What To Put Between Glass And Cabinet ?

[alex_sheff]

Hi:

My first post on here, so newbie question, I'm afraid.

I bought a used tank. Am in the process of cleaning it and taking everything off before I put it back together to my own taste.

It came with a cabinet which must have sustained some level of water exposure, as the top surface is no longer exactly flat.
The tank also came with a plastic fitted 'support' underneath, that could obviously be used also as a top hood, as its ready to be cut-out.

My question is: should I use the plastic support, like I've seen on a few pictures on the forum, or not?
I'm leaning towards not so that there is 100% contact between the glass and the cabinet which, in my scientific mind, would spread the load of the 120l tank more evenly on the cabinet?
(I was planning on buying some type of thick foam from the local DYI store to 'flatten' the interface between wobbly cabinet and glass.)

Obviously, I've been proven wrong many times before, and so I'd like to have the opinion of the experts on here.

Thank you for your comments and answers.

 

[Scouse Lee]

Hi, I've just put a piece of foam underneath my 4ft tank as I have read that it helps to protect against cracks from uneven pressure, I'm sure it will be good under your tank as well.
Lee

 

[Curiosity101]

Could you find a picture of the plastic support? I'm having trouble picturing it in my head... to be fair I am really really tired right now

As for the other part of your question. How 'not flat' is not flat? I'd just be a tiny bit worried if the water damage was bad enough to cause serious structural weakness...

If it's just a bit bubbly then you can get various thickness high density foam pads to go under tanks. I had one for my fluval roma 125 cause it was on a dresser not a tank cabinet and I didn't want it to leave permenant marks. I don't know if there is a cheaper 'diy' version but I used a mat similar to this - http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aquarium-Basemat-76x30cm-30x12-Non-Slip-Base-Mat-Under-Fish-Tank-/360442248380?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item53ec083cbc . I also found a few cheaper ones on google shopping.

 

[ShinySideUp]

I bought my Fluval Roma 240 litre and the assembly instructions specifically excluded the use of anything at all between the tank and the cabinet. I believe the wording was 'under no circumstances put anything between the glass and the base'.

Having said that, my 120 litre Juwel has polystyrene tiles between the tank and the base and has done for the last eight years so really this post hasn't helped at all; hmmm

 

[alex_sheff]

Curiosity101: Please find attached a picture of the plastic support. I'm starting to think that this is a packing device and nothing else.
I like the idea of thick foam between the cabinet and glass.

'Not flat' as in 'can't see it with a naked eye, but can sort of feel it when passing my hand on the surface"
The foam ought to do it.

You can also see that I have glue residue on the tank after I tore off the old background.
Any advice on how to remove? Heat-gun, glass scraper, acetone (aka nail polish remover) or any combination of the three ?

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

Regarding cleaning the back of the tank, just give it a try with whatever you have around but if you get desperate WD40 will remove it but it'll be a massive pain the the backside to get the residue from the WD40 off lol.

Oh but not a heat gun!

 

[DrRob]

What make of tank are we looking at? Some of them have floating bases and are intended to stand with the base itself clear of the cabinet.

 

[alex_sheff]

What make of tank are we looking at? Some of them have floating bases and are intended to stand with the base itself clear of the cabinet.

It's an AquaEL. The dimensions and general aspect correspond to the AquaEL Pearl 80.

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum alex_sheff.

You are partly correct. Spreading the load over the entire bottom surface of a tank would be better than simply supporting it along the edges. Now let's look at that. Do you have a perfectly flat surface that actually will distribute the load that way? I have never seen that in my own tanks. Even a minor ripple or a single grain of sand in the area will completely remove that benefit. Let's go back to practical discussions instead. A tank designed to be supported along its bottom edge using a plastic frame is best used with nothing at all between the glass bottom and the tank's support stand. I even use stands that have no center at all. Instead they have a very flat perimeter surface that the tank frame can sit on. By leaving the bottom surface open, there is no possibility of having a localized stress point created and the tanks just last forever.

The plastic frame shown in your linked picture is one that actually supports the tank along its edge. I would be opposed to placing anything between the glass and the stand unless the manufacturer recommends it.

No matter whether or not the tank should be supported across the entire surface, no tank stand should ever be used unless it has a flat surface, not one warped by exposure to moisture.

 

[ian_m]

See my comments about my mates tank that leaked due to impropper base.

Leaks...