Furniture protective liner under tank ?

[Jakesaw]

Clearing space for my tank on a Dresser. 

 

With FW I can always sand and refinish water drips if they muck up the finish.  I'm guessing I don't want salt water getting on furniture. Does anybody have recommendations of what to put under 10 gallon tank as saltwater liner. 

 

Focusing on budget build that I hope to grow into a larger tank with a more permanent home. 

 

The first thing that comes to mind is laminate counter top ( 30 bucks ) , shelf paper, .  It's my first SW tank and I'd like not to ruin dresser with SW drops from water changes and maintenance. 

 

 I'm open to suggestions 

 

Thanks

 

 

 

 

[ajmckay]

That's a tough question...  I put weather stripping under the black rim of a tank once and that seemed to help, but it's not a guarantee.  The issue is water can still get under anything you put down unless you're willing to cover the entire surface with it.  

 

Me personally I'm just careful to wipe everything up when I'm finished with maintenance, and frequently clean off the salt crusties so they don't accumulate too much in the back.

[Jakesaw]

I usually put a towel around my tank for maintennce to catch any drips.  But a little water still gets on Top somehow.  So far the best idea I've found is a countertop that's 24" by 48 " 

 

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Kitchen-Countertops-Laminate-Sheets/N-5yc1vZc3b5/Ntk-EnrichedProductInfo/Ntt-laminate+counter?Ntx=mode+matchpartialmax&NCNI-5&sortorder=asc&sortby=price

 

Any drips I get can be wiped off and kept off wood surface underneath.  A little pricey for my budget build but not a big deal.  If anybody has other ideas that are less expensive or better I'm open to suggestions. 

 

Thanks

 

 

[ajmckay]

One possible idea is to physically lift the tank up a bit from the table.  Depending on the size of course.   

 

As I mentioned your worst enemy is water wicking under the tank where you can't dry it.  A little salt water getting on the wood isn't going to hurt it assuming it has some kind of protective finish.  But if you let water sit for a while, like if water got under the tank - then you would definitely have some damage.

 

I have a 10 gallon that I built a stand for.  This minimizes the contact points and I can tuck the towel in better around the stand.  Also since air can get underneath any spots I miss should air dry without issue.

  

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

I use a layer of waterproof linoleum over the cabinet, and a thin layer of styrafoam under the tank. The linoleum works well though. It doesn't absorb any liquids, so any saltwater that drips on it can be easily wiped off. It also prevents the wooden cabinet under my nano from accidently getting wet (and subsequently rotting over time) during WCs. 

[Superdave]

You are pretty much guaranteed there will be some moisture that works its way under the tank.  Even if it isn't much, some drips/spills will send some water under the tank.  That is why most stands are laminate so the water doesn't actually permeate into the wood.  The stands that are wood without a laminate seem to be solid hardwood (often oak) so that the surface level moisture doesn't permeate into the wood and if it does, it will do minimal damage.  Hardwood stands usually have a good finish.  

 

Idea of a piece of linoleum or counter top type material is a good idea.  For my double stand (salt water tank on top, one of fresh waters on bottom), I used 5/8 inch, high end plywood.  Sanded then extensively, then sprayed painted.  For saltwater, I went with black and I did a ton of coats.  For fresh, I used a clear coat, with many of them.  

[Jakesaw]

I went with a linoleum like material.  I don't think it's fully water resistant, but I am putting a towel around tank and wiping after service. 

 

Appreciate all the suggestions.

[Jungle_vip]

Your idea is prob your best for repelling water and ease of installation. If you don’t want the linoleum, exterior oil based paint can work well. In construction almost all exterior wood surfaces are painted with oil based paints that receive sun, rain, snow, etc. The harshest elements. When applied properly it can last for a couple decades or easily longer without rot/swelling. Brushes and paint for just the dresser top would cost you around $12-20 if you want to be budget friendly but your initial idea would be quick and easy.