leveling question

[jworth]

36" 30 gallon. the stand i built is slightly out of level in the corners and the way the tank is sitting causes it to be slightly out of level. my question is.... can i use wood shims to level the 4 corners of the tank? with this it would obviously not actually be in contact with the stand itself and be resting on the shims. would this cause the middle to sag? its just a 30 gallon so the force and pressure would not be as great as a huge tank but i am looking for some advice on how i should do this...

 

[swede]

why not shim it at floor level with felt under the shim? this will keep it from scratching the floor. if you have carpet, it makes it even easier. you can actually buy plastic shims at home depot or lowes. they sell plastic shims which are very uniform and better for use in this kind of application

 

[jworth]

the specific corner i am referring to is heaved up about 1/4" because the 2x4's werent perfectly flush. floor level would be easier but would not solve that issue. the stand has that tank on one side and it shares that level with another 10 gallon.

 

[jworth]

the stand is 21" deep and this tank is only 12" so i scooted it forward away from that corner and it almost solved the level question but a slight shim on one corner fixes the slight difference because of the heaved corner. i think that is the best bet. its now nearly perfectly level and have eliminated any type of twisting. thoughts?

 

[swede]

i wouldn't worry about it really. i've learned the hard way that tinkering too much can make things more complicated

 

[jworth]

i wouldn't worry about it really. i've learned the hard way that tinkering too much can make things more complicated

well i solved the big questions i had i suppose. its only a 30 gallon. it shouldnt be as big of a factor given its size. now i just need to think of stocking

 

[Toby_H]

I agree with the line of thinking that as this is ‘only’ a 30 gallon tank you have more forgiveness than if it were a larger tank…

Having one corner higher than the others is a bad situation for a tank to be in. The typical suggestion / cure for this is to put Styrofoam between the tank and stand. Naturally sanding down the raised area is another option but this will probably still leave it less than perfectly flat and I would still suggest the Styrofoam.

I highly suggest against putting a wedge between the tank and stand allowing portions of the tank to not rest on the stand. This will likely put a twisting pressure on the tank and adding such stress to the tank can cause a critical error… read as 30 gallons of water on the floor…

If the raised corner is to the point that Styrofoam will not solve your problem then I advise to either sand the raised area down or put a thin layer of Styrofoam (1/8&#8221 on the stand, a thin piece of plywood (¼&#8221 on the Styrofoam, then another thin piece of Styrofoam (1/8&#8221 on the plywood, then the tank on top if it all. I had a DIY stand in my fish room end up with a slight twist on one shelf and blem out the front glass of a 75 gallon tank because of this. Putting the foam/ply/foam sandwich I described on the stand solved this problem and the replacement 75 gal never had an issue.

 

[Pharaoh]

Sorry, here comes my $0.02

I agree with the line of thinking that as this is ‘only’ a 30 gallon tank you have more forgiveness than if it were a larger tank…

A tank is a tank and water is water, same as level is level. Whether it is a 30 gallon or a 500 gallon, level will in fact stress the seams of the tank and cause it to leak. Exactly why my 29 leaked.

Having one corner higher than the others is a bad situation for a tank to be in. The typical suggestion / cure for this is to put Styrofoam between the tank and stand. Naturally sanding down the raised area is another option but this will probably still leave it less than perfectly flat and I would still suggest the Styrofoam.

I have yet to see it proven where styro will solve this problem. There is no data to support this other than personal thoughts and feelings. It is simply not true. The only way to fix an unlevel tank and/or stand is to level the tank and/or stand.

I highly suggest against putting a wedge between the tank and stand allowing portions of the tank to not rest on the stand. This will likely put a twisting pressure on the tank and adding such stress to the tank can cause a critical error… read as 30 gallons of water on the floor…


If the raised corner is to the point that Styrofoam will not solve your problem then I advise to either sand the raised area down or put a thin layer of Styrofoam (1/8&#8221 on the stand, a thin piece of plywood (¼&#8221 on the Styrofoam, then another thin piece of Styrofoam (1/8&#8221 on the plywood, then the tank on top if it all. I had a DIY stand in my fish room end up with a slight twist on one shelf and blem out the front glass of a 75 gallon tank because of this. Putting the foam/ply/foam sandwich I described on the stand solved this problem and the replacement 75 gal never had an issue.

When it comes to tanks with plastic trim, there's no need for styro. Just shim the tank/stand on the low corner and be done with it. Many tanks are able to handle up to 1" difference in the level of a stand. The real problem occurs when the tank is leveled after many years of being unlevel. The thought is that since the tank has settled unevenly, then it should stay that way. This might explain the original blow out and why the second has not.

I apologize if this comes off a bit harsh, but the problem needs to be fixed, not patched.

 

[jworth]

so bobby.... my plastic trim tank is now shimmed in one corner and level. therefore there should be no twisting force at this point. regardless of if that corner causes the plastic trim not to touch around that corner, it is now level therefore will not cause me a problem.... right?

 

[Toby_H]

I apologize if this comes off a bit harsh, but the problem needs to be fixed, not patched.

I have no problem with anyone questioning my posts… and I’ll be happy to explain why I think what I think…

tank is a tank and water is water, same as level is level. Whether it is a 30 gallon or a 500 gallon, level will in fact stress the seams of the tank and cause it to leak. Exactly why my 29 leaked.

While on one hand this is true, on the other the height of a tank dictates it’s weight per square inch… and a tank which is only supported by it’s edges has much less surface area in contact with the stand to distribute this weight…

On a tank that is only 1’ front to back the glass ‘spans’ a shorter distance than larger tanks… but on the contrary it uses thinner glass…

I have yet to see it proven where styro will solve this problem. There is no data to support this other than personal thoughts and feelings. It is simply not true. The only way to fix an unlevel tank and/or stand is to level the tank and/or stand.

To simplify it… Styrofoam dents… and if there is additional pressure in one place, such as a raised corner, this will cause additional pressure on that place causing the raised point to dent into the Styrofoam more so than in adjacent areas…

When it comes to tanks with plastic trim, there's no need for styro. Just shim the tank/stand on the low corner and be done with it. Many tanks are able to handle up to 1" difference in the level of a stand. The real problem occurs when the tank is leveled after many years of being unlevel. The thought is that since the tank has settled unevenly, then it should stay that way. This might explain the original blow out and why the second has not.

The tank I made an example out of did not leak at the seal… the front pane of glass cracked from the bottom left corner across to the middle of the right side… It sounded like a bomb going off when it did…

After inspecting the stand, I found it to be “twisted”… putting the styro/ply/styro sandwich between the tank and the twisted stand fixed the problem (and was not simply a patch to delay inevitable results)…



I would also like to add when we get into specifics on this topic we should clarify that it is very important to ensure the tank is “flat” on the stand, but the stand/tank being “level” is not a critical point. A twist in the stand or a raised corner or a bowed stand can cause “indifferntial pressure” on the tank which will stress the glass and/or seams which can result in either a blow out (broken glass) or a leak in the seal…

But if the tank is sitting flat on a stand that is flat… but for whatever reason the tank is not “level” (perfectly parallel to the earth)… the pressure will be evenly distributed to the stand…