Why do reefers put foam under their tanks?

[stormrider27]

I tried to perform a seach with no luck so why do some people put foam under their tanks, what type of foam is used, where do you get the foam and is foam only needed for large tanks (i.e. <150gal)?

Thanks!

[spamreefnew]

i have never used foam. the theroy is that the foam will compensate for a stand that is not spot-on. my thinking is ...if you need to use foam,then its time for a better stand:)

[alextheromanian]

i built my stand and sadly it wasnt perfectly spot on even i was afraid that it owuld create stress points on the glass and crack it.

so before i put the tank down i placed a piece of insulating foam underneath for the tank to rest on...this just made me sleep better at night knowing i wont lose my tank all at the expence of a small piece of foam.

[Michael]

ive used foam dozens of times over the years on many tanks, basically if your tank has a flat glass bottom then its wise to use foam under it to help prevent cracking, these days however most glass tanks have a plastic trim around them, there is no need for foam with these as the glass bottom is usually sat about the base by a few millimeters illiminating the risk of cracking

[cnaegler]

It's definitely cheap insurance as it only costs about 12- 15 bucks for a 4 x 8 sheet.

[reefscape15]

Agreed with cnaegler. You "should" cut a piece of plywood to fit the base of your tank, and the foam will help in the final stages of leveling itself. Make sure your stand is level, then level your plywood, then once you set the tank, make sure it is level as well. The foam will soak up any unlevel spots on the base of your tank

[Patriot54]

What is the foam called and how thick is it?

[Flipper62]

Level the stand to the tank. The tank needs a solid base. Then if the tank is not level....level the stand. This is also how to do it if you have unlevel floors. If you use foam to try & level the tank, there will be week points on the bottom glass. IMO.. Your just asking for a problem

[Tswifty]

Tanks with no bottom brace... FOAM

Bottom brace... NO FOAM




Level your stands guys.

[crvz]

Well I've never been totally convinced that a stand has to be completely level. Not that it should have a large angle to it, but as long as the top is FLAT, you'll eliminate the concern of stress points on the tank.

But, like others have said, you don't use foam if the tank has a trim on it. That will cause more problems.

[Juruense]

A tank that is not level and I just cannot deal with it. As soon as it fill it up if the water level is not even all around I will drain and address. I cannot live with a tank that is not level.

[cnaegler]

When i built my fishroom, I leveled all the framing concerning where the tank set. I then attached my AC plywood base, double checked the level, then placed a sheet of styrofoam blue r-board down and then another sheet of AC plywood. I figured it was extra insurance.
I'm thinking to do this on an existing stand would probably be a PITA, not to mention unsightly, unless you went through all the trouble to trim it out.