balancing a stand--exactly how precise?

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B Considine
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Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2007 2:13 pm
Location: HoCo

balancing a stand--exactly how precise?

Post by B Considine »

As the title says...

I purchased an angle iron stand from SCALES ages ago. I'm finally at a point where I'm actually getting ready to fill the tank. The stand is not level, and quite possibly not entirely square. I can shim the legs to get the tank level front-to-back or side-to-side, but not both.

Since the stand is open in the middle (that is, it's just a frame), would the old foam trick still work? And if "Yes", how thick/what type would the foam need to be?

Blaise (ask me about my mineralized substrate ordeal) Considine
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krisw
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Post by krisw »

Blaise, if it's really bad, you could always put a piece of plywood on top of the stand, and foam on top of that.

What happened with your mineralized soil?
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chris_todd
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Post by chris_todd »

Blaise,
The bottom of my 75g tank was not perfectly flat (ask me about that at the meeting), so I used the "foam on plywood" that Kris suggests. The foam I used was standard pink styrofoam sold as insulation at your local Home Despot or Slowes. You can see the setup next Saturday, as I have not yet finished the stand (I need to add doors, and some trim to cover up that foam).
B Considine
Posts: 549
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2007 2:13 pm
Location: HoCo

Post by B Considine »

It's not super-bad. Just wondering how precise it needs to be.

I'm considering simply laying the foam over the frame. It's only the edges that need support, right? I have several pieces of the white foam insulation. Not as dense as the pink. Would it compact too much over time?

Kris--I started the mineralization process in March and only got it to the "not stinky" stage last week. All the rain we had through the spring and early summer really threw off the soak-dry cycle. I seldom got enough dry days in a row to get the soil really dried out between soaks. We'll see how it goes. I suspect I might be borrowing someone's UV sterilizer in a few weeks.
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