# 125 Gallon Aquarium and Stand



## islanddave (Nov 6, 2012)

Hello All,

I am considering purchasing my last aquarium..I really dont have any more room for another! 

Question..............the aquarium and stand is your typical Marineland Perfecto combo does it require any sort of foam between the stand and tank? 

Thanks Dave


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

If the tank has a trim around the bottom then no. If a tank is rimless, totally flat bottom, then I would recommend it.


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## islanddave (Nov 6, 2012)

Thanks.....I thought so. Guy at the LFS suggested otherwise..............I'll let him be right!


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## islanddave (Nov 6, 2012)

Alright you know what................I am not impressed with Marineland stands! $400.00 for something that is built out of pine 1x2's with small nails doesn't inspire confidence! It's very cheap!!!

I have found many links to well built stands from 2x4's and plywood.

I'm gonna rethink this idea. Store bought tank owner made stand.

That sounds better.

David


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

There have been a few threads recently on stand building. Ted's fishroom has a method that I use and I absolutely love the concept. I have built racks and stands for single tanks using his idea and they are 100 percent solid. If the house crashed down, the stands would still be standing


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Adding styro beneath a tank, with or without a rim, has the benefit of equalizing the load across the stand, absorbing any minor discrepencies in flatness.


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## Kurare (Oct 8, 2010)

BillD said:


> Adding styro beneath a tank, with or without a rim, has the benefit of equalizing the load across the stand, absorbing any minor discrepencies in flatness.


Good piece of advice right here.
99% purpose of all "trims" in this world is for looks.


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## Chromey (Sep 25, 2010)

BillD said:


> Adding styro beneath a tank, with or without a rim, has the benefit of equalizing the load across the stand, absorbing any minor discrepencies in flatness.


Almost exactly what I was going to say.
For the extra 20-40$, The added safety is good enough for me


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## crazymittens (Jul 26, 2012)

125 is a nice size - I just finished building mine - also hopefully the last aquarium (although one day I may try saltwater in the same tank).

Are you doing a sump/overflow? If so, don't forget to accommodate that in your stand design.

Also - if you build the stand yourself, I strongly recommend making sure your assembly surface is perfectly true.


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## bob123 (Dec 31, 2009)

I use the white styro under all my tanks just in case the stand is not perfectly level then the tank settles into the styro for levelness. Trim is not just for looks as it helps protect the edges of the glass from bumps which can cause chips to the glass, this may not look as clean as trimless tanks.


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## cichlid_mainiac (Oct 21, 2013)

I have to agree with the concept of using styro. It helps to level the aquarium and it will also help to absorb vibrations from filtration, air bubblers as well as help to dampen any vibrations that may travel through the stand up from the floor. For example: children running through your home & home theatre equipment.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Need to clarify a few things here. Styro will not help make an out of level tank level. What it will help with is any irregularities in flatness of the top frame of the stand so the weight is evenly distributed.


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## cichlid_mainiac (Oct 21, 2013)

BillD said:


> Need to clarify a few things here. Styro will not help make an out of level tank level. What it will help with is any irregularities in flatness of the top frame of the stand so the weight is evenly distributed.


Well I guess it's a simple difference of opinion, I know several experienced aquarists that swear buy styro for the purpose of leveling. I personally haven't used styro, but when I ask why they put it under their tank that's their answer.
But perhaps what they are leveling is the surface of the stand.
Either way styro is a useful tool when setting up an aquarium.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Styro is an very useful tool, and I use it under most of my tanks, especially those without a frame. It isn't a matter of opinion; a tank placed on a stand that isn't level, will still be out of level even if there is a sheet of styro under it.


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## cichlid_mainiac (Oct 21, 2013)

BillD said:


> Styro is an very useful tool, and I use it under most of my tanks, especially those without a frame. It isn't a matter of opinion; a tank placed on a stand that isn't level, will still be out of level even if there is a sheet of styro under it.


How thick is the Styrofoam you use?


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## crazymittens (Jul 26, 2012)

Thickness won't matter. The only way to make an out of level stand become level via styrofoam would be to somehow fill the tank unevenly, crushing the styro into a 'level' base.

Cedar shims, baby!

I used some thick (foam) floor padding...in retrospect I should have gone foam. The stuff I used is too dense - did not compress enough.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

I generally use 3/4" or 1" white styro, although I have used 1/2" stuff that came as packing. There is very little compression if there is unevenness, and virtually none if the surface is flat. As an example, I have a 35 on a steel stand. The plastic rim barely makes a mark even though it is only supported on the edges. As well I have 4 12' x 12" x 48" 30s I built (no bottom trim), that are on steel stands. The long cross member dips slightly in the centre. The 1" styro, which is only supported for a width of 1 1/4" along the edges compressed around 1/8" on the ends tapering to none in the center, so the weight is evenly distributed.
A note on steel stands. I have looked at dozens in various stores and if there is a tank sitting on it, it is pretty rare not to have a gap between the bottom trim and the top of the front/back frame member, in the middle. Knowing this, I took great care fabricating mine. I carefully chose the straightest steel I could find, and took great care in assembling and applying the welds. Fabricating with steel is how i made my living. Even with all that care and effort, I still ended up with a dip in the center. There are tremendous forces generated by welding and the resulting pull causes a certain amount of warping or distortion. In some instances stress relief practises can remedy the situation, but isn't practical in every case.
As to styro, I use the white because it is a little softer, comes in 24" sheets and is much cheaper.
As to leveling, in my job, I installed and leveled, many pieces of machinery,some of which needed to be level within a thousandth of an inch over several (or even many) feet, so I do have an intimate understanding of how to do it. My steel stands have leveling feet to facilitate the operation.
Having said all that, if you take a manufactured tank, it is quite possible the top and bottom trim pieces may not be perfectly parallel.They are pressed on with silicone on the top of the glass and it may not be perfectly even from one end to the other. This is likely to be a very small discrepancy, and may not amount to much in the overall scheme of things. In an extreme case, you may have a level bottom, but when the water level is near the bottom of the top trim it will appear to be out of level.However, the tank will in fact still be level. In actual fact, while having the tank perfectly level is a desirable thing, having the bottom on a flat surface, evenly supported, so there is no torquing (twisting) is more important than if the tank is perfectly level.


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## islanddave (Nov 6, 2012)

crazymittens said:


> Thickness won't matter. The only way to make an out of level stand become level via styrofoam would be to somehow fill the tank unevenly, crushing the styro into a 'level' base.
> 
> Cedar shims, baby!
> 
> I used some thick (foam) floor padding...in retrospect I should have gone foam. The stuff I used is too dense - did not compress enough.


I've always used the composite shims as I ve been told that they are stronger than cedar. Plus they are very forgiving upon adjusting them in and out under the plywood that go under all of my stands.

I have decided NOT to use a steel stand. I am going to construct one using the proven designs on the web. 2x4's it is! It will be much easier to level and will be over built having the top and bottom with 3/4" plywood. I WILL be adding 1/2 white Styrofoam to the top to take out any irregularity from both the tank and stand, but WILL level the whole assembly between the stand and floor.

Thanks Dave

Thanks


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

Ted's fishroom stand design is wonderful


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