© Norbert Heidbüchel
Does an aquarium need a base?
Anyone who buys an aquarium is right to ask themselves what accessories they need and what they don’t.
The choice is huge and if you ask a retailer for advice, you have to ask yourself if they just want to make money. If you get the tip to give your pool a base, the question may arise as to whether this is necessary at all and if so, why.
A pad compensates for the unevenness of the pool. At the same time, it insulates the glass underneath and warms the pool from below.
Heated aquariums do not lose heat through the floor, but can keep the temperature more constant.
If you don’t have a very good base cabinet, unevenness will be absorbed and leveled out by the base.
This prevents strong and one-sided loads on the glass and thus prevents it from traveling. In the best case, you put a pad under each aquarium. Which pad you choose depends on the size and weight of the pool. However, you should also put a pad under small pools. Opinions differ on aquariums that have an all-round frame. However, you can also protect the base cabinet with the underlay and insulate the floor. So there is no reason not to use a pad.
Which substrate is the best for an aquarium?
The next difficulty is choosing the right pad. After all, there are endless variants on the market. From a simple one styrofoam plateover a fleece mat up to one thermal pad everything is there.
Even with a very heavy pool is a styrofoam plate the easiest way. It reliably protects the cabinet and the tank, is available for free to cheap and can even be easily cut to the size of the aquarium.
What can happen without an aquarium base?
If you buy a new aquarium with a base cabinet, the question still arises as to whether the set is not enough. However, it can always happen that a few grains of sand, a small stone or something else get between the tank and the cabinet when setting up the aquarium. If the pool is then filled with water, it can happen that the glass breaks and the room is flooded. This is not only annoying, but can also be quite expensive.
Depending on the size of the aquarium, it is a large amount of water that you certainly do not want in your living room. Since a styrofoam plate is often even free, you should not save at the wrong end.