To Styro or Not to Styro?

[vfc]

Posted by Pharaoh “There in lies the issue. One should first address whether or not the floor is level. From there, they place the stand in the desired location and ensure that not only is the top of the tank level ,but it is sitting square on the floor. The other thing that is needed is the verification of the sqaureness of the stand. If any of these three situations are present, then the need for corrective action would present itself. If one corner of the stand is not the same height as the rest, then the tank is not level, plain and simple. We fall back into the same situation of needing to ensure that all of the factors are addressed before ever placing water in the tank.”


You keep forgetting that all those flatness measurements are made with an empty tank. You are also forgetting that wood changes over time. One of those creeks you hear in the middle of a winter's night just might be a joist shifting under the tank; possibly causing the tank to leak while you sleep. I sleep much better knowing I have foam mats under my tanks.

 

[siebertn]

I use styro under all my tanks but whether it really works or not I have no idea, it is just something other fish keepers told me to us when I started to keep fish and I guess it stuck with me.

 

[Pharaoh]

You keep forgetting that all those flatness measurements are made with an empty tank. You are also forgetting that wood changes over time. One of those creeks you hear in the middle of a winter's night just might be a joist shifting under the tank; possibly causing the tank to leak while you sleep. I sleep much better knowing I have foam mats under my tanks.

No, I am well aware that those measurements are made with an empty tank. If you are unsure of the level of your stand. Verify that the stand is square, if it is square, it will be level unless the floor is not. It is very simple to check these points rather than have to rely on foam to do the job for you.
If the floor is shifting and creaking, then you should monitor and measure to ensure that the floor is not slowly caving in. This is a point I made much earlier.
I would sleep a whole lot better knowing that my floor, stand, and tank are absolutely level without hoping foam will help. there is nothing better than doing it right in the first place rather than compensating for inequities with foam.

 

[vfc]

[FONT=&quot]Posted by Pharaoh “[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Let me throw this out for discussion. If one corner of that stand is lower, that would in turn cause the same corner of the tank to be lower. This would theoretically cause an increase in weight on the corner due to the height increase of the water column[/FONT][FONT=&quot].”

[/FONT] Insignificant.

 

[Pharaoh]

[FONT=&quot]Posted by Pharaoh “[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Let me throw this out for discussion. If one corner of that stand is lower, that would in turn cause the same corner of the tank to be lower. This would theoretically cause an increase in weight on the corner due to the height increase of the water column[/FONT][FONT=&quot].”[/FONT]

Insignificant.

How is that insignificant? Please explain. It is no less significant than the minor support that foam would give to a tank that is sitting on an unlevel stand.

 

[12 Volt Man]

I sleep better at night knowing that my tank is flat and level on a steel (not wood) stand without foam, since my tank has a floating bottom and is NOT designed for foam.

few tanks made these days are. most of them have floating bottoms.

the use of foam is probably one of those things that has carried over from a time when tanks didn't have the floating bottoms..

its outdated and unnessesary, sort of like undergravel filters...

 

[vfc]

[FONT=&quot]Posted by Pharaoh “[/FONT][FONT=&quot]How is that insignificant? Please explain. It is no less significant than the minor support that foam would give to a tank that is sitting on an unlevel stand..”

You are getting disparate to keep this thread going. Are we close to the record number of posts?


[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Posted by 12 Volt Man “since my tank has a floating bottom and is NOT designed for foam.
few tanks made these days are. most of them have floating bottoms[/FONT]"

You are lucky; I have nothing but the old fashion glass tanks with a black plastic frame around them. It forces me to cut the foam mat into 1" wide strips[FONT=&quot].
[/FONT]

 

[12 Volt Man]

but you don't have to be lucky. my fishroom at my parents place had 8 tanks set up for over 15 years and I didn't have foam under ANY of them. they were all old style tanks with the exception of the 65 tall..which I have with me at my new house..

like I said, if the stands are properly set up, tanks level and flat etc.

foam is not neccessary.

and of no benefit.

its not like your tanks are going to fall to peices and start breaking and leaking just because you don't use foam.

they start leaking/breaking because you either didn't level the stand properly or you have floor issues (these were on concrete with thin carpet over them)

foam has nothing to do with tank problems if the problems arise from improperly setup tanks to begin with..

no foam
no problem:

 

[vfc]

From the pictures it looks like you have all metal stands and a concrete floor at your parents house. I agree for all those tanks you do not necessarily need foam.

Do you have any tanks on wooden stands and on wooden floors at your house? I would assume, by the conviction of your advice not to use foam on top of a wooden stand on a wooden floor, you have a few tanks set up and are speaking from experience; correct?

BTW - I gave my brother a 6' tank with an iron stand that I had installed on a concrete floor for a few years. He installed it on a wooden floor in his den. A few months later the center brace broke and the tank was bowing out.

 

[Pharaoh]

BTW - I gave my brother a 6' tank with an iron stand that I had installed on a concrete floor for a few years. He installed it on a wooden floor in his den. A few months later the center brace broke and the tank was bowing out.

There is much talk about how tank that have been level for years, and then placed in an unlevel position will have a tendancy to lead. Same goes for a tank that was unlevel and then re-setup perfectly level. There is a tendency as the tank has already settled.

[FONT=&quot]You are getting disparate to keep this thread going. Are we close to the record number of posts?[/FONT]

To answer your question, I feel that this thread should remain open as long as there are people who are giving others wrong information. I could really care less about how many posts this thread has. Although I would prefer to remove any quotes/comments that have no factual basis behind them, including my own. What I am looking for is factual data to support your statements and opinions. I will question those opinions until such information is provided.

Now, how do you mock one insignificant detail when the whole argument that you have presented is base on a insignificant amount of support provided by foam? Weight is weight, regardless of where the tank is positioned. If one corner of the tank is higher, it is higher because the twisting force is raising it. Just because will not compress as much underneath it,(please refer to why the corner is higher in the first place) doesn't mean that support is given.

You are lucky; I have nothing but the old fashion glass tanks with a black plastic frame around them. It forces me to cut the foam mat into 1" wide strips[FONT=&quot].[/FONT]

FYI, tanks with plastic trim around the bottom are by definition floating glass tanks. Foam is not needed on these tanks.