For those of you with tanks on hardwood...

[jdeb101]

What method do you take to protecting your floors?

I'm soon to be setting up an Elos tank in my living room that has brand new hardwood flooring. The Elos stand is also bottomless which may or may not be a bad thing... Bad is I can definitely see water, whether small or large amounts getting on the floor. But maybe clean up will be easier as I can have access to it and water wont be sandwiched between a stand bottom and flooring?

Interested in hearing what others do to protect their floors, and even more interested if you have one of these Elos setups! TIA.

 

[aresangel]

My tank is on tile which is above concrete. So I have never put thought into it before.

I would suggest maybe getting a strip of linoleum and cutting it to the size of your tank. If anything splashed in front you can see/clean it, but in the sump/cabinet you could clean it up but it won’t sit there and soak into the hard wood.


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[jdeb101]

My tank is on tile which is above concrete. So I have never put thought into it before.

I would suggest maybe getting a strip of linoleum and cutting it to the size of your tank. If anything splashed in front you can see/clean it, but in the sump/cabinet you could clean it up but it won’t sit there and soak into the hard wood.


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I've thought about that, and while it will be great for small splashes, etc if a decent spill were to occur outside of that and seep under the linoleum that could be damaging as the water would have no way of getting removed.

 

[Chris A.]

I would maybe put some supports off the floor attached to the stand to hold up the sump so it’s not directly on the floor. If you’re worried about large spills , I don’t think there’s any real solution unless you have a drain pan that’s wider than the tank. I definitely wouldn’t put anything covering the hardwood. The humidity and/or spills will sit there longer if it isn’t vented and rot away at the wood finish and ultimately the wood.

 

[CrypticLifeStyle]

I've always had house's with tanks on woodfloors, and the key factor is just to not become complacent on keeping the area clean.

Keep the sump off the floor so you can clean underneath. My stands are not skinned so everything is always exposed. Not the look for many, but nothing goes un-noticed.

 

[Robert M]

If you're using a sump and have a stand with an exposed stand bottom, I don't think spills should be your biggest concern, I'd personally worry more about the humidity. Your wood floors can start swelling and warping at 55% humidity. If the floor under your stand swells and becomes uneven over time, you could get a leak or a crack in your tank. I'd personally try to completely cover the bottom of your stand with either or both of a piece of (properly sealed) plywood or a rubber mat and make sure no floor is exposed or condensation and humidity will find its way down to your wood floors over time.

 

[this is me]

Congrats on the Elos. Which one did you get?
When I had my 160XL on the 1st floor with hardwood, I just placed the stand and tank right on the hardwood. It's actually a lot easier to clean up spillage when there's no bottom on the stand. You want to be able to get to the spilled water before it gets soaked into the wood. If you're placing your sump under the stand, remember to build a raised platform and put the sump on it. Remember, you want to get to the spilled water on the floor.

What method do you take to protecting your floors?

I'm soon to be setting up an Elos tank in my living room that has brand new hardwood flooring. The Elos stand is also bottomless which may or may not be a bad thing... Bad is I can definitely see water, whether small or large amounts getting on the floor. But maybe clean up will be easier as I can have access to it and water wont be sandwiched between a stand bottom and flooring?

Interested in hearing what others do to protect their floors, and even more interested if you have one of these Elos setups! TIA.

 

[Robert M]

Yeah, I agree with Chris and "this is me", you should raise the sump off the floor. A simple solution would be to put down some 2x4s strips on the ground and then rest a piece of plywood that's fitted to the shape of your stand that holds your sump.

 

[jdeb101]

Thanks all for the tips! I believe it is the Elos Midi 36? I got it used 1+ year ago off another member here on the forums (@this is me, I actually chatted with you via text at the time). Seems like the best approach is to either rest the sump directly on floor (there is slight gap underneath as previous owner put felt pads under sump), or build something to slightly elevate the sump for even more access. The Elos stand is built pretty open so I don't think airflow will be much an issue.

 

[Aquanaut]

I like to live dangerously.... I just have several towels on hand when im working in the tank

 

[Bendint]

I just say f it and I'll deal with the pain later which is the worst but I've seen people I've ISO board which helps


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[Cherokee_Dude]

@fishfry what's that flooring protection that you used?