I have had an issues lately with my 500 gallon tank leaking so i have decided to put in an all glass aquarium so that will no longer be an issue. I have been considering how to continue using my reeflo hammerhead pump in this 200 gallon but it would lead to quite the sandstorm. i don't like the look of barebottom so i have bee doing research into faux sand beds. every single one that i have seen to date has used epoxy with either a sand or crushed coral. most have replrted back that within a year the whole sand bed is covered with corraline so it was a mute effort. after having my plywood tank that has been lined with silicone set up for a year, there is not a single spot of coralline growing on it yet my rocks have a ton on them. this leads me to believe that coralline will not grow very well on silicone. therefore, i have decided to use clear silicone as the binder for the crushed coral to still give me the sandbed look with a lot of texture, yet allow me to have the flow to keep detritus suspended. it takes about 2 tubes of silicome and about 5 cups of crushed coral to do the equivelent of a 10 gallon tank bottom at about 3/8 of an inch thick. that cost would be about $10. here is a picture of it sitting in the new tank. one picture is without water and without being completed and te other is a small section in my big tank and i love the way it looks. it is also very rubbery still so would add protection for the bottom glass in the event of falling rocks.
the only algae that i have seen attach to the silicone is diatom algae and that is easily brushed off with a light brush so this should hopefully look good for a long time. let me know your thoughts.
the only algae that i have seen attach to the silicone is diatom algae and that is easily brushed off with a light brush so this should hopefully look good for a long time. let me know your thoughts.
