How level does a tank need to be?

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Although having the tank sligthly unlevel may not cause any issues while it is sitting where it is at. There could be a latent failure with the tank should you ever move it. I had that happen with a 29. I strongly urge you to just shim the stand and get the whole setup level. You will be better off.
 
Level is not near as important as having the surface that the tank sits on 100% FLAT!!

If this surface is not flat, the tank will rack and crack.
 
Pharaoh;2817745; said:
Although having the tank sligthly unlevel may not cause any issues while it is sitting where it is at. There could be a latent failure with the tank should you ever move it. I had that happen with a 29. I strongly urge you to just shim the stand and get the whole setup level. You will be better off.
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I agree, had a 20L fail for the same reason.
 
Pharaoh;2817745; said:
Although having the tank slightly unlevel may not cause any issues while it is sitting where it is at. There could be a latent failure with the tank should you ever move it. I had that happen with a 29. I strongly urge you to just shim the stand and get the whole setup level. You will be better off.
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The tank is sitting on a stand that is level. The stand is on a floor that is slightly off. Its a 125. Once it has water in it, I'm not moving it.
 
Most the time having the tank level is good but ive heard of people who purposely built the stand so that the tank would lean more in one direction in order for the water to go in a certain direction for filtration or w/e. here's a good video explaining it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBNFHdf4J1s&feature=channel_page

P.S. this guy has some really god videos!
 
I would definately level the tank no question. Not only could it crack the glass but cause the lining to split as well. This could take a while to happen and after all the work you put into the tank you could come home to a nice mess on the floor months or even years after setup. I had it happen with a 55 reef tank. Let me tell you that's the last thing you want to have to deal with when you come home from work.
 
shluffer;2817776; said:
The tank is sitting on a stand that is level. The stand is on a floor that is slightly off. Its a 125. Once it has water in it, I'm not moving it.
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You're only asking for trouble on yourself then. As has been said, if the tank is not level it will create a load on the tank causing it to almost twist, even if at the most minute degree. This can and often does over time cause the tank to fail and then you hear that huge pop sound where your glass breaks/blows out and have all your contents on the floor. How long does it take to setup and fill a 125gallon.. couple hours if you are a perfectionist? Wanna know how long it takes to empty a 125gallon? 2minutes 13 seconds! depending on how/where the tank fractures.
 
In the end I decided to level it. I'm not sure I believe that having the stand level is important (I do believe the tank has to be flat on the stand), but I figured its not worth the risk.
 
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