To Foam or Not to Foam

[Pinkskunk]

Hi folks, i am not sure where this thread belongs so i just post here. ifi am in the wrong place please feel free to move it.

i am in the process of downgrading froma 180 Acrylic (Acrylic stinks and i hate it so badly - but this is another story )

i am now going to have a 120 AGA. i want to know if i should use foan or not use foan underneath the tank.

i count on your opinion folks so the more opinion the better

- The next question is: if to use foan, do i sit the tank (the blackrim) on the foan, or do i let the foan inside the rim so that the glass sits/touch the foam?

thanks

 

[Miller]

Foam is for tanks that don't have trim around the bottom.

Tanks with trim can sit directly on the stand, tanks without trim need to foam so that there won't be any pressure points on the glass which contacts the stand.

 

[stevenp]

You'll get a lot of conflicting opinions on this. I'm a pro-foam guy myself. I think helps to evenly distribute the weight if there are any voids on the surface the tank is sitting on.

AGA style tanks are designed so the weight of the tank is supported by the rim, not the bottom glass. If you're going to use foam, use it in a manner that the bottom glass isn't supporting the weight of the tank.

 

[sciknen]

I'm pro foam as well..

I don't think the frame could ever be perfectly even soo that's why I like foam.

I also thought that custom tanks aren't supposed to have foam? Not sure, just thought i read that on reef central.

 

[Pinkskunk]

hi

so i think i will foam then since i already have it from the previous tank........

to make it clear, i let the blackrim "sits" on the foam correct? do i cut it so that there is a 1/2" extra faom sticking out all around? or just cut it to the paremeter of the blacktrim? sorry for the stupid question but i'd like to be sure for everything i do

 

[jayman10134]

put the rim on the foam, then cut off the excess stuff on the outside after.

 

[Dave McReeferson]

When getting a new tank, the only opinion that matters is that of the manufacturer. Not sure what AGA recommends, but I am sure they have a recommendation. Doing anything outside of their recommendation is guaranteed to void any warranty they offer.

As a general rule of thumb though, and as an answer to one of the specific questions you asked. If a tank has a bottom panel that is raised, the tank is made to sit on the rim, nothing should be applying pressure to the bottom pane of glass, foam or no foam.

 

[delta]

On the AGA tank or any manufactured tank with trim that raises the bottom glass from touching do not use foam.

The other mith is that foam will make up for stands that are not not level or uneven, not true. It may appear that tank is supported, however the foam is not stronger where the bigger gaps are, so eventually the tank will settle and compress the foam.

IMHO foam is only useful to reduce possible pressure points on custom tanks with no formed trim.

In the end it is your tank & your risk.

 

[jayman10134]

On the AGA tank or any manufactured tank with trim that raises the bottom glass from touching do not use foam.

The other mith is that foam will make up for stands that are not not level or uneven, not true. It may appear that tank is supported, however the foam is not stronger where the bigger gaps are, so eventually the tank will settle and compress the foam.

IMHO foam is only useful to reduce possible pressure points on custom tanks with no formed trim.

In the end it is your tank & your risk.

Why wouldn't foam then reduce pressure point on non custom tanks with trim on the trim?

 

[stingythingy45]

Personally,I can't see how foam does anything.
If you are to compress foam it will only go to a certain dimension before the weight of a tank can't compress anymore.
So the low sides crush the foam more and the high side don't.So where that leave the high sides?....... still unsupported.
It's not like we're putting these tanks on a air or water cushion.Where added pressure in one area will be transferred to another......it's foam.
I just like my tank sitting on the rim of a well built stand.And if the stand didn't match the tank I'd go sub-plate or shim the unsupported sides/ends under the rim.
Just my 2 cents....

 

[Pinkskunk]

the high side will be somewhat supported by the foam as oppose to an empty air space between the surface of the stand and the rimm of the tank...... at least that's we all hope it does. more like a shim method you try to achieve, but there is some very tiny air space that you can miss by shiming it yourself but the foam would not.

 

[stingythingy45]

the high side will be somewhat supported by the foam as oppose to an empty air space between the surface of the stand and the rimm of the tank...... at least that's we all hope it does. more like a shim method you try to achieve, but there is some very tiny air space that you can miss by shiming it yourself but the foam would not.

Negative,
The high side will be supported by uncrushed foam.
Not much support in my opinion.

 

[jayman10134]

I think aquariums are a lot more sturdy than we give them credit for. I have seen some pretty skimpy stands from aquarium manufacturers and they seem to hold the tank fine (125 gallon). These stands only support the tank at each corner and then 1 point in the middle front and back. Glass is pretty strong when the force is vertical and the glass has a relatively large cross section in the vertical plane. I don't think it matters if you foam or not, its just a personal preference.