Foam or no foam?

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by lastlight

I seem to recall always reading foam for no-trim tanks and no foam for trimmed tanks. I used foam on my tank but not sure if I would if there was trim. Does the foam end up contacting the floated glass bottom if you use it?

Seems to me like the trim might really sink into the foam due to high pressure and then the bottom may touch the foam but not as evenly as when the tank has no trim.

Just thinking aloud tho. Haven't had trim on a tank in some time.

Yeah this is why some people have told me NOT to use foam. Because the bottom pane of glass is designed NOT to touch anything except the trim. And when you add foam, it often sinks deep enough into the foam to contact the bottom glass. I guess over time this can be a problem.

I am super confused now if I should use it or not. Many people have told me to just make sure the stand is level and use a sheet of plywood.

[BlueAbyss]

If it won't void the warranty on the tank, and the tank is trimmed, I would use a thin sheet of foam that is thin enough that it could not possibly contact the bottom of the tank. Like a 1/4" or so... the underlay idea sounds good.

I was debating this on my tank, and since I've removed the trim from the tank I will be using a sheet of foam under my tank, to cushion the bottom pane of glass. Not because the stand (or rather 'wall unit') I'm using isn't level (which it isn't, I need to shim it), but because I feel that anything between the two flat surfaces, even something as small as a grain of sand, will stress the glass.

[awa1979]

I've never used foam, always been told its not needed on aquariums with a trim.

So far never had an issue in 20 years.