Acrylic Aquarium Support

[SunBearQ]

Hi there,

So I bought a new 50 gal acrylic aquarium that has been running for 5 months now. I was lucky to find a used stand/hood combo that matches it and decided to throw a sheet of 1/2 inch insulation board on top of it for any level discrepancies. This is my first acrylic aquarium and I believe that the bottom needs to be fully supported unlike framed aquariums (only the perimeter).

I was thinking of swapping out the white insulation board for some 1/2 inch closed cell neoprene and thought I should see if the board was sufficiently supporting the base. I unfortunately learnt that I was able to slide a sheet of paper 4 inches under the center of the aquarium from the front and 6 inches from the back. The aquarium has a brace in the middle and the dimensions of it are 36”L X 15”W X 20”H. 

My question is, is this a problem? I understand that this would definitely be a problem for aquariums with no brace but was not sure about acrylic ones with a brace. If possible, I would also like an opinion on which neoprene sheet I ordered would be best to use. I have attached photos of my setup and the neoprene sheets for your review.

Thank so much for your help!

(Btw, I have no idea why some of my photos are  posting sideways. They are not like that in my photo album and I can’t edit the orientation. Apologies.)

Edited March 31, 2022 by SunBearQ

[nabokovfan87]

I would definitely add the neoprene sheet. It gives the tank some "cushion" against the issue your facing.  You shouldn't need the adhesive version (might be one without it that's slightly cheaper)

Can you stack some paper and use that to measure the gap you're seeing? (stack paper and see if you can still slide it underneath, repeat until you can't, then measure that dimension) If is .063 or so, I would think you're fine and the mat is more than enough to fix any issues. Inspect the stand itself, how thick is the top piece of wood and do you see any issues internally in terms of water damage?

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by nabokovfan87

[eatyourpeas]

I agree with @nabokovfan87 on adding it. I have the non-adhesive version on my SW tank, which 4' x 15" x 15" and I have no brace since it is pretty shallow.

 

[SunBearQ]

Thank you for your replies @nabokovfan87and @eatyourpeas. I will look into non-adhesive versions of the neoprene sheets. In your opinion what thickness would you both recommend? 3/4", 1/2", 1/4", 1/8", etc.?

@nabokovfan87I can fit 3 pieces of 20# paper in the gap between the insulation board and the aquarium so the sheet should compensate it. The top piece of wood is 3/4" thick and from what I can see does not have any water damage. Hopefully there will not be any once I remove the insulation board and have a look from the top. 

@eatyourpeasThank you for the link to what you purchased. The dimensions of your tank sounds fun. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 3/31/2022 at 1:21 PM, SunBearQ said:

. I will look into non-adhesive versions of the neoprene sheets. In your opinion what thickness would you both recommend? 3/4", 1/2", 1/4", 1/8", etc.?

It doesn't have to be extremely thick. 1/8"-1/4" is sufficient and the standard used depending on the density of the material. Someone told me somewhere to just get a yoga mat and cut that by hand, that's what I did for my tank. It should do the trick.  A lot of tanks without rims will come with that mat already. To give you an idea of the thickness needed.

On 3/31/2022 at 1:21 PM, SunBearQ said:

I can fit 3 pieces of 20# paper in the gap between the insulation board and the aquarium so the sheet should compensate it.

So it's about.... .012", you should be fine with that difference in flatness especially with that size of a tank.

Edited March 31, 2022 by nabokovfan87

[SunBearQ]

Awesome. Thanks for the quick reply @nabokovfan87.