I have been concerned recently about whether my 95 gallon marine aquarium has adequate support. It is on a wood floor on an older house. I plan to put some floor jacks in the basement to support it. I think that will fix that problem, but in researching that topic I came across something that now also has me concerned. My tank is not level.
When I moved, I hired some guys from my LFS to move the tank. They set it up for me in the living room. I should have paid much closer attention to them. At the time, we noticed that the tank was not level. I didn't think anything of it at the time (I know -- I should have done my research). It leans perhaps a half inch from the wall, bottom to top (tank is 5 feet tall). The tank is a 95-gallon All-Glass Wave aquarium and stand. The top of the stand has a flat surface, so I think it should give good support. But the whole stand leans.
Unfortunately, I also noticed another problem the other day. The LFS guys did not put the tank square on the stand. (Can't believe I never noticed it before.) The back of the aquarium is angled just slightly so that the back right corner hangs over the edge of the stand probably a millimeter or so. It's minimal and just part of the plastic casing is hanging over. The glass inside the plastic casing is above the stand and does not hang over.
This tank has been in this spot for over a year and a half now. I don't see any problems with it. I was thinking about putting a hang-on-tank protein skimmer on the back. That is when I noticed the aquarium's back was not flush with the stand. Now I worry about the skimmer potentially adding more stress.
I thought I'd ask the forum readers for suggestions and advice. Is it a disaster waiting to happen or am I worried about nothing?
When I moved, I hired some guys from my LFS to move the tank. They set it up for me in the living room. I should have paid much closer attention to them. At the time, we noticed that the tank was not level. I didn't think anything of it at the time (I know -- I should have done my research). It leans perhaps a half inch from the wall, bottom to top (tank is 5 feet tall). The tank is a 95-gallon All-Glass Wave aquarium and stand. The top of the stand has a flat surface, so I think it should give good support. But the whole stand leans.
Unfortunately, I also noticed another problem the other day. The LFS guys did not put the tank square on the stand. (Can't believe I never noticed it before.) The back of the aquarium is angled just slightly so that the back right corner hangs over the edge of the stand probably a millimeter or so. It's minimal and just part of the plastic casing is hanging over. The glass inside the plastic casing is above the stand and does not hang over.
This tank has been in this spot for over a year and a half now. I don't see any problems with it. I was thinking about putting a hang-on-tank protein skimmer on the back. That is when I noticed the aquarium's back was not flush with the stand. Now I worry about the skimmer potentially adding more stress.
I thought I'd ask the forum readers for suggestions and advice. Is it a disaster waiting to happen or am I worried about nothing?
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j/k: ).
Several people (including a home inspector) have told me "no problem" and several have said otherwise. I honestly don't think the floor is getting any worse. As I said, the tank leaned from day one. There is a plaster ceiling below the tank in a room in the basement. Since plaster is so unforgiving, I would think any warping of the floor joists would become obvious in the basement fairly quickly. And the floor boards in the living room look fine. A friend of mine in the construction business suggested the floor jacks just as a safety measure, and the home inspector concurred. It will cost only about $100.
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