Styrofoam compression after two years

[vfc]

I recently broke down a 75G tank that was set up for two years. When I set it up, I put a 1" thick piece of pink styrofoam between the tank and stand. About six months after the tank was set up a credit-card sized gap opened up around the right rear corner. Over time the gap closed up a bit but was still visible when I took it down.

You can see the stryfoam had compressed around the other areas of the frame as it redistributed the force. However, the pink foam is still a bit too stiff for the weight of a 75G tank.

My other 75G tank has a 1/2" foam mat under it. That has worked perfectly as it formed a complex pattern around the wavy top of a cheap particle board stand as it redistributed the forces.

I just set up a 125G L tank and doubled up on the mat for a total of 1" of dense EVA foam. The foam compressed about 10% when I filled up the tank. So far so good.

 

[nolapete]

The second is a better way, but building a level stand that doesn't require foam/matting is the best idea.

 

[vfc]

Actually the 75G was perfectly level when I set it up (diagonal level as well). I even used a strip of duct tape on a couple shims to get the final millimeter of level. I leveled it when the tank was empty and fine tuned it after I filled it up. I would bet that that tank was more level than 99% of the tanks set up by fish keepers.

I think what happened is that the 4x4 rear right leg shrunk a bit more than the other legs after a few months.

That is the risk we take when we use wooden stands.

I'm fairly competent that the 1" foam mat will smooth out any unevenness as the new (wooden) stand adjusts to the weight of the tank and dampness of the basement.

BTW - here is the mat I used on the new 125G stand (purchased from Lowes).