Right back at ya, Colin T. Yeah, I saw some posts that rat made at another forum. Among the smartest there.
OK, Boys, here’s a summary of my investigative reporting on tank pads, be they styrofoam, other foam etc.
I called Top Fin, the manufacturer of my 55 G tanks. The company was acquired by Petsmart who sells them exclusively. These are desktop tanks, sold without stands. Mine are on top of sturdy built-in dresser drawers. No pads. The tech said underlayments are totally unnecessary unless one lives in an earthquake zone. She said Petsmart doesn’t even sell them, but she googled while we were talking & found some on Amazon. She added they don’t get reports of cracked tanks; occasionally they hear about leaks around the upper frame. She mentioned her son has a house full of tanks of all sizes and has never used any mats. I took that to mean he doesn’t reside along the San Andreas Fault in California.
Next I called Aqueon & spoke to a nice tech there. They made two of my three 125 G tanks. He said the under pads are not recommended because the frame is designed to offset defects. He offered details; most were too complex for me. He said he never hears of cracked tanks placed upon the stand generally sold with the tank. I described my homemade stand & he said it sounds better than theirs, but nonetheless, the company will do anything to weasel out of the warranty. So a cracked tank would be on me. This guy was informative, candid & funny.
Next I consulted with the husband, asking if I could truthfully say he’s a Rocket Scientist because he writes software for space satellites. He said, no, he’s a software engineer but I can tell you guys he’s a genius & a hunk. I suggested we use yoga mats topped with slick oil cloth so he can do his tank sliding thing. The genius said that’s not only unnecessary but poses potential problems because the tank frame sets above the flat surface & the under pads would bunch up and negatively affect the design integrity.
So the tank manufacturers and the hunky genius have spoken & the tanks will go without pads. This is the first time I ever seriously considered them out of respect for Andy and Colin. But now it’s off the table.