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Post by ryansweatt2004 on May 8, 2013 6:51:09 GMT -5
I would just either fix the stand if your worried about it or do like Jess said and just leave it. The plastic tank trim is glued on with a thick bead of silicone so It's meant to take the strain off the glass if the stand isn't perfect. This even happens with wood stands.
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Post by jess on May 8, 2013 9:19:25 GMT -5
The little foam disks they supply with the tank serve the same purpose as the styro. Your tank takes the most stress at the corners and sides, there is no give or flex there, only in length.
Friend set up a 55 once and used cinder blocks for it to sit on. They had blocks on either side and in the center then put a thin piece of plywood across. Filled the tank and the next morning found it half empty. The bottom cracked from uneven pressure. Learned after that could not have the blocks in the middle, so just ran 2 boards 1" thick across and it was fine like that for years until they got rid of it.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using ProBoards
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Post by scoobnoob on May 8, 2013 22:36:48 GMT -5
I unscrewed some of the screws while putting pressure in some corners when screwing it back in, this leveled things on the stand a little better. I observed 2 120's sitting on display at petpro in the airport mall and the metal stands had the same gap, I know they've been up for 3-4 years. When making the adjustments I noticed a bit of scratching in the paint on the top of the stand, I put a different 40 (I got 3 of em) on the stand and it sat even better. I turned the other 40 over and observed there were a few spots on the plastic that just simply stuck out due to the molding, these were very small but I feel probably contributed to my issues. I'm going to file these imperfections out and use it as my sump it will rest on a different wood support. Finally the padding that came with it was 4 small circles I put one in each corner after looking at my old metal 10 gallon stand and remembering how much they compressed. I'm starting to fill it with water for a leak test too see what happens. Thank you all for your help and reassurances.
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Post by gotareef on May 9, 2013 8:56:42 GMT -5
the stuff I used for my 180 is a purple color I think it is 3/4" the tank sits right on it
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NateG
Full Member
Posts: 222
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Post by NateG on May 11, 2013 17:11:26 GMT -5
I used the same stuff as gotareef. I read that article you posted. I'm having a really hard time agreeing with a tank only needing to be supported at the corners. With a 10 gallon tank? Sure you can get away with supporting at the corners only. But not with anything larger for the long term. There is a reason why glasscages.com only warranties their tanks when you use a 3/4" sheet of soundboard under their tanks.
The idea is having even pressure under all points of contact right. For example, I built my sump from scratch. So there is no plastic rim on the bottom. In which case its imperative to have EVEN pressure on the entire bottom of the sump. Should it have a rim, than only along the rim etc.
I think where the confusion on even pressure only needed on the corners arises from the fact that the corners of a stand are the areas that are designed to bear all of the weight.
Try and think about how long you want your tank to last. If you want it to last longer than damaged seals will allow, then top the stand with 1" ply topped with 3/4" foam. But 3/4" foam on its own is likely adequate. You can cut the inside of the sheet out and use for another smaller tank etc.
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Post by scoobnoob on May 11, 2013 22:02:09 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure I'm going foam, now is it one solid piece that covers the entire top of the stand, or do you cut a rectangular "O" so just the frame contacts? I've read a lot of concerns about the frame compressing the edges of the foam and the center of the foam coming in contact with the bottom of the aquarium causing it to break. I think if the weight is distributed evenly though the foam would probably only be under 15-20lbs of pressure per inch for my situation.
Sokrety's do you have any of your stands on foam, idea on compression to weight, does the foam on the interior touch the bottom of the tank?
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Post by gotareef on May 12, 2013 7:49:36 GMT -5
I left it solid on my 180g, it hasnt compressed the foam really at all in the 2 years its been setup only place it will compress at all is the spots holding it off the rest of the foam. and that will be just enough to let the rest of the tank touch
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Post by scoobnoob on May 12, 2013 9:18:47 GMT -5
How thick do you think I need to go for a 40B? Would 1/2" suffice, or is thicker better?
Also my stand is metal and I know how wet/damp it can get in a fish room.....thoughts on covering the assembled stand in truck bed liner to prevent rust?
I'm going to hide the metal behind wood being held on by magnets.
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