Tropical Fish Forums

Queequeg · New Members Joined: 08 Nov 2010 Location: Georgia, USA

I don't know what these are called, but they hang in flourescent lighting fixtures to diffuse light. (you at work? look up!). they are available at a hardware shop, or if you have a friend in office renovation, they are thrown away all the time. (the ones in your hardware store are likely to be imperfect, and you'll get them for a song if you ask- I found a chipped one, they gladly sold it for $4, they go for $12). the edges break off easily when they are 2x4 feet, but not when cut small. it was suggested to me that I line the bottom glass in my tank with them before laying rocks. I did and they work great. the rocks don't slide on them, topple, or scratch the glass, and they stay hidden under sand or gravel (or I'd show you a pic).

I had some scraps left over, so I cut them into strips, superglued them together and made a "cage" for my glass heaters. the heaters stay very safe inside, even when bashed by a digging cichlid. the new heaters with a metal or rubber sleeve are very expensive. just an idea I thought you guys might appreciate.

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you can take a fish to water, but you can't make him drink

DaleJr · Regulars Joined: 16 Feb 2010 Location: Memphis, TN

This is why I use an inline heater..

Hydor 300w

Queequeg · New Members Joined: 08 Nov 2010 Location: Georgia, USA

how much did that cost? ebay has your heater for $43 plus shipping. I got TWO 300W heaters for $25, shipping included, and made a "cage" with scraps. superglue cost 75c. the idea/forum was "DO IT YOURSELF", not "buy something else".
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you can take a fish to water, but you can't make him drink

katienaha

not a bad idea. however... I havent broken a heater yet!
but that stuff is what most people would refer to as eggcrate. its so similar its transferable.
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Let the current take you where you may not always want to go.

Caton

I always thought about using eggcrate:

http://cichlid-forum.com/videos/eggcrate.php
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katienaha

fun video caton
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Let the current take you where you may not always want to go.

Caton

unissuh

Do you find your cichlids tend to scrape themselves on the eggcrate? The stuff I get here is pretty sharp unless I sand the edges a bit (tedious work!).
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Fishing in the Rivers of Light

Caton

katienaha

I wonder if those edges would melt. I have a good relationship with my blow torch... Laughing

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Let the current take you where you may not always want to go.