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500pilot
04/06/2013, 06:09 PM
Putting up a 200 dd do i need foam board or not on top of stand

DrPat
04/06/2013, 07:46 PM
I always recommend insulating the bottom, back and when possible the sides of the tank.

avandss
04/06/2013, 07:47 PM
Putting up a 200 dd do i need foam board or not on top of stand

if its a custom stand you should use plywood, from what i understand foam can actually be dangerous to use

avandss
04/06/2013, 11:37 PM
just found this, same thread title :)

http://s.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=13591004

Freddie83
04/07/2013, 11:15 PM
SIAP: What would be the reason to insulate the bottom of the tank?

ca1ore
04/08/2013, 08:42 PM
if its a custom stand you should use plywood, from what i understand foam can actually be dangerous to use

Yet, custom aquarium manufacturers like Coast-to-Coast and GlassCages actually specify in their warranty the use of a compressible material between the tank and the stand. I just cannot see why it would be dangerous. I've always used a 5/8 layer of that pink foam board under my tanks and have never had a problem.

risin
04/09/2013, 09:31 PM
In my experience, it all depends on the tank. What you do not want to do is apply pressure in the wrong places. IE: a typical glass tank has a bottom bracket that puts all of the weight on the edges and maybe a cross section or two in the center. This is where you want to put your foam. If you put it in the middle of the bottom glass you risk a blow out as it was not designed to have pressure at those points. On a flat bottom acrylic tank I put a solid layer of foam board under the tank.

lemkerailroad1
04/16/2013, 09:22 AM
sorry to but in but i am in the middle of a large tank build and i want to make sure on this topic

i have a acrylic tank, custom stand and am thinking of putting a 1" pink foam board under the tank to help level out

you guys are saying that this is recommended or ok to do on a acrylic correct????

jimmyj7090
04/16/2013, 10:00 AM
No foam on tanks that have floating bottoms because the wt is spread around the perimeter and you wouldn't want an inadvertant stress point on the bottom if the tank settles that far into the foam.

On flat bottom / non floating bottom tanks foam is usually reccomended.

lemkerailroad1
04/16/2013, 11:15 AM
ok......

the reason i ask is because i have a small area in the front that has about a 1/8" gap and i dont want to stress the tank but i want to make sure the tank will settle properly on the foam

HippieSmell
04/17/2013, 07:15 AM
ok......

the reason i ask is because i have a small area in the front that has about a 1/8" gap and i dont want to stress the tank but i want to make sure the tank will settle properly on the foam
Is this a custom stand? 1/8" is a lot. I wouldn't put a tank on that.

lemkerailroad1
04/18/2013, 04:56 PM
yes it is custom built

i get it to where i think its straight and i come back a day later and its up again

this is why i got the 1" foam board to put down
i figured that it would squish the heck out of the foam to help keep it level

am i wrong on this?????

sbreefer
04/18/2013, 06:09 PM
1" sounds like major overkill. you dont need insulation. the idea is to distribute the point loads to the glass generated by an imperfection in the stand. I used 1/4" mini cell works great. I build my stand out of solid LVL.

annanymous
04/23/2013, 09:36 AM
not to hijack the thread, but for a raised bottom 75gal glass tank that is going over a custom built stand that is slightly unlevel due to uneven floor floor (1/8-1/16")best option is using shims under stand or foam under tank or both?
thanks

LouH
04/25/2013, 06:22 AM
Why would the force (tension) exerted on the bottom seams be different for a tank whose bottom panel is sitting on foam (leaving the edges suspended) than one that only makes contact around the perimeter edges? From what I understand, the perimeter frames are purely for aesthetics and provide no significant structural aid. The center brace, when present, is not a part of this conversation. For long tanks, they are an absolute necessity.

This topic has come up before and I asked the same question on another thread. I never got an answer. People don't seem to like to answer engineering/physics questions, but the answer to my question will tell you with certainty what risks you are taking when you float a tank on foam. Besides the edge friction for perimeter loading, there is no difference in tension on seams when considering either configuration. I'm not an engineer, but I'm pretty confident that my statements are correct.

My 72" long tank has been floating on foam without the edges making contact with the stand for 9 years. IMO, manufacturers specify edge loading because they fear replacing tanks under warranty when someone floats a tank on a hard surface and a point load results in a broken bottom pane.

LouH
04/25/2013, 06:36 AM
not to hijack the thread, but for a raised bottom 75gal glass tank that is going over a custom built stand that is slightly unlevel due to uneven floor floor (1/8-1/16")best option is using shims under stand or foam under tank or both?
thanks

I use heavy duty stainless steel furniture levels. My tank has 8 of them under the stand. They have 3/8" studs. I drilled and tapped 4" long x 1/4" thick steel plate that I then attached to the frame with screws. I personally wouldn't use hurricane nuts or similar hardware if your frame is constructed out of 2x4s. The wood will eventually split. with my setup, the leveler stud goes through a drilled hole and never touches the frame, so I do not have that risk.