what to put between tank and stand?

[razzmia]

In several books I have read that it is a good idea to put some sort of material under the tank (between the tank and stand) so that there is better weight distribution to help prevent cracks and so that the material under the tank helps to absorb shocks (if live rock fell or something similar).

I am not describing shims to help level it. (Although I need to do this too)

Michael Paletta discusses this in his book The New Marine Aquarium.
What is this material or "shock absorber" that goes under the tank between the tank and stand? Exactly how is this done? Does anyone have pics to help illustrate or know of a different thread that describes this and has pics?

Thank you in advance for any advice!
~Mia

[bmooney31]

I didn't put anything between mine. i would think you could buy some flooring underlayment to go under it. maybe that heavy rubber carpet pad

[sedor]

Some choose to put a piece of foam between the tank and stand. On rimless tanks this is pretty much a necessity, and on larger tanks its a good idea. A lot who don't build their own stand choose to skip this because it doesn't help much when the top of the stand is open.

[the maggot]

so that there is better weight distribution to help prevent cracks and so that the material under the tank helps to absorb shocks (if live rock fell or something similar).


~Mia

I don't think a pad of any kind will stop a crack from a dropped rock. How big is your tank?

[wec]

I had read on here about needing to put some foam under a rimless tank. I have an oceanic rimless, so I contacted oceanic about it. And this was the reply

*No, that is not true. **It is engineered to be stable as constructed.*LuAnn
*LuAnn Milbrandt
Technical Support
Central Aquatics

[razzmia]

Great question. 65 gallon tank. The stand has an open top so that the tank sits on the rim of the stand. Just seems scary to me to have something that weighs so much to be just sitting on the rim of an open stand. I did not expect to have the stand top open. (Very new to this)

Are the tanks truly strong enough to hold all that weight with nothing under the bottom of the glass?

[99sf]

I got the large sheet of 1/2" thick styrofoam at Home Depot and cut it to fit the top of my stand, and inside the base of the stand (under the sump). I believe it slows the rate of heat loss.

[razzmia]

Why would it not help when the top of the stand is open?

[badger126]

I've used a folded up towel under a smaller tank(29 gallon) to help catch drips and to help stabilize/provide absorption before but I don't know how a towel would work under a bigger tank

[the maggot]

Imo I wouldn't worry about putting anything under a 65. You could put egg crate under your lr and put your ls in after the rock to minimize the chance of the lr collapsing.

[sedor]

Great question. 65 gallon tank. The stand has an open top so that the tank sits on the rim of the stand. Just seems scary to me to have something that weighs so much to be just sitting on the rim of an open stand. I did not expect to have the stand top open. (Very new to this)

Are the tanks truly strong enough to hold all that weight with nothing under the bottom of the glass?

Why would it not help when the top of the stand is open?

By an open top of the stand I don't mean the tank. On most of the typical stands that are sold with aquariums made by the manufacturers, rather than having a piece of wood between the bottom of the tank and the rest of the stand, its simply a rim and the tank sits on it. With no sand on the bottom you can look down through the tank and see all the equipment in the stand if you wanted to. I guess the foam might help distribute the weight a little better along the edges, but IMO with a stand like this it would be more hassle than its worth to try and get it placed right.

[sedor]

Great question. 65 gallon tank. The stand has an open top so that the tank sits on the rim of the stand. Just seems scary to me to have something that weighs so much to be just sitting on the rim of an open stand. I did not expect to have the stand top open. (Very new to this)

Are the tanks truly strong enough to hold all that weight with nothing under the bottom of the glass?

Why would it not help when the top of the stand is open?

By an open top of the stand I don't mean the tank. On most of the typical stands that are sold with aquariums made by the manufacturers, rather than having a piece of wood between the bottom of the tank and the rest of the stand, its simply a rim and the tank sits on it. With no sand on the bottom you can look down through the tank and see all the equipment in the stand if you wanted to. I guess the foam might help distribute the weight a little better along the edges, but IMO with a stand like this it would be more hassle than its worth to try and get it placed right.