The styrofoam doesn't do any leveling, it just protects bottom of the tank (or tank frame) from irregularities in the stand. Like, if there's something poking out of the wood or a tiny piece of gravel or something. Best scenario, use styro to protect the tank and shims to level the stand. I wouldn't worry about the stuctural integrity of the tank, perfecto knows what they're doing. If you really are worried about the structural integrity of the stand, I say reinforce it with 2x4's because you don't want to look at your tank every day and say to yourself "I hope this stand doesn't buckle under the pressure!".
help with setting up a 265 gal from leveling to uv
- Thread starter svtim
- Start date
I have a Perfecto 220 tank (72" L x 24" W x 30" H) & pine stand that has a Mfg sticker of 2004. I purchased it new in 2005. My stand looks similar to yours. The 3 boards that run from front to rear are what my tank sits on. No foam or shims between my tank & the stand.
The only difference I see between my tank & yours is that the bottom plastic frame of my tank also has two support pieces that run from front to rear. I don't see those two pieces on your picture. I don't know if they are missing or never existed on your tank. Can you post a pic of the bottom of your tank? Or see if they might have been broken off before you got it?
Also, when we leveled our tank, we made sure the stand wasn't too close to the wall so it wasn't sitting on the carpet tack strip that secures the carpet. We also used a shorter level & placed it on top of the stands 3 wooden support pieces from front to back to verify the stand was level. We put the tank on the stand and then measured front to back and side to side. It looked good so we filled it with water. But it was off a bit side to side so we drained it & shimmed til level. Refilled with water, only halfway, & let it sit a couple days. Everything looked good so we cut some permanent metal shims to correct thickness, drained tank, inserted shims, refilled and it has been OK since 2005.
The only other thing I would check would be the stability of the stand. Does it wiggle at all without the tank? Do all the staples seem tight? Any soft or rotting wood? We added a couple Stainless wood screws to beef up our stand a bit when it was new. Ours is stapled also but hey, I figured Perfecto designed the stand so it should be OK. Next time though, I will probably beef it up a bit.
The only difference I see between my tank & yours is that the bottom plastic frame of my tank also has two support pieces that run from front to rear. I don't see those two pieces on your picture. I don't know if they are missing or never existed on your tank. Can you post a pic of the bottom of your tank? Or see if they might have been broken off before you got it?
Also, when we leveled our tank, we made sure the stand wasn't too close to the wall so it wasn't sitting on the carpet tack strip that secures the carpet. We also used a shorter level & placed it on top of the stands 3 wooden support pieces from front to back to verify the stand was level. We put the tank on the stand and then measured front to back and side to side. It looked good so we filled it with water. But it was off a bit side to side so we drained it & shimmed til level. Refilled with water, only halfway, & let it sit a couple days. Everything looked good so we cut some permanent metal shims to correct thickness, drained tank, inserted shims, refilled and it has been OK since 2005.
The only other thing I would check would be the stability of the stand. Does it wiggle at all without the tank? Do all the staples seem tight? Any soft or rotting wood? We added a couple Stainless wood screws to beef up our stand a bit when it was new. Ours is stapled also but hey, I figured Perfecto designed the stand so it should be OK. Next time though, I will probably beef it up a bit.
The plastic support pieces are only there to keep the top from bowing out so don't worry about those not being there on the bottom because the bottom doesn't bow. I think some tanks probably have them on the bottom because they protect the glass or so that they can use the same plastic frame on the bottom as well as the top.
I use styrofoam under all my tanks (glass). The 2 LFS's I go to also recommend to people to use styrofoam. I wouldn't depend on it to make an unlevel stand level but more to cushion any potential tiny inconsistacies (like 1/8" or less). I always get the stand itself dead level with shims, even if it takes all day.
