Styrofoam under tank

[woodtech]

Hello
I'm a newbie. I've searched a hundred threads and get the same amount of different answers.
I'm setting up a 60"x18"x24" tank on a metal stand. The stand is level on my floor. With the tank empty and sitting on the stand it has a gap of 1/4" in the middle but touches on all four corners. Do I go the styrofoam route underneath or throw the dice and filler up? The tank has a " floating bottom" if that matters.
Thanks

 

[johnny roastbeef]

I sure hope you are referring to an acrylic tank. Yes I would use foam. I use the 8' long pink sheets that come from Home Depot. I have an 8' long X 3 wide tank it it fits perfectly on one sheet. I think its cheap insurance.

 

[Pharaoh]

Hello
I'm a newbie. I've searched a hundred threads and get the same amount of different answers.
I'm setting up a 60"x18"x24" tank on a metal stand. The stand is level on my floor. With the tank empty and sitting on the stand it has a gap of 1/4" in the middle but touches on all four corners. Do I go the styrofoam route underneath or throw the dice and filler up? The tank has a " floating bottom" if that matters.
Thanks

If you truly mean floating bottom, that means you have a glass tank with plastic trim. If this is the case, then you do not need foam at all. Just make sure that the stand is completely level and you should be good to go.

 

[woodtech]

Yes that's correct, black trim on top and bottom. Hagen tank. I just looked and it's more like a 1/8" gap not 1/4".
Pharaoh, what will happen to that gap between the trim and metal stand when I fill it up?

 

[CHOMPERS]

The gap doesn't matter. A glass tank only needs to be supported from its four corners. The rest of the tank supports itself by acting like an I-beam (two beams, actually).

 

[woodtech]

Thanks for the help. I'll start to fill it. I'm a little paraniod of my hardwood floor getting wet. The one thing I've learned being a carpenter is that wood and water don't mix.

 

[12 Volt Man]

yup. its fine. here in ontario these steel tube stands are all over the place and none are perfectly straight. mine are all like that with a small gap in the middle. as long as the ends are well supported and the stand is flat and level you are fine. styro is NOT recommended for floating bottom style glass tanks. the manufacturers say it can lead to a cracked bottom.

 

[12 Volt Man]

Pharaoh, what will happen to that gap between the trim and metal stand when I fill it up?

nothing. it will always be there. not to worry.

styro will do nothing to fill this gap. the styro would be more compressed at the ends and not in the middle so the gap is still there. only difference would be you would have ugly stryo between the tank and the stand now LOL.

in some other threads asking similar pics I have posted close up pics of my tube stands. they are somewhere on here..

 

[woodtech]

hey 12volt
Just spent the last hour reading a thread you were involved in about the styrofoam from last year. VERY interesting. I'm not so much worried now, BUT the tank does have some rock in it from corner to opposite corner that is my man concern after reading those threads. The stand is level as can be. Tank twisted (bought it used but saw it full of water ),, but I need to solve that bit of twist.

 

[woodtech]

TTT