# Filter Foam. Egg Crate Alternative?



## Nicholas (Mar 16, 2010)

Okay DB.

I am not able to locate Plastic Egg Crate here in Germany.
I believe this stuff simply does not exist. FrogFreak said
some people use Filter Foam.









Who use's Filter Foam and how is it holding up?
I have a Vivarium design that is going to require me
putting drift wood on top of this foam.
any Idea's on how to keep the foam from flexing...

Let's use our brain's 
Help me figure out a solution.

Thank You

-Nick


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## Trey (Sep 10, 2008)

I use Matala Filter material and would not trade it for eggcrate ever. Much easier to use and holds up great. It is heavy duty and could hold up bricks if you wanted it to. 
Also provides filtration if you plan to have a water feature.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

While I don't use it myself, I did have one used viv that was constructed with it. Original owner said it was a couple years old. I ran it for a couple years beyond that. When I stripped that viv down, the filter foam was in great shape. Other than being dirty, it appeared to be brand spankin new.
While I have NOT looked into it's complete safety as far as leaching anything, I can state that it should hold up for many years in a viv.

To be perfectly clear, I am NOT stating that filter foam does leach anything. It may be perfectly safe.


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## Nicholas (Mar 16, 2010)

Trey said:


> Matala Filter material


 
This is good news for me Trey. Thank you.
Where can you find this usually in pet stores correct ?
Or is it more of a specialty item perhaps only found in 
stores that specialize in aquariums?


The reason I ask that question is because in the states,
I would easily beable to find it. But being that I am in Germany
I have to search for it. And maybe find it. If Germany even has it.

From the sounds of It you may have answered my question.


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## Nicholas (Mar 16, 2010)

Pumilo said:


> While I don't use it myself, I did have one used viv that was constructed with it.


How sturdy was it, given your limited experiance?
I am planing on mounting alot of drift wood on top of it.
In your oppinion do you believe it is strong enough to hold
a reasonable amount of weight?

Also how was it with the seeding in springtails?
when you tore the viv apart, did you find springtails
living and breeding inside the foam? 
(that would be a added bonus over egg crate)


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

On my website you can see a picture of a 5lb dumbbell placed on top of 2" thick 30ppi filter foam. The surface area of the dumbell's two contact points is probably about 3 square inches, and the deflection is about 1/8".

In other words, it is pretty sturdy.

Also, I have it in many tanks and some have been setup for over 2 years, no problems. I even have some healthy tank raised froglets from these tanks. 

The material is poleyther, not polyester. Polyether holds up better in water without leaching. That is why it is used as filter foam. It has been used as pond and aquarium filter foam for decades in both the hobby aquarium level, as well as at zoos and institutions, and in aquaculture. So I'd headgear my bets on it being very frog safe. 

I have some for sale at TheFrogRack - Home but admittedly, my inventory is very low right now. If you can't get what you want from me, the folks at swisstropicals.com are great.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

In Europe, 'Poret' is a name brand that is availible and used in fish and amphibian husbandry.


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## Nicholas (Mar 16, 2010)

frograck said:


> In Europe, 'Poret' is a name brand that is availible


And that is the the same stuff or pretty much the same stuff I take it?

Thanks for all the great info. If it can hold up that dumbell. It will hold up my wood

Thanks for all the great info frograck. That was pretty much the exactly
what I was looking for in terms of information. And I appreciate the link too


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## Nicholas (Mar 16, 2010)

frograck said:


> The material is poleyther, not polyester.


Great tidbit of information.
I am going to go looking for this material tomorrow


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## Trey (Sep 10, 2008)

Not sure where u can find matala over there, I know it is used largely for koi pond filtration.. Which may help you begin your search.


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## Nicholas (Mar 16, 2010)

Trey said:


> I know it is used largely for koi pond filtration.. Which may help you begin your search.


That will help be look Thanks!


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Sounds like Frograck covered part of that. Unfortunately, I cannot answer the springtail question. Frogs were removed from the tank after the front glass door slipped and broke. The tank had been dry for about 2 months before I stripped it and passed the empty tank on to someone.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

I did use the foam for koi ponds once in a 180 gallon viv we setup.. I cut out 4 squares and put one on top of the other for 2 taller blocks. I wrapped them in weed block and than stuffed in the viv and hid them with gravel. Ran the setup with a water feature and lots of driftwood/vines for a good 5 or 6 months. Was perfectly fine just dirty like Pumilio said about his.. I only tore the thing apart to sell the aquarium/stand.. took up way to much valuable space at the time and only housed our 3 azureus


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## heyduke (Sep 19, 2006)

Reticulated foam works great. No false bottom, light, no screening, doesn't wick much, long lasting. A little pricey but well worth it. 

I cut it a touch small.. Fill the void with turface, top it with abg... Ten minutes and I'm done. 

Two years running and no problems. Love it... Never going back.


Sean


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## heyduke (Sep 19, 2006)

http://www.thefoamfactory.com/opencellfoam/filter.html


Sean


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## Nicholas (Mar 16, 2010)

Okay so I purchased some today at the local pet store.
cut it up to shape put it in the tank to check it out.

So far I am liking it. It also seems to address my initial concerns.
It seems sturdy enough to hold the drift wood design I am going for
which will be quite heavy. Also I think as a precaution I could
tack the driftwood design to a peice of slate that has more surface
area and would add stability as well.

I think this Filter Foam idea is definatly going to work.
And it seems a whole lot easier that cutting up egg crate.

Thank you,

Nick


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## b.walls (May 23, 2013)

are you including any water features in this viv? i was thinking about using this as the entire false bottom on my next build, which will include a waterfall. i was interested in it, because being filter foam, it will filter the water, so it will look cleaner. my only concern is dirt clogging it up


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

b.walls...that was exactly why I wanted it too...but I have also used it as a substrate/water seperator for moss growth..the hygrolon from a DB supplier can be laid on the foam that Frograck has which can be cut into whatever piece(s) you need...laid over top of each other if necessary..and the Hygrolon laid over that..thw Hygrolon wicks the water up from the FB (if you have one...but there is usually some amount of water at the bottom of the tank anyway....)...and whatever mosses you have laid on the Hygrolon is supplied with moisture, but the wicking stops at the margin of the substrate as long as there is some sort of barrier...like GG, or whatever...Folius (I think...dang it...) on DB is the supplier of the Hygrolon. Can't figure out how to "draft" this post to double check on the DB supplier--both him and Frograck were great to deal with if you explain what you are trying to do..


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## Nicholas (Mar 16, 2010)

b.walls said:


> are you including any water features in this viv?


I am not.
Sorry.

But now you mention it.
This stuff might be of good use for a viv with one.

I just picked up some good filter foam on friday
I got it cut for my false bottom


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## zachxbass (Apr 21, 2008)

I'm glad you found a substitute for eggcrate. I've been following this thread and I couldn't think or anything besides LECA/ hydroton which isn't really a false bottom.

I've never heard of using filter foam. Id like to see your progress on this

Sent from my C5155 using Tapatalk 2


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## JohnVI (May 1, 2013)

This may have been covered but my only concern would be sale water, turning stagnate in the foam. With egg crate, as long as you plan ahead you can setup a small void to siphon any water out if needed. I this stuff if anti bacterial it would be great as it would not hold bacteria and add humidity back into the tank?


Am I way off....


John VI

-Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Trey (Sep 10, 2008)

JohnVI said:


> This may have been covered but my only concern would be sale water, turning stagnate in the foam. With egg crate, as long as you plan ahead you can setup a small void to siphon any water out if needed. I this stuff if anti bacterial it would be great as it would not hold bacteria and add humidity back into the tank?
> 
> 
> Am I way off....
> ...




Another reason I use matala. Not to mention it's stronger, less expensive and just to point out again doesn't hold water like that filter foam does. The small spaces in between the material would also provide seemingly limitless area for microfauna such as springtails, whereas the filter foam would not.


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## Nicholas (Mar 16, 2010)

zachxbass said:


> I've never heard of using filter foam. Id like to see your progress on this


I never heard of it being used as well.
But I guess I am going to give it a go.
I should stop calling this filter foam.
It is not like normal filter foam.
I do not know if it is matala because I
purchased it here in Germany. But from
what I have gathered here in DB it is like
matala.


I will post some pictures with it sitting in my tank
so you can see the progress with this. When I start
building it I may start a thread of the build.
But I am sort of against doing this because
I may not be able to complete the build prior to me
having to go away for 9 months to work.


Either way I will document what I can with pictures 
and keep this updated with as much as I can incase
someone else wants to use this as a false bottom


I was sort of skeptical of using this as a false bottom at first.
But now I purchased it and cut it to size and got it in the tank.
I am thinking this was the easiest false bottom I ever installed.
And it may look really promissing as to be the best false bottom
I may have ever installed.


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## Nicholas (Mar 16, 2010)

JohnVI said:


> This may have been covered but my only concern would be sale water, turning stagnate in the foam.


I had that concern as well
When I was driving to the store
to pick this stuff up.

But when I got there and felt the material
I felt as if it is not going to retain water like
I though foam or a sponge would.

When I got home I ran it under water
and all the water ran out of it.
So I actually dont think this is going to be a concern

We will see if it turns into a concern.
But I do not see it being so from what
I have seen this stuff do when putting it
in water.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Let me first say that matala is also a great product to use as a drainage layer, it is a bit less expensive than filter foam, but it does require a substrate barrier.

Regarding reticulated filter foam, it is very free flowing open cell design, so water stagnation should not be a concern any more than it would be when using gravel, hydroton, or even matala for that matter.

And you can cut a corner out of the filter foam in order to access the water reservoir to siphon out the water. In fact, doing so with filter foam leave no worry of leaving a small gap under an egg rate false botto that would allow frogs to get under the false bottom.


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## Trey (Sep 10, 2008)

frograck said:


> Let me first say that matala is also a great product to use as a drainage layer, it is a bit less expensive than filter foam, but it does require a substrate barrier.
> 
> Regarding reticulated filter foam, it is very free flowing open cell design, so water stagnation should not be a concern any more than it would be when using gravel, hydroton, or even matala for that matter.
> 
> And you can cut a corner out of the filter foam in order to access the water reservoir to siphon out the water. In fact, doing so with filter foam leave no worry of leaving a small gap under an egg rate false botto that would allow frogs to get under the false bottom.



I will say I did use a substrate barrier. I have about 4,000 yards of extra ff screening and standard fiberglass screening. I opted for the fiberglass. 

I used the blue matala which is more porous (for lack of a better term) than the black, I think had I gone with black I probably wouldn't need a substrate barrier, but who knows.


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## diggenem (Sep 2, 2011)

Trey said:


> I will say I did use a substrate barrier. I have about 4,000 yards of extra ff screening and standard fiberglass screening. I opted for the fiberglass.
> 
> I used the blue matala which is more porous (for lack of a better term) than the black, I think had I gone with black I probably wouldn't need a substrate barrier, but who knows.


Im thinking of using matala when I convert my 56 into a vert so to be sure you just wrapped a couple of blocks of it in some fiberglass window screen and voila?


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## Trey (Sep 10, 2008)

diggenem said:


> Im thinking of using matala when I convert my 56 into a vert so to be sure you just wrapped a couple of blocks of it in some fiberglass window screen and voila?


Yup, that's exactly what I did. Cut the matala to fit tight in the bottom, cut the screen a couple inches wider on all sides, lay the screen over it and tuck I in all around. Super fast, super easy.


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## diggenem (Sep 2, 2011)

Thats good to know because I hate cutting egg crate


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

I would be very surprised if egg crate is not sold in Germany. More likely its under a different name but people use this in just about any developed nation under fluorescent lighting and drop ceilings. 

Try searching for louvre, drop ceiling, what ever you call it there.


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## Nicholas (Mar 16, 2010)

I seriously looked every where. Even a light specialty store.
could not find ANY. not even on the internet
So maybe not every developed nation uses it.


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## Sammie (Oct 12, 2009)

Nicholas said:


> I seriously looked every where. Even a light specialty store.
> could not find ANY. not even on the internet
> So maybe not every developed nation uses it.


let me know if you find any.
I know of one place that sells it here in Sweden, but it's almost 30 euros for a 68x40cm sheet so I'll stick with my fruit crates for now


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## sanderdm (Jun 12, 2013)

i can't find eggcrate either in my country so i'm going to use filter foam to, but i'm planning to add e waterfeature, so does anybody have any examples of how you sepperate the land and water part with this method? what subrate do you use over the foam, what do u use to prevent the substrate from getting in to the water part?

Thanks in advance


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## NickJR (Jul 28, 2011)

Where everyone buying there matala???

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 2


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## kingfisherfleshy (Mar 17, 2012)

Ebay has a lot of different options in this area. 

Not certain if I will go with the matala or reticulated foam, but I am going to try it out on a little 10g that I plan on mainly using as a mini green house to grow plants out in a frog free environment.

Will be thinking about the decision and seeing what people come up with as far as the best place to buy both before making a final decision. 

I feel like matala is a better choice, but as far as ebay goes, its definitely more expensive. 

I could get a 2" layer on ebay of reticulated foam for $12 shipped. For matala to cover the bottom I think I am looking more at around $40.


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

I don't know if this would work or be cheap but 

GAF Cobra Ridge Vent Low Profile Exhaust Vent-2005 at The Home Depot

ridge vent is pretty open yet is fairly firm. It is also easily locally available.


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## dartboard (Jan 30, 2011)

The only problem I see with that ridge vent stuff is that it is so thin so you would have to have like 10 layers of it or whatever to make a false bottom out of it.


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

Frograck's product is great...easy to cut, shape into slopes, curves...whatever. It does NOT leach up into the substrate...the moss that I attached to Folius's product did the leaching to support the moss growth...but did not leach any futher into the foam product...one you try it, you will be sold...it does not let soil into it...just the water which can be siphoned off...the slanted sides lets other water based plants have a chance to take a hold. Good stuff...


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## dart8888 (Oct 22, 2013)

frograck said:


> Regarding reticulated filter foam, it is very free flowing open cell design, so water stagnation should not be a concern any more than it would be when using gravel, hydroton, or even matala for that matter.


What is water stagnation?
Can you tell me more about it?

By the way,
Whether I use egg crate or matala, I need to make drain hole or pvc pipe or small pond for siphoning water, right?


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

I do not know what is this matala. In Europe it is difficult find (at least cheap) eggcrate. What about plastic fruit crates?


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

"egg crate" is actually fluorescent light diffuser. It will be easier to find if you know what to call it


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## Nicholas (Mar 16, 2010)

I settled on filter foam. This stuff is just not in Germany. Or if it is, It's not worth the time and money to find it. Or order it off the internet.

But I had to pause the construction of my viv. Work call's... FML


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## Peer (Mar 21, 2013)

Hi,

in Germany it is called "Lichtrasterplatte". Photographers use it. Moreover the guys in reef aquariums use it in their frag tanks.

However, it is quite expensive and filter foam works great over years as drainage/false bottom. Make sure to not use the very high ppi (which is an old but still used measurement for the cell size). The version with very small cells has a capillary effect and keeps your substrate too wet.

Enjoy your build 
Regards,
Peer


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

very good point about the potential for capillary action. Most people dont think about it


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## Nicholas (Mar 16, 2010)

egg crate is hard to find in germany. I did settle with filter foam and am happy with the decision. egg crate in germany is just not worth the time and money to find and or purchase over the internet. So I think filter foam maybe the best way to go in this country.

on a side note though, I had to put my build on hold. Work calls again.


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## rabu92 (Mar 9, 2013)

If you're doing a paludarium where you have a large water area, then filter foam is the way to go. You basically use the false bottom as a filter for the water area.
Pic from my build:


Using this kind of filter foam is rather expensive though so I think there are cheaper alternatives to use. Especially when there's no water area to keep clean and you just want a false bottom.


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