Styrofoam for tank leveling

[steveoutlaw]

Where can I get a piece of thin styrofoam 72 x 27 for leveling my tank? The floor where I'm putting it is pretty level, I just need to compensate for any minor unlevelness (I made that word up).

[Prunfarm]

Glass or acrylic? For my glass tank, I used some foam core board from Wal Mart and cut it into strips. If you need a full piece for acrylic, you'll probably have to go to HD or Lowes - in the construction supply section and buy a full 8X4 sheet.

[Pat_13]

Styrofoam will not level or support your tank. If the stand is rocked or moved the Styrofoam will just crush and the tank will move.

 

You need to use shims under the vertical support members, your stand will distribute the weight.

[dhoch]

Goto HD or Lowes...

 

Pat.. this kind of thing is actually recomended by many tank manufacturers...While you are correct you want to make your STAND as level as possible, there will always be minor leveling issues and using this type of leveling is recommended.

 

By the way the word is uneveness

 

Dave

[steveoutlaw]

I like my word better

[kngfisher]

I like my word better

 

 

I used shims under stand to make it level and then went to HD and got some of the pink insulation board and placed that under my tank and sump..

[Guest fishwish]

I used shims under stand to make it level and then went to HD and got some of the pink insulation board and placed that under my tank and sump..

 

Doesn't that have fiberglass in it? Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong thing.

 

Good infor re: leveling. Thanks! Can you get the shims at HD, too?

 

What can you use to keep the set up silent? My big tank stand is enclosed, which should help with noise, but I was thinking of some sort of rubber matt on the floor of the cabinet and even lining it with styrofoam. Any ideas?

[kngfisher]

Doesn't that have fiberglass in it? Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong thing.

I don't think so...have cut it in several pieces and have yet to see of feel any fiberglass.

 

Good infor re: leveling. Thanks! Can you get the shims at HD, too?

yes, had to walk over the entire store to find them....I just used the cheap wood shims....comes is pack of ~20 for less then $5.

 

What can you use to keep the set up silent? My big tank stand is enclosed, which should help with noise, but I was thinking of some sort of rubber matt on the floor of the cabinet and even lining it with styrofoam. Any ideas?

I am not the right person the a silent tank...I was able to eliminate some of the pump noise by placing a piece of foam under the sump and erecting a rubber platform for my return pump...that was the normal vibration of the pump does not transfer the noise to the sump and stand.....i placed the return under the water level and that seemed to have helped too. noise can come from many sources...pumps, powerheads, chillers, standpipe, etc.

[ErikS]

A couple of tidbits -

 

#1 - need for full length padding depends on tank, some glass tanks do indeed need it. Most, like AGA support the weight on the edges & need no center support or cushioning.

 

#2 - The need for cushioning depends on construction. Leveling the stand is really the key, a level stand will distribute the weight evenly. The "padding" serves only one function & that's to make up for any small imperfections in the wood such as the joints. Small imperfections cause stress points = failure. Most of the pink/styrofoam @ HD won't make up for more than 1/32" inch - it will compress.

 

With a smooth level top this isn't necessary, even for acrylic tanks - but you'd better be darn sure it's smooth & not just "pretty good".

[Rascal]

I think we are really talking about two separate issues here. The stand supporting a tank must be BOTH planar (flat) and level. You can fix the "unlevelness" problem with shims, but if there is any concern with planarity, a lot of the manufacturers recommend a thin layer of foam placed between the tank and stand to prevent pressure points from forming on the glass. I agree with EricS that a tank supported only on the edges (most glass tanks) does not need foam or support in the center, but in that case I would still put foam under the supporting portions just in case there are any imperfections there.

 

I DIY'd my stand recently, and in the process learned that making a stand perfectly planar and level is not as easy as it seems. It really needs to be as flat as glass. I used a sander to eliminate any imperfections that I could detect (using a the side of a 5-foot steel ruler as a straight edge), and then some 1/2" closed-cell foam to account for the imperfections I couldn't detect. I ended up filling my 24 x 60 space with strips cut from 1/2" closed cell foam sleeping pad mats purchased at a military surplus store. I also used the composite shims from HD to level the stand in spite of the downright wavyness of my floor. I chose composite over wood because I was concerned with the wood ones compressing over time, especially if they got wet.

[ErikS]

I'd have to agree, if you're making an open frame stand getting it flat (planar) can be tough......not impossible, but you need to have good jointing skills.

 

An alternative is to start with a good surface, even for AGA edge load type tanks there's no reason you can't have a full surface top.

 

Example - I used a sheet of cabinet grade ply (acrylic tank). This was sanded/painted/sanded/painted. Key in this approach is dust removal, like any other finish.

 

No reason one couldn't do the same & then route out the center.