styrofoam layer under tanks
- Thread starter esoxlucius
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my 180 glass is rimless, has a solid 1" plywood sub straight, I put cardboard under it, my 145 is rimmed, its made as all rimmed tanks are to have the glass ride on this rim, this removes the issue of tanks breaking do to pressure points on the bottom glass.
Sorry for the thread hijack, but its relevant to topic and may help someone, so I'll share.
My hubby is in the (very slooow) process of "fixing" a 170ltr tank. He's putting a "photo frame" style edging around it that will hug the bottom rim of the tank.
When we done the test fill it had no framing and he had it sitting on a bit of foam because the glass is slightly uneaven where the side panels meet the bottom one, so the foam was to help lighten the load on the corners where it sits the lowest.
Once he gets the framing on he wants to get better foam to put under the bottom of it because the "framing" we're using is somewhat thick (3-4mm) and he wants to even the pressure on the joints or something like that (sorry for my terrible description, I'm trying to remember what he told me).
Our tank isn't under any warranties as it was a freebie from a mate so we don't have to worry about any of that and he's just doing what he thinks will work, I trust him not to mess it up as I'm the queen of nagging, so he makes sure its not guna mess up.
Disclaimer: I do not know everything, nor do I claim to, I'm simply sharing my thoughts on my experiences. Always do your own research and always cross reference!
My hubby is in the (very slooow) process of "fixing" a 170ltr tank. He's putting a "photo frame" style edging around it that will hug the bottom rim of the tank.
When we done the test fill it had no framing and he had it sitting on a bit of foam because the glass is slightly uneaven where the side panels meet the bottom one, so the foam was to help lighten the load on the corners where it sits the lowest.
Once he gets the framing on he wants to get better foam to put under the bottom of it because the "framing" we're using is somewhat thick (3-4mm) and he wants to even the pressure on the joints or something like that (sorry for my terrible description, I'm trying to remember what he told me).
Our tank isn't under any warranties as it was a freebie from a mate so we don't have to worry about any of that and he's just doing what he thinks will work, I trust him not to mess it up as I'm the queen of nagging, so he makes sure its not guna mess up.
Disclaimer: I do not know everything, nor do I claim to, I'm simply sharing my thoughts on my experiences. Always do your own research and always cross reference!
If putting styrofoam under your tank is seen as a good way of protecting your tank in most peoples eyes, then why the hell would manufacturers void their warranties if you are seen to be taking steps to further protect your purchase! This says to me that the actual people who build the tanks must think it is a very bad idea indeed to "protect" your tank by using styrofoam under it. How daft is that? Please explain someone.
If the stand is perfectly level and there is nothing poking up that could damage the glass, then there is no need to use styrofoam. Styrofoam is usually used if there is a small gap in between the tank and the stand.
Using foam to close a gap between a stand and a tank is a bad idea and should not be done. If you stand has issues it needs to be fixed. Foam is not a fix all for imperfections or unlevel stands.
Rimmed glass tanks should never have foam under them, ever. Rimless glass tanks it depends. If the side glass is around the bottom then it is considered a floating bottom and the tank should rest on the edges, so once again use no foam. If the tank sides are on top of the bottom glass then foam should be use. Acrylic tanks seem to depend on the manufacturer. Some say yes, some say no.
Rimmed glass tanks should never have foam under them, ever. Rimless glass tanks it depends. If the side glass is around the bottom then it is considered a floating bottom and the tank should rest on the edges, so once again use no foam. If the tank sides are on top of the bottom glass then foam should be use. Acrylic tanks seem to depend on the manufacturer. Some say yes, some say no.
If the tank has a plastic rim at the bottom, it normally has braces under the tank, so the tank rest on these braces, and often the unit is sold with a stand, here you would not use polystyrene. If it is a rimless glasses tank, follow fishguy306's advice above.
