Frame for potted plants?

[gzeiger]

I have a custom size 60 gallon tank (not custom for me; I bought it used) that I would like to add some plants to. The problem is that it's absurdly deep, so much so that it's impractical to light all the way to the bottom. I also want to keep a coarse gravel substrate for some of the fish, and I would like the bottom to pretty much stay shaded because I have some nervous fish that would appreciate the extra cover.

What I really want to do with this tank is add a layer of potted plants near the top. These may be aquatic plants or emergent terrestrials. What I need is a material from which to construct a frame with a rack to hold the pots up high in the tank where they can grow close to a relatively weak single T8 bulb. Something similar to eggcrate would be good for the rack, but I would like slightly larger holes so it doesn't create a barrier to fish and food movement up and down.

The side of a milk crate would be the ideal material, but I need a piece about 16x36 inches.

Any ideas?

 

[neilanh]

Some plastic lattice stuff maybe?

You could also cut your own holes into the eggcrate that you mentioned.

 

[gzeiger]

What I'm asking really is where would I look for plastic lattice stuff? I can't think what other use it would be sold for, so I don't know where to look.

What I was calling eggcrate is a hard plastic lattice with holes about 1/2" square, just a little too small for fish to swim freely up and down.

 

[neilanh]

I'd look in the garden section at a local home depot or lowe's type place, never know what you might find.

That was the eggcrate I meant too, it cuts up really easily, but might be a little rought for fish fins. I was just referring to ability to cut the holes to be whatever size you wanted them to be. I use eggcrate for all kinds of stuff.

 

[jsoong]

Eggcrates you can find in the lighting section of your HD or other home improvement store. You can certainly cut some holes in the eggcrate to make passages for the fish. Just be sure to sand off the nibs so the holes are smooth. <A Dremel comes in handy here.> Of course you have to be careful not to cut too many holes, as eggcrates are not that strong.

A more esthetically pleasing, but more labor & skill intensive way of doing this is with acrylics. 1/4" acrylics will be strong enought for you to build shelves & other structures. you can perhaps make pillars for legs so the fish can swim around them, & drill holes in the shelves for the fish to swim through. <I am assuming that you have a table saw or router, power drill & assorted tools. Working with acrylics using hand tools is difficult & tedious!>

One more thought - Cake decorating store sells acrylic pillars for stacking wedding cakes ... You can get some for legs, glue a piece of acrylic shelf to the legs & presto, a plant shelf that the fish can swim under.