Well the tank is in place

[delta]

I agree with Marc glass AGA\Oceanic Tanks are trim supported tanks and are only surposed to have contact on the plastic trim. glass has no strenth laying flat but on end has quite a bit.

The styrofoam application is for trimless and acrylic tanks only i would highly recomend against it on a standard AGA or Oceanic tank

If you need to level the surface you can use a self leveling bartop epoxy

the theroy behind the styrofoam idea is to reduce small pressure points not level the stand if that is the problem.
if you think about it it makes sense if you stand dips down the styro foam wont hold the weight of the tank more in that one spot than rest of the stand. The area where the dip is will eventually compress at the same rate as the rest of the insulation.

Hope this makes sense

 

[ScottM]

"Why is even weight distribution on a glass pane a bad thing?"
I'm not sure but if it were designed to be supported that way the factory stands would be full top and the bottoms flush.
"I talked to a lot of people and read a lot of discussions about this and most people recommended I do this."
I hope some of the people and discussions were with AGA or Oceanic?

Don't get me wrong here I agree there is something that just seems "wrong" about not having the bottom of a glass tank supported, but once again I would defer to the factory engineers.

I'd have to agree with marco here.....
especially with the bottom not being tempered glass.

 

[Kevin McG]

Boy you guys got me stressed out now

I cannot tell you how many hours I spent researching this topic. I am not going to fill the tank for a couple of weeks while I get the plumbing and electric things hatched out so I would appreciate all input on this before I fill it. I can always remove it.

Without the styro the tank sits nice and level.

 

[dedfish]

If the tank sits nice and level and there are no apparent iregularities in the surface that the trim is in contact with then I would do without the foam. That's just my opinion.

 

[MarkO]

Based on personal experience, I'd go with the foam... but only around the perimeter where the weight is supposed to be distributed along the contact surface. I say this because I previously bought a new 75 gal aquarium and stand both manufactured by All-Glass, and the tank cracked!!!

Initially, All-Glass thought I was over reacting and told me it was likely a bead of silicone with the "appearance" of a crack. I didn't feel comfortable, so I sent them an e-mail with a digital photo (see below). Well, no sooner had I sent the photo, that I got an urgent call! Needless to say, it cost me a days lost wages, and a few critters and corals to replace the tank. Not to mention the aggrevation.

I wouldn't be surprised if All-Glass voids the warranty if you use foam. Foam placed in the wrong places (under the center brace(s), for instance) would most definitely cause a stress point. But, I think foam, when used properly will help distribute the weight more eveny.

I got an idea, anyone with access to their tank/stand interface should see if they can slide a playing card in between. I know I can

 

[Reef55]

now that is downright scary. Sorry to hear about that.

My tank from glasscages does not have a plastic lip like that, so the entire bottom glass is touching the foam, no gaps anywhere. On a tank like that though....

 

[delta]

Is that the crack that stand doesnt look right that middle brace looks like it is holding the tank up a little and obviously made pivot point. Im not surprized you had no problem once they saw that picture

 

[MarkO]

I think that center brace sat about 1/8" higher than the perimeter brace. I think foam would have lessened the stress, but who knows, maybe it wouldn't have made a difference since the crack wasn't directly over the brace.
But yeah, All-Glass was very accomodating. As a matter of fact, I told them the local store only had a 90, and they were fine with upgrading for free.
Fortunately the tank never gave way. But it taught me a lesson to make sure something like that would never happen again. I spent about 4 hours shimming my current stand to make it as flat and level as possible.

 

[marco67]

Two very important points by MarkO
"as flat and level as possible"
Flat and Level two very different things and both essential.

 

[MarkO]

Two very important points by MarkO
"as flat and level as possible"
Flat and Level two very different things and both essential.

I agree, can't stress that enough. Pun not intended