achillesheel
New member
300g acrylic on a metal stand with a plywood top. do i put a foam pad underneath or not?
thanx
shad
thanx
shad
foam or no foam... that is the question?
- Thread starter achillesheel
- Start date
Rockitmakr
New member
Not necessary on acrylic, just make sure there is nothing on the plywood before you add water. Also do yourself a favor and seal the plywood before you put the tank on it. Spar varnish works great.
:beer:
:beer:
Snowreefer
New member
what is the benefit of foam with glass tanks? weight distribution?
RokleM
Premium Member
Holy misinformation!
3 scenarios:
1) If you have acrylic (flat bottom obviously), then yes it is best to put at least a thin layer of foam under it. It helps to spread the weight and minimize any minor issues that are on the surface. It's almost impossible to get a perfectly flat board (no matter how hard you try). Visually it might be ok, but if you get precise it probably isn't.
2) Glass tanks with plastic trim ABSOLUTELY NOT. The trim is meant to act as the support for the tank. If you put foam under the tank it will cause issues and potentially break/crack the bottom.
3) If you have a frameless glass built acrylic style (entire flat bottom glass sits on the stand), then yes, do the same as acrylic. At least a small thin foam is recommended.
3 scenarios:
1) If you have acrylic (flat bottom obviously), then yes it is best to put at least a thin layer of foam under it. It helps to spread the weight and minimize any minor issues that are on the surface. It's almost impossible to get a perfectly flat board (no matter how hard you try). Visually it might be ok, but if you get precise it probably isn't.
2) Glass tanks with plastic trim ABSOLUTELY NOT. The trim is meant to act as the support for the tank. If you put foam under the tank it will cause issues and potentially break/crack the bottom.
3) If you have a frameless glass built acrylic style (entire flat bottom glass sits on the stand), then yes, do the same as acrylic. At least a small thin foam is recommended.
Fiziksgeek
New member
I thought that foam was a necessity with acrylic tanks and glass tanks without trim. In other words, any tank where the entire bottom pane contacts the surface of the stand. You simply don't want to have any pressure points, such as a knot, poking at the bottom on the tank.
If you have a glass tank with trim, the trim itself acts like a cushion. Also, a tank with trim, like my 210 AGA, only contact the stand around the perimieter and has a couple of cross pieces.
If you have a glass tank with trim, the trim itself acts like a cushion. Also, a tank with trim, like my 210 AGA, only contact the stand around the perimieter and has a couple of cross pieces.
Fiziksgeek
New member
Darn, RokleM beat me!
kwl1763
Premium Member
RokleM is correct.
The problem with using it on a glass tank withthe rim is that the bottom glass is not made to have any weight pushing up on it. The edges handle all the load so if the edges compress into the foam and then the bottom glass is sitting on the foam this could cause issues. Having said that on anything fairly small it probably won't matter to much!
The problem with using it on a glass tank withthe rim is that the bottom glass is not made to have any weight pushing up on it. The edges handle all the load so if the edges compress into the foam and then the bottom glass is sitting on the foam this could cause issues. Having said that on anything fairly small it probably won't matter to much!
