Foam under aquarium

[Mark Gray]

Ask your tank builder about Neoprene

 

[vetteguy53081]

I use heavy contruction foam and it appears to be effective in leveling and insulates bottom of aquarium

 

[Amoo]

Lol. I’m just trying to do it right and I’m sure I’m not the first person to wonder about it.

Please note, as somebody who is a chronic over-builder, never once did I say it was a bad thing

My excuse is I grew up in South FL and saw what Hurricanes for do so I try to build everything Hurricane proof. That's my excuse anyways I built a new pump house this summer (well water pumps typically get small enclosures), my neighbor came by about half way through and asked me if he could move into it...

 

[Auto-pilot]

Ok I have built 2 tanks and nobody has ever told me to put foam under the tank. Does the tank sit on the foam or is it just under filling the gap between the glass and the stand?? Thanks

 

[foxt]

My tank was built by coast-to-coast, and they specified homasote between the tank and the stand. The bottom of the tank is rimless, with the pane of glass covered by thin plywood which is in turn in full contact with the homasote.

 

[Rcpilot]

I must be in left field. I see no reason to purchase 2 pieces of material. What am I missing?

Standard sheet of foam is 96x48
Tank is 96-1/2 × 24-1/2

Cut your 24-1/2 wide piece the full 96

You have 23-1/2 x 96 left. Can you cut a piece out of that for the patch?

Do it fancy and cut 2 pieces 24-1/2 x 90.

Cut the other 24-1/2 x 6-1/2 out of your scrap piece of 23-1/2 x 96. Straight edge and a 90* square outta do the job.

 

[Dubs83]

I must be in left field. I see no reason to purchase 2 pieces of material. What am I missing?

Standard sheet of foam is 96x48
Tank is 96-1/2 × 24-1/2

Cut your 24-1/2 wide piece the full 96

You have 23-1/2 x 96 left. Can you cut a piece out of that for the patch?

Do it fancy and cut 2 pieces 24-1/2 x 90.

Cut the other 24-1/2 x 6-1/2 out of your scrap piece of 23-1/2 x 96. Straight edge and a 90* square outta do the job.

No, you're not. I just over complicated this thing entirely but I've never had a rimless and so I want to ask before I get all willy nilly with it. I was mostly concerned about it being single piece vs two and if that would create any issues.

 

[Danj]

Do I just use two 48 1/4” pieces and stop overthinking it?

Thanks!

That's what I'd do. No harm in having a seam, and much more durable to have it in the center rather then a half inch from the edge. [emoji106]

 

[Rcpilot]

I must be in left field. I see no reason to purchase 2 pieces of material. What am I missing?

Standard sheet of foam is 96x48
Tank is 96-1/2 × 24-1/2

Cut your 24-1/2 wide piece the full 96

You have 23-1/2 x 96 left. Can you cut a piece out of that for the patch?

Do it fancy and cut 2 pieces 24-1/2 x 90.

Cut the other 24-1/2 x 6-1/2 out of your scrap piece of 23-1/2 x 96. Straight edge and a 90* square outta do the job.

I meant "do it fancy and cut 2 pieces 24-1/2 x 45" (apologies for the bad math)

That would give you 24-1/2 x 90 with a 6-1/2 inch patch piece in the middle. It ends up being 3 pieces, but after reading this thread - I don't think that matters.

We could make it complicated though...
Find some glue for that foam and make an overly complicated jig to glue all 3 pieces back together.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Just another option— 1/2” or 3/4” plywood, with some of this on top of it, directly under the tank. I like it under my 6’ tank. Best wishes

 

[SeaJay]

No foam under mine cause it’s a rimmed tank, but I did use a piece of yoga mat under my sump. Seems like it works pretty great for its intended purpose.

 

[Dubs83]

Just another option— 1/2” or 3/4” plywood, with some of this on top of it, directly under the tank. I like it under my 6’ tank. Best wishes

Can I overcomplicate it, though? [emoji6]

 

[427HISS]

Question.

If you lay down a 1/2" or 3" sheet of plywood, nice and flat, on top of your stand, why use foam or any other substraight ?
I've built several stands this way with no issues.

 

[427HISS]

Question.

If you lay down a 1/2" or 3" sheet of plywood, nice and flat, on top of your stand, why use foam or any other substraight ?
I've built several stands this way with no issues.

Sorry, meant 3/4" not... 3"

 

[JumboShrimp]

Well, it could be just a sales gimmick, calling it a “self leveling” mat. Kind of an ‘Emporor’s New Clothes’ thing. But for what I have invested in a 6’ long rimless tank, I just felt better having it between my glass and the wood; one minor benefit is to catch a few occasional drops of runoff on the outside of the tank before the drops hit the wooden stand. But I could see how someone might put the mat in the ‘non-essential’ category.

 

[427HISS]

I agree, and it could be a good safety measure, but not needed. In the past I've used a automotive feeler gauge to check for gap's, but there wasn't enough to matter. I always,...get good straight lumber, not from big box stores, but at lumber company's. You pay more, but it's worth it. Every time I go to the box stores, I see the bundles of 2"x2"s, all warped, never finding much quality.

I use 1/2" or 3/4" plywood on top of the stand, as it's flat and also add's strength to the stand.