What to put between aquarium and stand?

[Rocksor]

they do that's why they have deflation calculate like this one. my tank is just about 210 PSF. and wood will settle after time too.

ENGINEERING.com | Beam Deflection Calculators

ENGINEERING.com's Beam Deflection Calculators.

www.engineering.com

Is this metal or wood? Reads as metal

 

[TheWolfman]

T Tj203 this is the thread that I read it in maybe neoprodigy can Chime in on the final result.

Leveling of my 600 Gallon.

So I took out the foam board under the 600. here is how it look now with 1 corner like this. what to do now? any suggestion?

www.monsterfishkeepers.com

 

[Tj203]

Is this metal or wood? Reads as metal

did you even open the link and look at it? there are 10 different materials to choose. a 24 inch span of a 2x4 for my tank 210 psf would deflect 0.106211 inchs or 2.6977594mm.

 

[Rocksor]

did you even open the link and look at it? there are 10 different materials to choose. a 24 inch span of a 2x4 for my tank 210 psf would deflect 0.106211 inchs or 2.6977594mm.

So what does that mean in the span of years for an acrylic aquarium? Whether it's on a seam versus in between seams?

 

[Tj203]

So what does that mean in the span of years for an acrylic aquarium? Whether it's on a seam versus in between seams?

an acrylic tank needs to be supported on the entire bottom of the tank so i does not matter if it is on a seam or not.it all need to be flat and level. so if you stand is deflecting you are putting unnecessary stress on all of the seams. as far as how long it will last who knows it might last 50 years or 50 days. in my house i am not willing to take that chance especially ones that can be helped for $15.

 

[Rocksor]

Considering how long acrylic tanks have been around for home use (300g and below), and how most have a full bottom sheet of wood underneath (appropriately supported), how many cases of acrylic tank failure due to knots on the wood sheet causing deflection have there been? How necessary is it to have the foam if the tank is level and no gaps large enough to slide a credit card underneath at any point under the acrylic aquarium (some gaps still present)?

 

[Tj203]

Considering how long acrylic tanks have been around for home use (300g and below), and how most have a full bottom sheet of wood underneath (appropriately supported), how many cases of acrylic tank failure due to knots on the wood sheet causing deflection have there been? How necessary is it to have the foam if the tank is level and no gaps large enough to slide a credit card underneath at any point under the acrylic aquarium (some gaps still present)?

Nothing like beating a dead horse have a good day

 

[Lepisosteus]

You should not put foam under acrylic. It should sit flat on a solid surface. If the company that makes the tank says otherwise for warranty purposes, do as they say.

 

[The-Almighty-Zugs]

exactly.

its easy to cut with sturdy scissors or razor knife.

not if the piece of plywood/stand is nice and level front to back and side to side. also if you use screws to attach the plywood to the stand then those can become contact points overtime so a bit of foam will help with that too.

So I though I read on here that foam under acrylic tanks is a bad idea and it can cause stress the seams of the tank. When the foam compresses the bottom of the tank can bow and pop a seam. I will be building my stand very soon for my 450 and would like to know this as well. Lepisosteus maybe you could shed some lite on this I thought I remember a issue with someone’s tank and you chimed in.

How does the bottom of an acrylic tank bow with a full sheet of plywood or wood underneath that is not bowing?

So what does that mean in the span of years for an acrylic aquarium? Whether it's on a seam versus in between seams?

an acrylic tank needs to be supported on the entire bottom of the tank so i does not matter if it is on a seam or not.it all need to be flat and level. so if you stand is deflecting you are putting unnecessary stress on all of the seams. as far as how long it will last who knows it might last 50 years or 50 days. in my house i am not willing to take that chance especially ones that can be helped for $15.

You should not put foam under acrylic. It should sit flat on a solid surface. If the company that makes the tank says otherwise for warranty purposes, do as they say.

So now I'm really confused on what to do. Do I get a piece of plywood? Do I need a piece of foam? Do I need both a piece of plywood and a piece of foam? If I get foam as well could it damage the seams? Like what should I do to best protect my tank? It is acrylic and it's long. 96x24x24. I just want to make it so it has the safest bottom underneath it so it doesn't break the seams and it remains safe and sturdy.

 

[BichirKing]

we all can agree on the piece of plywood and proper bracing of the stand below the plywood. my tank has the same foot print as yours. as far as right or wrong with the use of foam well....that's up to you. I've done it both ways. at the end of the day do what gives you the most piece of mind.