New 40 Breeder Setup (Urgent!)

[tmshck122]

Hi guys, so I took the plunge and got a petco brooklyn metal tank stand and a new 40 breeder from petco to start a new tank. Only problem is, they had me put these 4 foam rings on the stand as per the instructions on the stand, and this gap has me worried that it will create a stress focus zone on the glass and cause a crack and leave 40 gallons on my floor... :O



Does this look ok?

 

[CMOS]

No way should you do that. That tank will fracture.

Does the tank wobble when placed on the stand ring itself?

I'm a big fan of shimming a new tank with what is generally called "self leveling material", typically a 3/8" or 1/2" thick strip of styrofoam that is placed around the entire contact surface of the stand. The only drawback you may have in doing this will be that you will SEE the material. Most wood stands have the trim lip in the front and sides that hide the shim material.

So, does the tank wobble at all on the stand?

CMOS

 

[tmshck122]

Doesn't wobble really but the theres un-even transitions on this stand. There's lot of good reviews online about this stand, I'm not sure what those people did. My 10G is on the same stand with the foam rings and its OK, but thats a much smaller tank.

 

[armymp327]

you should not be placing styro foam around a glass stand, that should only be done with acrylic tanks, also glass stands only need to be supported in the corners, the middle does not need to be supported. ive never heard of doing that with a stand, id give the company a call to make sure. if thats how its designed and something happens they will cover you, however if you choose not to use the pads and it cracks because of the stand design, they will not cover you. give them a call to make sure

Edit: a glass tank you only want to support it along its frame, not on the bottom. If the foam starts supporting the tank along the bottom glass could cause problems. For glass no foam, with acrylic you can.

 

[tmshck122]

The stand isn't perfectly flat along the rim, the glass will crack if I don't use the foam rings included with the stand, and face a bigger chance of cracking WITH the rings apparently. I'm not sure what all the positive reviews on amazon and petco.com did to theirs, but i sure wish i knew

 

[armymp327]

i dont think you will have a bigger risk of cracking with the foam pads, just make sure you are only supporting the frame, and the foam is not touching the glass. like i said give the company a call.

 

[tmshck122]

They are only under the plastic, don't touch the glass.

 

[tmshck122]

There's no number available to call the maker of the stand.

 

[PockX]

I would just get some foam and place it under it like stated before..then you should be ok..

 

[tmshck122]

What kind of foam?

 

[PockX]

What kind of foam?

Any kind really..I think you can buy those big sheets of whatever thickness you want.

 

[Old Scales]

I used the rubber mess type cabinet shelf liner material under my 29g. It comes in a long roll. Spread it out all the way accross the top of the stand, cut it the size of the tank once you place the tank on top of it. It's only about 1/8" thick, but has just enough give to level out eneven spots. Also, It's VERY cheap with no messy styrofoam crumbs. Wal Mart has it. OS.