Hey guys I recently got a metal stand built and was wondering if you guys would put a foam pad in between the metal stand and tank to prevent uneven settling/pressure? What do you guys recommend? I’ve heard of issues with tanks cracking for unevenness.
Tank stand foam?
- Thread starter dave57
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Quietman
2500 Club Member
Do you have framed tank or rimless? Two different answers. Framed - not required assuming the steel is reasonably level. Rimless - I'd put down a 3/4 plywood base or 3/4 acrylic base (which I find very attractive) with thin foam under the tank. Rimless needs full support under the entire area of tank and perfectly even.
Mhart032
Stick Head
i like the look of the acrylic base, when the light hits it it looks like the tank is floating off the stand. if anything is at least use the auto leveling pad that BRS sells for some cushion on the stand rails.
Quietman
2500 Club Member
If it's rimmed on bottom then a piece of foam (the black high density stuff) on the steel would be fine. Of course, adding a top of plywood can't hurt either, just depends what you want at that point.
I have always used the blue foam you find at lowes or home depot for every setup. Whenever you check the tank for being level, it will differ between empty and full. The foam helps compensate for if the tank isnt perfectly level while being full.
Plywood is fine.
Just to give some information so you can make your decision: if the tank is rimmed on the bottom, the bottom panel is usually "floating," so that all the weight is on the vertical panels and the bottom panel won't be touching the stand. If the addition of foam causes upward force on the floating bottom panel, that can cause stress on the seam of the bottom panel.
Look at the bottom of the tank to be sure.
