Can acrylic sheet be used as Shim for aquarium stand?

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batang_mcdo

Polypterus
MFK Member
Apr 24, 2006
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My friend is planning to have a 10 feet tank, with steel stand. the problem is the floor is not level .
what can he useas shim to level the fllow?
can acrylic sheets be used? or will it break under the tremendous pressure?
 
It's helpful to tell us how uneven the floor is, but I'm going to assume it's 1 cm or less. That is to say, one side of the tank (front to back or side to side) is no more than 1 cm difference in height from the other side. I've leveled tanks with that much difference but not more so while others may have experience using shims to correct for several cm's, I don't.

I think you can use metal or wooden shims to level a stand on an uneven floor as I did. Shims are easy to place, relatively strong (especially metal ones), and at least for wooden ones, not expensive. Wood is a very strong material under compression, so wood is what a lot of people use.

If you use a sheet of acrylic, it's possible it would work out just fine, but I'm not able to say that it won't fracture under that stress since I've never used it. Keep in mind that regardless of what you use, you will want the entire side shimmed or raised up evenly across that side, not simply 1 corner.

So the sheet (if you use it) must either be that long or you will need more that 1 piece.

I recommend a couple photos. People will want to see the tank and help you get it set up perfectly.
 
thanks :) I'll try to ask my firend to take some pictures .
so wood is good shim material? one worry is it will be exposed to moisture.
 
We had a few coins under one of our stands at some point because the floor wasn't level.. 70¢ in change under a couple of legs leveled it out nicely. :)

This was for a 120ltr tank though, idk if I'd use coins to level out a 10ft tank hahaha

Get creative! If its strong and not guna bow, crack, shatter or sink under the pressure, use it! Although it may be best to double check with these guys first anyways. :D

If he does end up using the acrylic sheet, keep us updated and let us know how it holds up. :)
 
Not sure where exactly the tank is going but is it possible to build the stand in place and level it out with its own construction? Basically, build the stand a bit uneven to fit the uneven floor.
 
batang_mcdo said:
up up? :) is granite a good material to use as shim?
Click to expand...

No, it is not a good material to use in leveling a stand.

You should have your friend go to a metal fab shop local to them and ask for 2" bar stock of varying thickness (1/8", 1/4", 1/2") cut to 2" length. For a 10' tank I would assume the steel will be 2". This is what I use as well. These plates can be stacked under each leg of the stand until it is level to your liking.

These shims will evenly distribute the weight across the uneven floor and not put undue stress on the tank building materials. This makes an uneven floor a non issue. I do this in my garage for large tanks.

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Go to Home Depot and buy plastic shims.
 
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