Hi, I have recently bought an rena aquascape 600 6foot 6 tank . Tank is up and cycling getting ready for my 24in fire eel 'Keith' when I realised there is a 10 mm difference in height between one end and the other, the tank is sitting perfectly flush with the stand as this came with the tank, it is the concrete slab that is slightly unlevel . There is a thin carpet over the slab, I have thought about shims but the stand has 10 plastic feet under it worrying me that if I do and there is any discrepancies it will make the problem worse. Any help with this would be great as it's been doing my head in all day since I first noticed
The levelness question
- Thread starter Bhellium reaver
- Start date
Hello; While I like to have my tanks as level as possible, I see some issues with trying to level the tank you describe.
A do not try to move any but very small tanks while loaded, not big tanks for sure. To level the tank I would remove the water andany other large items. I like to use metal shims under tanks.
You do not say if it is a metal stand. If metal it should be fairly easy to raise one end and slide shims in place.
As far as being out of level about 10 mm, that is hard to predict as far as issues go. Some will depend on the type of filtration used and there may not be any issues with that . Now that you have noticed it the look will annoy you regardless.
There may not be any structural issues, but level has always seemed best to me.
One thing is that the fish is not in the tank and now may be the simplest opportunity. The cycle can be saved as there is little of the beneficial bacteria in the water itself. Keep the media and such wet while the tank is being leveled.
Good luck
A do not try to move any but very small tanks while loaded, not big tanks for sure. To level the tank I would remove the water andany other large items. I like to use metal shims under tanks.
You do not say if it is a metal stand. If metal it should be fairly easy to raise one end and slide shims in place.
As far as being out of level about 10 mm, that is hard to predict as far as issues go. Some will depend on the type of filtration used and there may not be any issues with that . Now that you have noticed it the look will annoy you regardless.
There may not be any structural issues, but level has always seemed best to me.
One thing is that the fish is not in the tank and now may be the simplest opportunity. The cycle can be saved as there is little of the beneficial bacteria in the water itself. Keep the media and such wet while the tank is being leveled.
Good luck
Thanks for the reply ,the stand is wood laminate board sold with the tank as a pair, with an external filter, so filtration not a problem,when filled you cannot see the discrepancies in height due to the trim around the top of the tank so aesthetics ok it's only when you lift the lid you can see, as I said in my previous thread what worries me is because of the 10 plastic feet on carpet if I was to shim them and be out by the tiniest of margins due to compression not fully taking place on the carpet it could make the problem worse or even create pressure spots In the middle of the tank. To leave or not to leave that is the question.
You aren't likely to create pressure spots on the tank by shimming under a well-built stand. (You would have that concern if you shimmed on top of the stand, underneath the tank.) If the tank is perfectly flush with the stand, you are starting off in a good spot.
As was mentioned, lower the water level a great deal so that lifting it is manageable and doesn't risk damage or injury, carefully insert shims all along the side that is too low....not just 2 end "feet", but perhaps half of the feet on the "low" side. To me it sounds like you will need 3/8" shims and then you should be fine. Right now you are off about .4 inches, and that is something to consider fixing sooner rather than later.
As was mentioned, lower the water level a great deal so that lifting it is manageable and doesn't risk damage or injury, carefully insert shims all along the side that is too low....not just 2 end "feet", but perhaps half of the feet on the "low" side. To me it sounds like you will need 3/8" shims and then you should be fine. Right now you are off about .4 inches, and that is something to consider fixing sooner rather than later.
Made my decision going to drain and completely empty the beast slip an 18mm board under the whole thing to raise it off the carpet then using cut down roof ties (metal 2mm and 5mm thick) as shims and level accordingly under the 10 rectangular feet. Do you think this will work?
hello; What you describe sounds like a good plan. As with most things, it pays to keep an eye out for potential problems or issues as you go. Get the shims in place and step back to take an overview of what you have. I like to add a little water and recheck the level. Add more and recheck and so on. It likely will go well but never hurts to pay attention for developing issues.
By the way, I will likely never put a tank on carpet again. I know many do so but i have had serious issues with wet carpet to the point of wanting to avoid them. carpet +tanks = bad outcome at some point.
Good luck
Good luck
Tank fully back up and running with less than 1mm difference from side to side and front to back
Happy days
Happy days