# ADA Tank Mat



## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

I am interested in putting some type of foam or neoprene like material similar to the ada tank mats under my Mini M. I need something to keep it from at least easily sliding of the stand I am building for it. I thought the mouse pad material thats kind of sticky would work well But I have no Idea how I would get that big of a piece. Any Ideas?


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## mrbelvedere138 (Jan 18, 2006)

Buy a few and cut them to fit. I believe Staples and Office Depot has large ones that may fit.


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

I don't know if I want to use multiple pads but if I have too... They make them that big. Maybe I will google big mouse pads... Didn't think that was something people wanted... I also want that non stick cushiony stuff on both sides instead of the soft cloth or hard plastic...


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

Well it seems buying a small sheet of neoprene is not much cheaper than buying the ada garden mat, which I could cut to fit. They are also designed for this application. If there isn't something I can use at home depot or a local office supply I may just buy the graden mat and get some other stuff while I am at to try and make it worth while...


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

If there is a gun shop near you they usually sell gun cleaning mats which are bigger and made of similar material


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

Not all of us live in texas. I live in CA, not exactly as many gun stores. I can't think of any nearby but thanks for the suggestion. I will look around.


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

hahaha, I was thinking the same thing when I was typing it and looked over at your location to see that you live in teh republic of california


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## Kelley (Aug 27, 2006)

Maybe you could try shelf liner? Try looking in the section where closet organizational stuff is. It's not as thick as a mouse pad, but it is spongy and could do the trick.


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## ShortFin (Jan 13, 2006)

Kitchen shelf liner would be your best bet. It's thick and cushiony. I have one under my 5g. I bought mine at Walmart.


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

or go to sears and get tool box drawer linings or if you can find the top mat for a tool box those are pretty thick


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## ed seeley (Dec 1, 2006)

What's wrong with good old sheets of expanded polystyrene? You could always paint the edges black to disguise them. You can get loads of that for pennies!


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

Shelf and drawer liners... I wondered where I had seen something like this before. The one I am remembering had ridges, but I am sure they come in different styles. I will have to check out some local stores. Thanks for the tip.


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

slickwillislim said:


> Not all of us live in texas. I live in CA, not exactly as many gun stores. I can't think of any nearby but thanks for the suggestion. I will look around.


William,
I know it's not right near you, but I remember a pretty decent gun shop on Sepulveda in Torrance. Otherwise, a search through the *gasp* phone book may surprise you.


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

Midway USA has been my friend on occasion
MidwayUSA - Hoppe's Gun Cleaning Mat 12" x 36"
MidwayUSA - Tipton Gun Cleaning and Maintenance Mat 16" x 54"

I hadn't been to the site in a while, but these may be interesting.


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## Drifty (Nov 28, 2006)

Good luck walking into a gun shop. LOL


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

I started to look for those mats but the price wasn't really worth me going into a gun shop, I would feel bad cutting up something I paid 10 bucks or more for. Plus I am currently unable to drive for the next couple weeks and I really doubt my mom would drive me to a gun shop. She won't let me purchase a paint ball gun.... yeah this hobby wasn't my first choice... Just kidding.


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## anonapersona (Mar 11, 2004)

*fabric store*

Go to a fabric store and find a bolt of the rubbery grid material that they make shelf liners from and use to keep rugs from sliding. It may come in a few colors, it is a bit sticky, easy to cut and cheap. I've also used a yoga mat that I got at a garage sale for a buck, put it pink side down then cut to fit the big tank.


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## fishfry (Apr 15, 2004)

I hadn't thought of a gun mat, I was also looking for an alternative to the garden mat. I know at Michael's they sell sheets of foam for arts and crafts which could work.

There is a shooting range/gun store in Huntington Beach and also one in Aliso Viejo.


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## Troy McClure (Aug 3, 2005)

wow...i'm never moving to california. i want my hi-caps.


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

See I don't even know what a Hi-cap is?  

We southern Californians are fans of hand guns though... Just ask my school security...

Atleast we can't legally carry a concealed weapon. In California no one carries. My dads friends from the Midwest and got the wierdest reaction when he tried to register his various assault rifles here...

I will try micheals and johann's my mom goes there pretty often. She is a craft person. I am actually surprised we don't have something I can use around the house, there usually is.


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## ianiwane (May 6, 2005)

OSH is the place to be. They have something called rubber foam, it is just like the ADA stuff. I used the 1/4 inch stuff on my 120cm tank.


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

I love my guns periond! moreless hi-caps and the way cali is I would never leave Texas!!! 

Brownells.com is a nice place to order from too, I prefer it over MidwayUSA


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

OK...no more gun talk. This is William's tank mat thread.

I'll take William under my wing and see if I can educate the young man at the next meeting


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

Hahaha. Thanks mike. I don't really mind I have a lot of ideas now. I just have to get some one to drive me around my ankle is still pretty hurt.


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## geofied (Jan 24, 2007)

*Fitness/Yoga mat*

Doesn't look like anyone suggested this, but I'm using a fitness/yoga mat that wasn't getting any use. I just cut it to shape. They come in different colors and are made to handle some moisture. grips really well.

Another bonus is that I know you can buy Yoga supplies in Cali .


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

anonapersona said:


> I've also used a yoga mat that I got at a garage sale for a buck, put it pink side down then cut to fit the big tank.


Yah yoga is a lot more common than guns over here.


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## treesmcdonald (Mar 14, 2006)

At the craft store check out the foam art section (i'm making that up but they do sell foam). They sell thin sheets of foam that come in a ton of collors. Its kind of like foam felt. I guess felt would be an option too it comes in lots of colors. But maybe not the best option for getting wet.


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## treepimp (Apr 13, 2006)

I used shelf liner that I picked up from home depot. 5 bucks for a 18"x4' piece of black liner. I used two layers to get a 3/16" thickness. It works perfectly.


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## Troy McClure (Aug 3, 2005)

slickwillislim said:


> In California no one carries.


...except violent criminals. 

I checked out the shelf liner treepimp mentioned - good stuff. I might end up using that on my 45cm unless something better comes up. Of course, I can't really comment on a comparison to the ADA garden mat. I thought it was just a sheet of neoprene.


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## B.A.T. (Dec 10, 2006)

office depot has big mouse pads, I believe they are around $10 each and one should be enough for such a small tank. I had to buy two for my 60cm and I only used a little of the second one.


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

I found a black drawer liner at lowes and I am going to try that. Thanks for all of the tips though. I will post pics when its all set up. Doubt you will be able to see much of it though, but all of you will know the time it takes to find a simple tank mat.


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## dirtmonkey (Mar 12, 2007)

Hobby & craft stores sell a solid, thin mat that's harder than foam fubber but similar, you can match colors that way. Non-skid carpet backing also works and is cheaper if you want larger sections My favorite trick now is to line the bottom edges with self-stick thin weather strip instead of cutting a whole sheet of something under the tank. Much easier to cut the strip to the length of each side, than cutting a perfectly-fitting rectangle.


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

dirtmonkey,
Are you using the weather strip on ADA tanks or standard tanks with a plastic rim? There's a difference...


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## dirtmonkey (Mar 12, 2007)

Oops, should have been clearer- weather strip was under framed tanks usually, except one old 55 gal. that I had removed all plastic from amd resealed. It had a raised floor, so all the weight always had been on the bottom edges of the side glass. It was also very thick glass. That wouldn't safely apply to one designed to have the bottom glass flat on the table of course, unless you put several more strips underneath to distribute the weight evenly (NOT overlapping any of them).


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## turbomkt (Mar 31, 2004)

Yeah, I wanted to make sure that was clear. I think William's tank is ADA.


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## slickwillislim (Oct 11, 2005)

Yeah I am going to try this shelf liner. That way its one solid cut piece. Thanks for the suggestion though. 

It is an ADA tank. Thanks Mike for clearing that up. I was a little confused by the weatherstripping but I think I understand now.


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