Setting up a rimless tank for the first time, couple questions!

[Amaroq]

So I recently picked up a Seapora Crystal 48g (36"x18"x18") and I'm getting closer to finally swapping over from my current 40B set up (big upgrade I know haha) I had intended on putting the the new tank on a basic black metal tube stand but I realize rimless tanks require the bottom to be fully supported. My intentions were to just lay some 3/4" plywood ontop of the metal stand to fully support the aquarium base, do you think that would be sufficient? I currently have a bunch of 1/4" plywood laying around that I was hoping maybe I could simply stack up to get that 3/4" thickness or even thicker, but I don't honestly know if the strength would be comparable to one solid piece of 3/4" plywood? Lastly the tank itself came with a 3mm leveling mat, I had been told by the LFS I ordered it through that it was not included but it ended up actuallying being included. While I was waiting for the aquarium to arrive I had placed an order online for the IM leveling mat that is a bit thicker at 5mm. Do you think it would be beneficial to use the 5mm over the 3mm, or even stack them up for 8mm? Thanks!

 

[Arthacker87]

On my tank (250+ gallon acrylic) its 8ft long so I used 1/2in plywood for any gaps in the metal stand top and then foam board to have it spread even. I always lean on safe end. Do the 5mm if you can't return it or don't care about the extra expense ( you can easily do the 3mm i think if it came with it, it should be ok).

 

[Amaroq]

Wow! okay so I guess I'm over thinking this a bit then if you only used 1/2" plywood under a tank five times larger then mine with no issues! Yeah I figured the 3mm would be fine since that is what the manufacture provides but since I have the 5mm already I guess I might as well use it for a bit of extra padding. Do you think there would be any benefit to using a portion of the 3mm pad between the plywood and metal stand? I'm hesistant to want to screw the plywood down into the metal stand so I thought maybe that little bit of foam might add a bit of grip and possibly help it 'self-level' a hair better? Obviously I'd still use the 5mm pad under the aquarium itself on top of the plywood.

 

[Saltyreef]

Funny im in the process of upgrading my 40B and it was between this or the landen 90P.

Ultimately, I decided to have CDA build me a custom 36x18x18 in 12mm starphire

Without seeing your stands design its hard to make a reccomendation.
You should secure the plywood to the frame anyway possible, the foam is not needed between the wood, only as a leveling mat directly under the tank.
If the 1/4" ply has too much play, double it up and then screw it down, making sure to finish the screws below the surface of the plywood.

 

[Amaroq]

Is there is no concern of the screws weakening the integrity of the metal stand itself? The stand is just a standard black tube metal stand, identical to this one.

 

[DaddyFish]

I recommend drilling clearance holes in the angle pieces (same diameter as the screws used) and fastening the screws into the plywood from the bottom. If you are using 1/4" plywood then six(6) screws of 1/4" length will be fine; two each on front & back at 1/3 spacing, one each on sides at midpoint.
Just make certain that you are not using screws longer than 1/4" so there is zero possibility they protrude through the plywood upper surface.
The screws don't have to be torqued down super-tight, just lightly snugged. Their purpose is to prevent the plywood/tank from sliding off the stand. You are not trying to force the plywood to conform to the stand shape below.
Something like #6 x 1/4" Pan Head Stainless Steel Metal Screws should work great.
Found these...

 

[Arthacker87]

agreed with above. Security is key. I have little prongs that keep my stuff in place. And no reason to use the mat between plywood and frame as stated above

 

[Amaroq]

Thanks everyone!