Gaps between tank and stand

[salmon alley]

I've got a 180g AGA tank with the plastic support trim around the edges.

Just finished having a stand built for the tank. The stand has 1" plywood over joists about 4" apart. The whole thing is supported by a couple of beams.

When it was being built, it looked great. Smooth and level. Once I got the tank on it, there are areas where there are gaps between the bottom of the tank edge and the stand. I don't think any of them are larger than 1/8" but there are a number of them. They seem to be greatest at the diagonal opposite corners of the tank

It would be very difficult to get foam or padding under the tank, as there isn't room to boost it up.

Should I fill it, and see if the wood settles and the gaps dissapate? Should I shim the gaps under the tank?

Any and all help is appreciated!
SA

[kgross]

My suggestion is to remove the tank from the stand and put some styrofoam under the tank to even the pressure from the stand on the tank. But it sounds like you already have the tank setup so that will be impossible to do without empting the tank. I don't know what to say if you try shiming and put the shim in to far you will create another pressure point on the tank.

Kim

[damonbrodie]

I don't think you should try shimming it - that would likely cause more problems than it is solving.

You don't need a thick sheet of foam. I would really try to get that in there.

[salmon alley]

The problem isn't that it's filled...it DOES have about 40-50 gal of water in it now, but I could always drain that. The problem is that this tank is built to be recessed into the wall, and there just isn't a lot of over head space to raise the tank up to slide foam under it.

Sounds like it's the best option though. Exactly which type of foam is the best for this application?

Thanks for the replies...keep em coming!

[Todd G.]

or a fairly dense foam tape approx 1"-1.5" and 1/8-1/4 thick.
Like dense closed cell weatherstripping tape avail. at HD.

The camper top tape is what people use to put on the lip of a pick-up truck bed before putting a fiberglass camper top on it.
www.jcwhitney.com has it if unavail locally.

Also .. the old trick of shimming with cardboard may be what would work best.

I have seen many tanks pressure crack if the plane the tank sits on is not level/ equally supportive all around.

Just some ideas for you.

I am setting up a 60 hex and the bottom rests on dense foam tape.

Cheers.
Todd G.

[salmon alley]

I think I will go with the closed-cell weather stripping all around if I can find it. That should be thin enough to fit under the tank.

Thanks everyone!

SA

[salmon alley]

OK-
Just picked up Self-Adhesive Closed Cell Sponge Rubber Weatherstripping. 3/16" x 1.25". Says 'for camper mount' right on the package.

Think this will work okay?

[ri]

A "small" gap is not much of a problem. What you really don't want is a "small" bump.

I don't think the foam will do anything for the tank support. I would be more concerned that it will hold water and possibly cause other problems several years down the road.

Just my 2¢.

ri

[salmon alley]

To be honest, I think the weight of the water/tank/rock, etc. will eventually even out the imperfections in the wood. (the contractor thinks the beam 'crowned' slightly and that's what is causing the gaps)

Sounds like the foam couldn't hurt, but everyone seems to agree that shims between the tank and stand are a BAD idea.....yes?

[gljjr]

I think you would be fine without anything. My 150 had one corner of the stand drop 1 1/2" without a problem (72l x 18w x 28h). Yes I drained it a day or so later but the tank held up just fine. I sure wouldn't want to do that again though!

I've never used foam under any tank I have set up in the last 35 years. It just doesn't seem to make a whole lot of difference. From 20 gal show tanks set up on bowing bookshelves to my 150 on a faulty stand, glass tanks are much more forgiving than people give them credit for.

[Zephrant]

I would shim the tank level. Weather stripping will compress to nothing, giving no real support. Polystyrene foam might work, but I don't have the experience to determine that it will work for sure.

The shimming would work though. Pick up a pack of cedar shims from the hardware store, and shim it every 3 inches. Cut off the shims even with the tank edge when you are done, and you will hardly see them.

HTH-

Zeph

[salmon alley]

Thanks again to everyone who replied.

I sent an email to All-Glass and they forwarded it to their head engineer. I thought that I'd share the response here for reference:
"The thing we try to prevent, is a high spot, along either of the lateral surfaces (Front, back or ends). As Dawn has said, support at the corners is of prime importance. Corner to corner yaw would be most problematic. I have seen Styrofoam used, and I don't see a problem with that, since it serves to yield in the right places lending additional support."

For my problem, given the extent and placement of the gaps, I plan to use shims to support the corners in question, and then shim any larger gaps along the lateral surfaces. Obviously, this approach is only applicable to glass tanks with the plastic trim, where the weight of the tank is born on the edges.

HTH
SA

[salmon alley]

Hello everyone,

I thought I'd fill you in on how I resolved the problem in the hope that it might help out someone else with the same dilemma.

I did end up using the table top epoxy, and let me tell you, the stuff works GREAT! I stapled cardboard around the edges first, then I put a layer of masking tape on the inside of the cardboard to prevent the cardboard from becoming saturated. Last, I ran a bead of Elmer's glue along the corner where the cardboard met the stand (on the inside), to prevent epoxy from leaking out small gaps.
Then it was just a matter of mixing it up and pouring in into the form I created. I used a foam brush to spread it around, made sure the entire surface was covered about 1/8" and let it sit. It self-leveled, just as it was advertised to do, and now I've got a flat, perfectly level surface!

This is the stuff I got: http://www.shopmaninc.com/kk121.html

Well worth it for the peace of mind (IMHO).

Thanks everyone for the advice!
SA

[rza007]

Man am I in the same situation as you were...

only difference is i have an In-wall 180 Acrylic RR... what I did was cut slivers of 4x4 wood and wedged pieces where the gaps were. The tank is still empty but im thinking that it wont be a prob... the tank is already built in wall so there is no room to work with... Hopefully everything will be alright

[Fonchy]

hey RZA007 and salmon alley can you guys post pics of the front and back to give me anb idea, We are building a house and a 250 or 300 gal will be going to in the wall, what type paint did you guys use to paint the wall (water evaporation, mildew inside the walls, etc) I want to address this problem before is too late.

[Alberio]

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