Foam underneith the tank

[jamesbuf]

I've seen many people put that high density foam under their tanks. Is this needed, or more of a precautionary thing? My equipment for the overflow is in the mail and should be here Thursday, so I'll be putting my 150gal cube on its stand shortly. Its a rimless tank tank, which is why I'm asking. Steve's stand is pretty darn solid, but top of the stand appears to have some warps in it since not having the tank on top of it for a couple years.

 

As always, any advice is much apprecaited.

Edited January 15, 2013 by jamesbuf

[Coral Hind]

I think it helps to even out some minor spots but if the there are already warps you might want to fix them before putting the foam on. There is only so much a foam can even out.

[smallreef]

You may be better off just cutting a new piece of ply for the top...

[jamesbuf]

Looked at the stand again. It's not warped at all actually. Just got a little dirty in storage.

 

So I'm heading to Home Depot today. Does it matter what kind of foam it is?? If k recall correctly, there are many kinds.

[Integral9]

For glass tanks, you don't want the foam to be so think that it puts pressure on the bottom pane; especially where the center braces cross. The weight of glass tanks is supported by the edges of the frame. So I wouldn't go any thicker than 1/4 inch foam to be safe

 

For acrylic tanks, you want the weight evenly distributed across the bottom pane. So for those, I would use a 3/8 inch to 1/2 inch medium density foam to smooth out any sharp / uneven spots.

 

fwiw:

I used 1/2 styro under my acrylic sump.

Edited January 17, 2013 by Integral9