocks carefully while theyre curing/cooking [hopefully in total darkness].

...and dont worry... less rocks will give you lots of benefits, and when the corals grow in and become the center piece, you're gonna be glad you did it.

let the corals do the talking.. not some rock :P

Devtech · #13 12/04/2007, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by King-Kong
Cool... be sure you avoid introducing things like bubble algae now, by the way, so inspect your rocks carefully while theyre curing/cooking [hopefully in total darkness].

...and dont worry... less rocks will give you lots of benefits, and when the corals grow in and become the center piece, you're gonna be glad you did it.

let the corals do the talking.. not some rock :P

rocks look good, ive been inspecting them every other day, it still has some color in them so thats good cause i dont like that "bleached" looked.

yea my whole plan will be having mushrooms or some zoas cover the bottom of the tank. and the SPS grow up into the center piece

King-Kong · #14 12/04/2007, 08:35 AM

trust me when i say this: if you keep your parameters in check, your corraline will grow back on that rock so fast, you wont be missing it at all.

My bottom got covered 100% in 2 months. 2 months, and the tanks covered in corraline.

Now I wish I could get rid of the stuff!

Devtech · #15 12/04/2007, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by King-Kong
trust me when i say this: if you keep your parameters in check, your corraline will grow back on that rock so fast, you wont be missing it at all.

My bottom got covered 100% in 2 months. 2 months, and the tanks covered in corraline.

Now I wish I could get rid of the stuff!

LOL hmm well by color i mean it has that nice dark green look but it has no coraline algae on it.

hey kong from ur experience, what fishes do well in a BB tank? I kno wrasses wont survive much in one cause they need their sand to burrow as well as eels..am i correct?

King-Kong · #16 12/04/2007, 09:13 AM

Only certain wrasses require sand.

Fairy, sixline, mystery, flasher wrasses.. these will all do fine..

Picking fish is tough, cause it depends on a couple of things.

How often are you able to feed them? If you arent willing to feed them 2x-3x a day, every day, then maybe you should avoid things like Anthias (though Bartlett's can do fine with just 1 feeding per day, and will even accept things like flake very quickly, BUT, they are aggressive, and most will all turn male inside your aquarium).

Do you want many unique and different fish, or do you want just a few types, but groups of them. I am going for a school of threadfins, and then a couple straglers; seems more natural to me.

Either way, it can be very difficult to match attitudes and personalities in different fish (despite what people say, wrasses ARE jerks, so they may not mix well with sensitive/truly peaceful fish). So be selective, but figure out what you want NOW, so you can properly introduce them.

Devtech · #17 12/04/2007, 09:34 AM

well the tank this is going to take place is the Red Sea 30gal Cub they have..

i was thinking for sure a pair of percs... i really wanted to look at maybe a spotted mandarin like i have in my 90gal but with a BB tank it might be tough to even thrive in pods unless i get lucky and find another one who eats prepared food like mine does.

very few wrasses will do fine in a sized tank like mine.

i always feed my tanks 3x a day twice with pellets and once with a good amount of frozen food, but this in my 90gal.

Philby · #18 12/04/2007, 10:19 AM

The stuff people put on the bottom of their tanks is just HDPE (high density poly-ethylsomethingorother) and is commonly used to make cutting boards - i think there's a couple websites that sell cutting boards that will ship you a piece cut to whatever size you want.

and if you really want a mandarin in your cube that eats prepared foods, why not just move the one from your 90 to the 30, and get a new one for your 90 which probably has a high enough pod population to support a mandarin if it doesn't eat prepared food...

Devtech · #19 12/04/2007, 10:40 AM

very true.. ive been thinking about moving her over but its just all coming to me for designing the tank. i can always wait for mandarin, i have seen some BB tanks with some mandarins that are thriving so its all about maturity. i am using some of my sand to "cycle" the quicker than usual.