# Foam or Cork under a tank?



## dagizmo19 (Jan 6, 2009)

I just finished building a stand for my 55 gallon out of 4x4's and 2x4's with an oak facade. Before placing the tank on it, is it required to put foam or cork under the tank? 

Opinions please, thanks in advance! :-?


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

the thin pink insulation foam from a hardward store works fine or foam from a craft store, it isnt required, it just helps take out any slight imperfections in the stand to keep the tank level


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## dagizmo19 (Jan 6, 2009)

Yea, the tank I have does have the black plastic frame, I noticed that if I push down on opposite corners of the empty tank, I can get it to move about 1/16" up and down. 

But, I think when I fill the tank with water, the weight should put enough strain on the stand to make this a perfectly level surface.


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## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

I wouldn't plan on that, if you're wrong it'll put a lot of stress on the aquarium. You can buy a 4' x 8' sheet of insulation foam from the hardware store for about $10. Cut it to the right size and put it under the aquarium and it'll take care of any imperfections without stressing the tank.


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## WisFish (Dec 16, 2008)

I used a sheet or cork and cut it into strips that fit on the stand. The cork is about 3/16" thick. As the tank fills, the cork will give a little more in areas with more weight. This will help support the tank more evenly. You don't want the tank to bend as mentioned earler. That can cause a seal to fail.


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## dagizmo19 (Jan 6, 2009)

Excellent, I do have a few cork tiles sitting around, I think I will put them under the tank just for good measure. Thanks for the great advice!


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