Leveling a tank stand on a bump?

[Ulu]

Shimming is fine IF done well. Try to never shim the tanks. Shim the stand to the floor.
A photo of your stand would tell us volumes!
I'm not sure how the carpet intrudes. Is the whole stand on carpet?

Is that bump a bit of wooden tack-strip under the edge/corner of the carpet? Or is the actual concrete floor lumpy close to a wall?
You can sometimes cut the carpet slightly to remove a lump, and re-bond it together with waxy glue-tape and a hot iron. Any carpet guy does this.

Take your time, and make sure you have even pressure on each shim.
The situation at the back is not good with just 3 points of support, UNLESS your stand simply has one leg in the middle back.

 

[aae0130]

I don’t have pictures but I will try to explain how I leveled my tank on a floor that was off by a half inch from one end to the other of the tank.
My stand has a solid bottom. So I bought some poster board and seamed it together with some clear packing tape. I put it under the tank stand and folded the outside up. I needed to slit the corners to do so and I sealed the cut edges up with tape. I took it off of the stand.

I then cut more poster board into strips the same height of the side walls I made. I measured 2 inches to the inside of the walls all the way around and used those pieces to add walls there.

It looked like a channel going all the way around the periphery.

I placed it on the floor where the stand was going to be and taped it in place.

I mixed some 2 part urethane plastic (Smooth-On brand) and poured it in the channel. Liquids find level.

It solidified in less than an hour. I used blue masking tape to tape off lines so I could lay it back in the same place because I needed to move it to work on it.

I picked it up and peeled the posto4 board off. I now had a giant plastic shim that supported the stand all the way around and had full contact where needed.

I did use Smooth-On black die to match it to the stand.

I got felt sheets from the craft store and glued a single layer under it. I put it back in place aligning it with the tape markers on the floor. That was 8 years ago.

No one ever noticed it.



Oh.....and I forgot an important step. I sprayed the poster board mold with mold release before pouring the urethane.

Once I obtained all the materials it took a total of 2 hours to complete.

 

[pops]

I would go to a second hand store and buy a desk that looks good. its cheap and works great for 75g tanks. Have done for a few 75 g tanks.

 

[muskyhunter81]

I would go to a second hand store and buy a desk that looks good. its cheap and works great for 75g tanks. Have done for a few 75 g tanks.

I really don’t think the stand is the issue. So I don’t think getting a desk will fix the hump on my floor.

 

[pops]

My understanding is the tank is sitting on the floor?

 

[muskyhunter81]

The way it sits now it’s level. I concerned that with the number of shims used. Will using this many shims compromise the integrity of the tank or will it be fine leveling it like this.

 

[pops]

even a coffee table would hold a 75g just fine, having legs should span the hum and if not can shim legs to even. and not have to shim the tank. Just a suggestion. : )

 

[pops]

I see it does have a stand. I was seeing as the tank on the floor

 

[pops]

them shims are ugly, perhaps get some carpet glides, as for the tank. it should be fine. not the tank sitting wrong but the stand. left in place the stand may well relax into position. again this should not change surface that your tank is sitting on. tank should be fine even if nothing changes.

 

[Ulu]

. . . . how I leveled my tank on a floor that was off by a half inch . . . I mixed some 2 part urethane plastic (Smooth-On brand) and poured it in the channel. Liquids find level . . . I now had a giant plastic shim that supported the stand all the way around and had full contact where needed. . .

You created a separate shim, but how I normally do this is just to shoot down some leveling compound where the stand needs to touch the floor and then set the stand in it on some long skinny temporary shims. I pre-gauge the shims so I know the tank will be level and tape them on the floor, before I put down the compound.

I set the stand and Tool the edge of the compound neatly, then when the setting compound is dry I remove the small shims and fill in the holes with a bit of compound.

I have used Sikaflex adhesive sealant which is only one part, and I consider that it is too tough for this application and is a total pain to cut loose if you want to move the stand.

On my latest stand I shot down some Tan colored Dap siliconized acrylic sealant on a fairly rough masonry platform and set the stand on shims as described. This is not very sturdy stuff at all but it's very waterproof and the pressure is so low in my application.

My setting compound supports about 20 psi maximum which is absolutely nothing. The sealant thickness varies from 0 to 3/8".

If it's not applied over 1/8 of an inch thick I could easily put 4 times that much weight on it without any shifting.