hazmat Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 OK, for those that are interested: it's page 12. about halfway down by jdieck. He asks if that person uses eggcrate and then you can read the following discussion. Hope that helps http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...p;pagenumber=12 Link to comment
smashbeat Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Interesting posting. I have to say that we all know plastic in general is a better spot for algae to attach/grow. Same for coralline. Eggcrate it is also a difficult shape to be cleaned by CUC. Also the grid creates some slow flow areas which is better for non-moving algae. About the white/black, the white one has a better color reflection, so that's why probably algae grow better in white areas. Link to comment
Atlantis Reef Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 hmm more good reading!! I have no bryopsis just the snot crap off and on Link to comment
Kraylen Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Krylon fusion will solve all your problems and comes in a variety of colors. Link to comment
Sac_State Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 even if the White Eggcrate is an issue, you should be able to solve it simply by using a vinegar or bleach bath, as mentioned in the original linked thread. so, if the basic premise is that the plastics used to create eggcrate leaches trace amounts of phosphate, I fail to see how a vinegar bath is a solution...neither vinegar nor bleach is going to change the chemical composition of the eggcrate itself. you can't wash off or bleach out the chemical make-up of the material itself. This has been discussed inadnaseum in the past; the consensus seems to be that yes come types of white eggcrate may indeed leach phosphates, but that the amount of phosphates introduced would be so small as to be considered a moot point considering the amount of phosphates generally introduced through feedings and the like. IMO it's a non-issue. If people are generally worried about their phosphate levels, and they've exhaused all other potential causes (i.e., they stopped feeding their tank entirely, use only RO/DI water for both water changes and top-offs, and verified that their salt mix contains no measurable amount of phosphate), then a phosban reactor might be worth looking into. Link to comment
smashbeat Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 Did somebody test if eggcrate is actually leaching phosphates? Testing distilled water after a few hours with some eggcrate in it will probably tell. Link to comment
Sac_State Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 I'm thinking it would be too low to register. the concern for some is that over time the levels would accumulate. My thinking is, even if they did, regular maintenance and water changes would negate this factor... Link to comment
Mr. Fosi Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 Interesting. I've never had a problem with eggcrate in my tanks but I have never used large areas of it. Link to comment
xbwolfx Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 Is your Mag-Rack made of black or white eggcrate? black. sorry, i think i got banned right before i could answer. lol. Link to comment
Atlantis Reef Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 hmm a test sounds good mb this weekend I will try to test it after UFC fight hehe Link to comment
dtfleming Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 i had white eggcrate in my 40gal frag tub. Constent prob with snot algae. Im sure the eggcrate was not the only cause of the algae issues. Link to comment
CowboyRWN Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 Plastic Geek time.... The colorant used to color plastic black is generally a carbon black added when it is molded. It would not have any effect on what blooms out of the plastic over time. Styrene is very sensitive to UV light and will discolor and develop environmental stress cracks over time. The carbon black added to styrene acts like a UV stabilizer. If there is a difference between the white and black I would guess it would be because there are not these small cracks for the algae to grab on to. Acrylic is UV stable by nature and should not have this problem. There are internal and extrenal lubricants in Styrene, Acrylic is much lower in these lubricants or lubricant free. Ok, I feel better..... Link to comment
hazmat Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 hmm more good reading!! I have no bryopsis just the snot crap off and on although the link was about bryopsis... I posted it because of the info on eggcrate and algae. Link to comment
skydive Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 The LFS has the snot algae growing like crazy in the frag tanks that have egg crate. They're big tanks and all of them are connected but the algae doesn't grow in the ones without egg crate just the two SPS tanks that are filled to the max with egg crate. Link to comment
gurnie Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Sounds like the best solution is to use acrylic eggcrate in your water and the Styrene eggcrate on the top of your tank to prevent fishies from going carpet surfing. So where can we buy acrylic eggcrate that is NOT sold in bulk? Link to comment
gurnie Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 No suggestions on where to buy NOT in bulk? Link to comment
bonsai reefer Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Plastic Geek time.... The colorant used to color plastic black is generally a carbon black added when it is molded. It would not have any effect on what blooms out of the plastic over time. Styrene is very sensitive to UV light and will discolor and develop environmental stress cracks over time. The carbon black added to styrene acts like a UV stabilizer. If there is a difference between the white and black I would guess it would be because there are not these small cracks for the algae to grab on to. Acrylic is UV stable by nature and should not have this problem. There are internal and extrenal lubricants in Styrene, Acrylic is much lower in these lubricants or lubricant free. Ok, I feel better..... this man know his plastics it is his lively hood and business!! Link to comment
SK8URDEAD Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Sounds like the best solution is to use acrylic eggcrate in your water and the Styrene eggcrate on the top of your tank to prevent fishies from going carpet surfing. So where can we buy acrylic eggcrate that is NOT sold in bulk? im happy my lfs doesnt use egg crate. they have black plastic molded like stairs and just have there frags on them all over there 8 fragtanks. neat and easy and you see nothing but a nice sandbed and the corals that stand out. Link to comment
jejenkins Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Well, a week ago Sunday, I took out my egg crate, gave it a bleach soak, then a vinegar soak and rinsed well. My snot algae is all but gone in about a weeks time. Coincedence? Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 Well, a week ago Sunday, I took out my egg crate, gave it a bleach soak, then a vinegar soak and rinsed well. My snot algae is all but gone in about a weeks time. Coincedence? Hmmmm..... Link to comment
ChouDawg Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 I just setup a small piece of eggcrate for a frag rack. I noticed some "snotty" film/filament on the eggcrate. I guess it might/might not support the claim. I think its more of a matter that the eggcrate acts like a strainer and is a better surface with the crosses and such for algae to grow on. So far its not out of control just a few stringy bits. Link to comment
Kraylen Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Krylon.........Fusion........... Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted March 17, 2009 Author Share Posted March 17, 2009 Krylon.........Fusion........... Maybe this is stupid, I know Krylon Fusion is sposta be safe to use around reef tanks and stuff, but the idea of putting it on something that goes IN a reef tank makes me really nervous. After all, eggcrate was sposta be okay to put in reef tanks too, right? Link to comment
Kraylen Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 No problems so far, ask lani. Link to comment
fowlrman27 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I am setting up a frag tank with white eggrate should i paint it black. Link to comment
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