when setting up a long fish tank, lets say a 125g (72") is it normal for the tank to bend in the middle? I set it up on strips of foam and its squished almost flat in the middle and about a 1/2" less on the ends, when full of water. That indicates to me that the tank is bowing in the middle. The floor and stand its sitting on are level.
bowing tanks
- Thread starter Wulfonce
- Start date
Sounds like the stand isnt flat.
If you dont have a straightedge long enough to check it,a piece of string pulled tight works.
If you dont have a straightedge long enough to check it,a piece of string pulled tight works.
Could you take a few pictures from the front (to see the uneven foam compression) and along the side (to see the bowing)?
Stand squareness and levelness comes up often on this forum.. Your current experience may help explain the forces at work.
Thanks in advance.
Stand squareness and levelness comes up often on this forum.. Your current experience may help explain the forces at work.
Thanks in advance.
if you have a tube steel stand, it is quite common for there to be gaps often in the middle, as tube steel is almost impossible to get exactly straight so I am told.
every steel tube stand I have had in the last 20 years has been this way. as long as the ends are well supported you are fine.
if you put foam on such a stand, it will be more compressed at the ends and less so in the middle, so you will still have small gap between the steel and the foam. so in that case it doesn't help at all.
but if you don't have a steel stand, then this is a different scenario as chances are the stand is warping and will continue to do so which is bad.
more info would be helpful as well as pics.
chances are if the tank itself is really bowing, it could break. the bottoms of tanks are not supposed to bow.
older style braceless tanks had a degree of bowing on the front and back panels which was normal and expected, but newer braced tanks should not bow.
every steel tube stand I have had in the last 20 years has been this way. as long as the ends are well supported you are fine.
if you put foam on such a stand, it will be more compressed at the ends and less so in the middle, so you will still have small gap between the steel and the foam. so in that case it doesn't help at all.
but if you don't have a steel stand, then this is a different scenario as chances are the stand is warping and will continue to do so which is bad.
more info would be helpful as well as pics.
chances are if the tank itself is really bowing, it could break. the bottoms of tanks are not supposed to bow.
older style braceless tanks had a degree of bowing on the front and back panels which was normal and expected, but newer braced tanks should not bow.
what type of stand do you have? steel (I see you are from Ontario so its possible you have a steel stand from Big Als -thats why I mentioned this as they are very popular around here - I have several) or wood or particle board?