# Tank Levelling with Styrofoam



## teek (Mar 15, 2010)

Hey guys quick question regarding levelling an aquarium.

From side to side I'm level but front to back on off a bit. The back is just under and 1/8" higher than the front.

I also have a piece of 1" rigid insulation to put underneath it but I was slightly concerned that it might be too thick.

Any thoughts guys? Will I be okay with the 1" styrofoam?

Thanks,

Tom


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## Philip.Chan.92 (Apr 25, 2010)

That's more than sufficient. Unless you like the look of styrofoam, I would suggest something a tad bit smaller. Like even 1/2" is enough


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## teek (Mar 15, 2010)

Thanks ... I already have this piece so I might as well use it


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## dl88dl (Mar 8, 2010)

You can always use black electrical tape to hide the white styrofoam


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## Tbird (Oct 5, 2009)

When you use this, do you use a sheet the size of the tank foot print? Do you level it out by pushing down where you need to before you fill up the tank?


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## fish_luva (Nov 24, 2009)

I'm fairly new at all this but the Styrofoam does not do any levelling of tanks IMO, I thought it was mostly for taking away pressure points for the tank against the supporting surface. The levelling has to take place with the stand. Is that not correct for the experienced people. 

I used the blue insulation from Rona, it will adjust maybe like 1/16 th or something but for a substantial difference like 1 cm or half, i don't think it will help THAT much....

Please correct me if i'm wrong, but i wanted to ask the question to clarify....
thanks
cheers!!!
sheldon


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## bob123 (Dec 31, 2009)

*tank levelling*

It would be advisable to level the stand not the tank, get some plexi-glass about 1/4" and raise the front of the stand but 1/8" is not a great deal to worry about unless your supporting floor has a large amount of play.


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

+1 level the stand


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Styro is not for leveling but rather for absorbing discrepencies in flatness.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

fish_luva said:


> I'm fairly new at all this but the Styrofoam does not do any levelling of tanks IMO, I thought it was mostly for taking away pressure points for the tank against the supporting surface. The levelling has to take place with the stand. Is that not correct for the experienced people.
> 
> I used the blue insulation from Rona, it will adjust maybe like 1/16 th or something but for a substantial difference like 1 cm or half, i don't think it will help THAT much....


Correctomodo. Even though it's mostly used for pressure distripution. There is absolutely nothing stopping you from pull the tank to one side to level it. Actually you are phyiscally creating a depression on the styrofoam. However, you can only do so to offset very minor imbalance. If it's more than 1 cm, you are better off shimming the stand.

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## teek (Mar 15, 2010)

Thanks Guys.

I put the tank on the stand with the styrofoam in between the tank and the stand.

The tank is level but in the middle of the long side it is not sitting on the styrofoam. There is a small gap that I could slide a playing card into.

Is that a concern? The tank does have a brace in the middle underneath and on top of the tank.


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## Harry Muscle (Mar 21, 2007)

teek said:


> Thanks Guys.
> 
> I put the tank on the stand with the styrofoam in between the tank and the stand.
> 
> ...


Definitely a concern. Did you go with the 1" foam and you still have a gap in the middle?

Harry


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

When you add water, the tank will compress the styrofoam further, and it will go out of level again. Really, the only thing to do is level the stand with something that won't compress when the full weight of tank plus water is on it. I.e., if you're going to use cardboard, use cereal box cardboard, not corrugated.

IME, one of the best things to use as shims is that thin panelling people use in their rec rooms. IIRC, it's 1/8" thick. It's handy to have a few scraps around for this sort of purpose.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

Oh, I was scratching my head too. If there is no water in the tank, no matter how you balance it, it will change once you add water and gravels. Most of my tanks are slightly off here and there. It's not that big of a deal as long as you don't have any rocks leaning against the glass.
But if it's still like that after the foam and water. You might want to replace or fix the stand. It's pretty rare for a stand to be that off in the center.

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## fish_luva (Nov 24, 2009)

teek said:


> Thanks Guys.
> 
> I put the tank on the stand with the styrofoam in between the tank and the stand.
> 
> ...


Sorry i have to ask more questions. What type of foam are you using? is it the white one with the little styrofoam balls all bonded together, or is it like the 1/2inch blue / pink sheets you can buy and cut to the right size?

Also, the surface your putting the tank on is not 100% flat correct? That would concern me in terms of pressure points for the tank, because the tank weight needs to be distributed evenly and if it's not there will be pressure points. I'm concerned because mainly because i don't know what material your using underneath the tank... .

I use the blue sheet insulation and it's very hard for a tank to sink into that, only a fraction.....
cheers!! my two cents worth again......

Hope i have not overstepped my knowledgebank


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## Octavian (Sep 30, 2009)

If your stand is on carpet, then keep it slightly further from the wall and it should get rid of that 1/8 difference.


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## teek (Mar 15, 2010)

Thanks for the replies.

The tank is level and I'm using 1" rigid pink insulation you buy at home depot. It settle in the corners just not enought to settle in the middle.

Will it settle over time?

I could shave down the insulation in the corners but that might creat other pressure points.

The tank is full of water but not gravel yet.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

fish_luva said:


> Sorry i have to ask more questions. What type of foam are you using? is it the white one with the little styrofoam balls all bonded together, or is it like the 1/2inch blue / pink sheets you can buy and cut to the right size?
> 
> Also, the surface your putting the tank on is not 100% flat correct? That would concern me in terms of pressure points for the tank, because the tank weight needs to be distributed evenly and if it's not there will be pressure points. I'm concerned because mainly because i don't know what material your using underneath the tank... .


Don't use the white one, stick with the green/blue/pink ones. There are some white ones that is usable, but the problem is there are some white ones that are so soft that it actually becomes dangerous as it can give way and tip over your tank if some one was leaning on it.
Not sure what you're trying to say in the second point. The purpose of the styrofoam is to relieve stresspoint that may crack your glass. Things like a screw or poor welding that comes in to contact with your glass can be potential cause. There is no way a styrofoam can be harder than glass. So no matter how much pressure you apply, the worst is that the styrofoam will depress.


teek said:


> The tank is level and I'm using 1" rigid pink insulation you buy at home depot. It settle in the corners just not enought to settle in the middle.
> 
> Will it settle over time? ...


If it's a very small crack, then it will settle. It took my 110G 7 months to settle in.

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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

My preference is for the white styro. It is more than strong enough to support a tank, and is softer than the coloured ones. It is not unusual to see a metal stand that sags in the middle, even an 1/8" or more. The styro will absorb that difference.


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