High Tide Aquatics

Need your help on how to protect a brand new hardwood floor!

Joseph Lee

Joseph Lee

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Hello,

I am moving to a new rental home with brand new hardwood flooring and am looking for tips or advice to protect it from water damage.
A few things I am considering :
1 By elevating the tank by about 1/4" using rubber feet, I aim to create ventilation in case there is water beneath the tank.
2 Adding a water proof rubber mat that is around 15–20% wider than the tank stand.
3 Add a water proof tile below the tank that is around 15–20% wider than the tank stand.
4 pls let me know if you have better ideas

One concern for the #2 and 3 is that it would be disastrous if you spill like 5g of water and the water gets under the rubber or tile layer.

Thanks
 
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If it’s going to be there for an extended amount of time it’s going to eventually swell at the seams from moisture. Even if it is a small amount of water and it’s cleaned up immediately it will work it’s way in.
 
Can you verify what kind of flooring material it is? If it's a newly renovated rental it might not actually be wood. LVP (luxury vinyl plank) is popular these days and is waterproof.

What size tank and does the stand have feet already or flat bottom?
 
CaseyP said:
Can you verify what kind of flooring material it is? If it's a newly renovated rental it might not actually be wood. LVP (luxury vinyl plank) is popular these days and is waterproof.

What size tank and does the stand have feet already or flat bottom?
Click to expand...

I have not moved in yet, but here are a couple of pictures of the floor.
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Doesn't look like real wood to me. You can tell by the repeating patterns. If it's laminate, then it has a particle board core which can swell. If it's LVP then it's not a problem. Either way, I think a rubber or dense foam layer with the pressure of the stand on it will keep water out from underneath in the event of a flood.
 
ask landlord where he got the hardwood floor and buy extra
Joseph Lee said:
Yes, I have already paid for the insurance, but I am worried that the landlord may not be able to find the exact same color and finish after 2–4 years
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ask landlord where he bought the floor, buy extra box or two in case need to replace a few planks
 
dioworld said:
ask landlord where he got the hardwood floor and buy extra

ask landlord where he bought the floor, buy extra box or two in case need to replace a few planks
Click to expand...
This is what I was thinking too, and I think it's both a great preventative idea and also a great way to get your landlord to rethink if letting you have an aquarium is a good idea or not. I'd do what you can to be safe, but keep in mind the more you make your landlord think about this the more likely see more and more risks and take this option away.

I personally enjoy reefs, but if I rented my place out there's a small chance I'd let a larger than fluval 13.5 sized tank in. That chance would border on 0% if I had just installed new floors.
 
Water proof rubber mats can trap water and moisture underneath and between it and wood, id be careful with that one .

I would raise the tank more than 1/4” for a air gap,
I raised my tank enough to fit a towel and a ‘dusting’ rod ,
When salt water has made its way under my stand I can dry it fairly quickly , and clean it with freshwater and/or wood protecting products.
It’s a bit of a hassle, but I can dry and clean,
 
Looking at your tank pic from your other thread, the other extreme option is get a jigsaw and cut the bottom floor of your stand. You don't have a sump in there and are just using it as storage, so you could cut giant holes in the bottom and give yourself 100% access to any water that gets under the stand.

That doesn't prevent water getting in places from spills or accidents, but if you had easy underneath access + keep it not directly against the wall you'd be relatively quite safe.
 
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