Making a second tank bottom using eggcrate...?

[Zeromus-X]

I was trying to come up with a few ways to set up my rocks when I re-aquascape this weekend. My big problem is that I've got a few engineer gobies. They dig all day and move the sand to other places. Even with the rock on the glass bottom as support, the constant pushing around of sand has been a previous problem.

I started thinking about this -- I've got a ~3" sandbed. What if I were to take a piece of eggcrate, the size and shape of my tank, and attach PVC legs to the bottom of it, about 2.5" tall. Place the eggcrate in the tank, and bury it in the sand. Now, I've still got the benefits of a 3" sandbed, but can set things on top of it. The sand would cover the eggcrate to make it basically invisible.

I assume any of the little guys in the sand will still be able to move around, but would I have to worry about sand inside the cells of the eggcrate not getting moved around? Are there any forseeable problems by doing this, aside from actually getting it in the sand? I dunno, it sounds like a good idea in theory.

[Zeromus-X]

Hm. So, either a really bad idea, or no one has tried it.

[chucksta1]

It seems like what you would be doing is the equivalent of making shelving for the rocks and corals, but just be doing it as a one time even level kind of thing. The sand inside of the cells of the egg crate will still get moved around, just not to the same extent. There will be, I assume, space between the bottom of the egg crate and the tank, broken by the legs. How many? How spaced? At three inches is that a deep shallow sand bed or a shallow deep sand bed? Will you be cleaning it or using a critter crew to service it?

Just some thoughts...