Recently built a stand for a steel framed 400 gallon aquarium, but there are some gaps around the edges, is this a problem?

[slimey_frog]

So I've spent the last 3-4 weeks building a stand for a 1600 litre aquarium I've purchased second hand. and whilst I thought I had it flat and level upon placing the tank I've noticed some gaps around the sides of the tank (the worst of which is large enough to fit a steel ruler through).

I didn't put a mat or Styrofoam board down because I'd read that that's generally a bad idea for rimmed tanks, but now I'm pretty sure the steel trim is thick enough that I probably could have gotten away with it, but the thing weighs 500kg empty and I'm not really sure I'm going to be able to lift it again to get a mat under it.

The tank is 220cm long and 80cm wide, made of 12mm glass with an approx 10mm thick steel trim. My current hope is that with the added strength of the steel trim hopefully the stand will settle with the added weight of water without causing excess stress on the glass, but I figured it was worth asking here before I do something that potentially results in a disaster.

 

[Backfromthedead]

Hmmm..im thinking those gaps are just discrepancies in the steel frame. I dont know a lot about tanks like yours but knowing what i do about steel i would say that welded frame is more than capable of withstanding any pressures that tank could exert. If you wanted, you could use a waterproof epoxy like pondshield, flexseal, liquidrubber to coat the entire frame, inject those interstitial spaces youre concerned with to minimize any discrepancies. If not that i would at least seal the steel with some kind of resilient paint to make it both more appealing and resistant to rusting.

I'll be honest that rig looks about as sturdy as ive ever seen for a tank that size. Only concern is rust damage and control in the long term imo. My guess is that under the water weight, the frame will conform to the stand over time, as long as your tank is sealed properly will be fine.