I have an AGA 120g (I know not large enough for Large Tank Forum but i would rather ask here than in nano) that I am setting up. I have built my stand and am confident in it holding. Would you reccommend setting the tank on 3/4in foam to make sure there are no pressure points. I have heard both ways and on Glass Cages it voids the warrenty if you go not use the 3/4 in foam under it. My stand is pretty perfect but i could slide a sheet of paper under it in places.
Foam to level tank?
- Thread starter mwlude
- Start date
I am currently setting up a 240. The stand will be here later this week and I have done a good bit of research on this subject. I would absolutely put the foam in. .75 as you mentioned would be perfect. If you use the entire sheet, as opposed to just strips where the trim touches the stand, make sure that once the tank is applying full pressure to the stand, that the rest of the sheet is not pushing upward on the bottom pane. The various types of foam available are the subject of much discussion, but .75 of that standard stuff they sell at Home Depot/Lowes will work fine.
I plan on sticking with my tank AGA I was just comparing what they recomended for their tanks, maybe not a good comparison but I was just looking for a glass tank mfg. and their suggestions.
I attached a sheet of 3/4 in plywood to the stand top and if I get down and squint I can see some gaps towards the middle of a 4 ft level. At the most 1/16in(Not a big enought gap to slide in a shim). I may be paranoid but will this be ok without foam or should I do it anyway?
gary faulkner
New member
What color is this .75 foam?
EriksReptiles
Member
do you guys put the foam under acrylic tanks too or just glass? I have heard alot of different things and am looking for some other input..
Thanks Erik
Thanks Erik
BigManBud
Premium Member
I have an AGA 120 also. I built my stand and in some places I could slide a piece or two of paper under the tank also. I bought some of that pink foam from HD (bout 3/4 of an inch thick) and put it under my tank 2 years ago. As far as I can tell, it hasnt comprimised mine. I say go for it.
The pink and the Blue foam from what I have read are way to stiff for fish tanks. The White foam board that has little white beads in it would be better because it is soft enough to conform to the tank and will self level unlike the stiffer foams. I plan on using it on my 600 gallon acrylic tank.
I concur with 46bfinGA. It's just big white sheets with a thin plastic coating on both sides to keep the little white balls from sloughing off. Mine is called "R-Tech". Has lots of blue writing all over it. I think it is actually used for insulation so that's the department I would look in. Also, if you can see a gap gthrough your level, no matter how small, I would put the foam for sure. I would put the foam for sure on any tank including acrylic.
I posted this on "Oceanic 215 with Solaris Build" here on Large Reef Tanks
This question has been asked many times and I fail to understand why people will give this question a very wrong answer which can become a disaster with the tank disintegrating / failing. Some tanks, mostly the glass ones are built with the bottom sheet of glass "floating" inside the outer edges or vertical panes of Glass. They are designed this way and the outer vertical panes must rest on "solid ground" If you put a soft foam or rubber under this type of design you will put pressure on the bottom "floating" pane of glass thereby causing it to shatter / crack or split from its sidewall seems because of the external pressure on the pane upwards. You cannot and should not listen to blanket advise statements that are not qualified from this very dangerous perspective.
You may have a tank that will benefit from foam, but depending upon its design you may have a tank that will become a disaster because of its design if you put foam under it. This is easy to check, if your tank has the vertical panes otside the bottom pane, then donot put something under it that might cause the pane to have upwards pressure on it. If however the bottom pane has the upright panels mounted on top of it [ie inside the outer edges] then you can put foam under it.
This has been answered many times before. It is wise or foolish depending upon the tank you have!
If in doubt about anything like this, check with your manufacturer, who has the last say on that product you have. Just be warned, blanket answers can be disasterously wrong [including mine!]
And Marv Leveson posted
"The best advice I can give anyone asking this question is to ask the mfg of the tank. They alone are the ones that will honor a warranty and will provide you with their recommendations.
If you have a glass tank with foam underneath just because you were told to do so by people on RC, I would advise that you support everything evenly. That would require trimming the foam to fit the contour of the plastic trim so that the glass bottom is supported but not pressed against abnormally.
Keep in mind there are reports by people describing how the bottom panel failed and all the contents poured into their stand. In those cases, I would have preferred a solid plywood top and sheet of foam to support that heavy load. There's a difference in weight between a tank full of water and a tank full of water, DSB and LR. A floating panel can only take so much. Trimming the foam to fit the shape of the base of the tank would work out well, imho.
My tank is glass with a thin plastic trim. I contacted InterAmerican and they told me "a full sheet of 3/4" plywood and a sheet of dense (pink or blue) 3/4" foam, of course" and that is exactly what I did."
And Me No Nemo whose thread it is posted
"Hi Vinc...excellent advice above. Your best bet is always to discuss your setup with the manufacturer when possible. I have a solid plywood base with nothing between it and the tank. But, please check with Oceanic for the final say. Let us know how you make out."
Different Tanks are made differently by different manufacturers. Some want you to foam and others donot. Thus if you do it wrong and your Tank fails, you will have voided your warranty by doing one or the other wrongly.
This question has been asked many times and I fail to understand why people will give this question a very wrong answer which can become a disaster with the tank disintegrating / failing. Some tanks, mostly the glass ones are built with the bottom sheet of glass "floating" inside the outer edges or vertical panes of Glass. They are designed this way and the outer vertical panes must rest on "solid ground" If you put a soft foam or rubber under this type of design you will put pressure on the bottom "floating" pane of glass thereby causing it to shatter / crack or split from its sidewall seems because of the external pressure on the pane upwards. You cannot and should not listen to blanket advise statements that are not qualified from this very dangerous perspective.
You may have a tank that will benefit from foam, but depending upon its design you may have a tank that will become a disaster because of its design if you put foam under it. This is easy to check, if your tank has the vertical panes otside the bottom pane, then donot put something under it that might cause the pane to have upwards pressure on it. If however the bottom pane has the upright panels mounted on top of it [ie inside the outer edges] then you can put foam under it.
This has been answered many times before. It is wise or foolish depending upon the tank you have!
If in doubt about anything like this, check with your manufacturer, who has the last say on that product you have. Just be warned, blanket answers can be disasterously wrong [including mine!]
And Marv Leveson posted
"The best advice I can give anyone asking this question is to ask the mfg of the tank. They alone are the ones that will honor a warranty and will provide you with their recommendations.
If you have a glass tank with foam underneath just because you were told to do so by people on RC, I would advise that you support everything evenly. That would require trimming the foam to fit the contour of the plastic trim so that the glass bottom is supported but not pressed against abnormally.
Keep in mind there are reports by people describing how the bottom panel failed and all the contents poured into their stand. In those cases, I would have preferred a solid plywood top and sheet of foam to support that heavy load. There's a difference in weight between a tank full of water and a tank full of water, DSB and LR. A floating panel can only take so much. Trimming the foam to fit the shape of the base of the tank would work out well, imho.
My tank is glass with a thin plastic trim. I contacted InterAmerican and they told me "a full sheet of 3/4" plywood and a sheet of dense (pink or blue) 3/4" foam, of course" and that is exactly what I did."
And Me No Nemo whose thread it is posted
"Hi Vinc...excellent advice above. Your best bet is always to discuss your setup with the manufacturer when possible. I have a solid plywood base with nothing between it and the tank. But, please check with Oceanic for the final say. Let us know how you make out."
Different Tanks are made differently by different manufacturers. Some want you to foam and others donot. Thus if you do it wrong and your Tank fails, you will have voided your warranty by doing one or the other wrongly.
