[Dave C]

As I assembled my tank this is one of the things that continually crops up... there is always a better way to do something and you can honestly drive yourself nuts trying to get them all. For instance, I primed the plywood that will sit on my steel stand and then painted it with 2 coats of an oil based water resistant paint. But perhaps a eurothane type sealer would have been better. I used Tremclad on my stand to make it less likely to rust, but apparently Rhino liner is way better. I've got the white styrofoam on top of the plywood, the type I've used on all of my tanks over the years without issue, but then I read that the pink stuff is better. I used 3/4" styro and now I see that many use 1". My stand is 1.5" steel but many recommend 2". I plan to hang my lights from the trus joists above the tank and I'm warned that the ductwork cuts through the joists and they might be weak so I had to put some gussets in. It's enough to send you over the brink. No matter what you do there is always another, better way to do it. So do your best and live with your decisions. I would paint the wood with waterproof/resistant paint, though I've never done that before on any of my tanks.