Question on levelling tank

[robroy]

hello; They should be good in that they do not rust nor absorb water. My main concern would be the possibility of the concentrated weight deforming the plastic.

I have used metal stands many times and have tried some plastic types. The legs on my stands are often simple angle iron with no base plate, at least for the smaller tanks. Tanks up to 55 gallons. I have found that the edge of the leg to have sunk into the shim over time.

A 180 gallon might weigh over 2000 pounds with all the stuff. That is around 500 pounds possible on each leg.

A way to use plastic might be to have a metal plate of some sort on top of it to spread the weight from being concentrated at a small point.

Ah I see-thats a good point. This stand has a toughened plastic base on each corner-its not purely metal alone so it'll be metal on the plastic shim

 

[robroy]

hello; They should be good in that they do not rust nor absorb water. My main concern would be the possibility of the concentrated weight deforming the plastic.

I have used metal stands many times and have tried some plastic types. The legs on my stands are often simple angle iron with no base plate, at least for the smaller tanks. Tanks up to 55 gallons. I have found that the edge of the leg to have sunk into the shim over time.

A 180 gallon might weigh over 2000 pounds with all the stuff. That is around 500 pounds possible on each leg.

A way to use plastic might be to have a metal plate of some sort on top of it to spread the weight from being concentrated at a small point.

Ah I see-thats a good point. This stand has a toughened plastic base on each corner-its not purely metal alone so it'll be metal on the plastic shim

 

[Wolfen]

i too have an 180 gallon tank and the floor is not level. floor is about 1/2 inch lower in the front.

my stand legs are about 3 inches wide and most of the shims i found are about 1 inch wide.
i thought of using 2 shims per leg but i feel its dangerous

so where can i find a shim thats 1/2" inch thick and wider that 3 inches ?

 

[skjl47]

so where can i find a shim thats 1/2" inch thick and wider that 3 inches ?

hello; stores such as tractor Supply; home Depot, lowes and others keep some metal in stock. Perhaps some length of bar stock that you can cut into proper sized pieces. Iron works well but I use aluminum on some floors where rust might discolor. No worries on a basement floor.
I save the small aluminum cans that things such as tuna and cat food come in. I put the shims in side the can and the can with shims under the legs of my metal stands. This does two things. It further spreads the weight and has at times collected slow leaks that have run down a stand leg.

 

[Backfromthedead]

Personally, i just use whatever scrap wood or metal sheets i have laying around the house for shimming. The same goes for the construction of all of my stands too lol. Its usually very easy to conceal shimming, and varying thicknesses of plywood are easiest to fasten to stands or even the floor.