My tank is not level - break it down and level it?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
C

chrisngo

Candiru
MFK Member
Feb 15, 2008
160
14
48
San Diego
Hey guys,

I have a 210 that is not sitting evenly. The water level is higher on the right than the left. Should I break it all down and level it all out? I was in a rush to set the tank up out of excitement. I've got about 15 juvenile tanganyikan fish about 1-1.5" in length.

So should I break it down and set it up again? Opinions please.

Chris
 
How much hihgher is it on the one side vs the other? Most of us would say, yes, break it down and shim it or do what you have to in order to level the tank. Level tank = very important.
 
id lower the water level as far as possible (few inches of water max) then shim one side and keep checking that its level front back side to side... (LOL) as you fill it.
 
i agree i just did this on an uneven garage floor what a pain but worth it be sure to use enough shims to properly carry the load
 
Before offering advise I'll wait for the OP to post exactly how out of level the tank is :)
 
Some of those tanks that you see with a split seem or where panels have come apart I would say in a large part may have been from the tank having been leve. Side to side, front to back it doesn't matter. It puts added stress on seems/joints that the manufacterer may not have accounted for. Glass and acrylic have different tolerances but both need to be level.

Not trying to be pushy, just don't want to see you end up with super cheap add in the buy/sell marketplace for a tank that leaks.
 
I have seen on other forums where people have contacted tank manufacturer's and asked about the degree of levelness that is required and they have said that with a carpenter's level as long as the bubble is inside the lines, your fine.

in other words, the bubble doesn't have to be exactly in the middle, just inside the two lines. even if the bubble is more towards one side but still inside the lines, that is okay too. the tanks are built to handle minor variations - the glass and seams are strong enough to do that..

which makes sense. tanks do not have to be EXACTLY level, but as close as you can get them within reason.
 
How far off level is this tank anyways ? I should have mentioned a tiny bit is not a huge deal but I assume since you started a thread its off at least a decent amount. Either way he said the tanks not level. Tanks need to be level... Or you can learn the hard way.
 
Go over to lessons learned and see how much damage huge tanks 100 plus galloners can do when it breaks loose- maybe they're the ones with best advices.... after learning it the hard way.
 
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