using shimms

[Backfromthedead]

I always level my stand--it is worth the small bit of time and effort. I do believe that any discrepancy in level puts stress somewhere on the tank, potentially leading to failure be it 10 days or 10 years down the road.

I just use small wooden shims shaved off of lumber at 1/8" thicknesses. Imo the best method is wedge them between your stands top plywood panel and the structural lumber beneath. A light coating of wood glue can be used to secure them, but usually the tank and gravity will hold them just fine.

 

[RD.]

I forgot to mention, an entire tank leaning a bit forward, or towards the back, is also generally a non-issue. It's really just the corner to corner X stress that can cause failure.

 

[Backfromthedead]

I forgot to mention, an entire tank leaning a bit forward, or towards the back, is also generally a non-issue. It's really just the corner to corner X stress that can cause failure.

Idk man....basic knowledge of physics tells us that any lean is putting more weight on one panel. In a perfect world where that load is perfectly static i would agree, no biggie, but you have to factor in shock load, especially with larger tanks. When that water begins sloshing back and forth, what mightve been 4x more weight hitting the panel on a level tank could be 2 or 3 times that on one that isnt. Combine this with the substandard glass and overall quality of most big box store tanks these days...ehhh like i said ill spend 5 minutes shimming to be on the safe side.

To each their own of course.

 

[jjohnwm]

I just use small wooden shims shaved off of lumber at 1/8" thicknesses. Imo the best method is wedge them between your stands top plywood panel and the structural lumber beneath. A light coating of wood glue can be used to secure them, but usually the tank and gravity will hold them just fine.

I tried this once. The stand in question was simply four stacks of concrete blocks, but the floor beneath was slightly sloped towards a central floor drain (unfinished basement). I used a piece of 3/4-inch plywood on top of the stacks, and laboriously levelled it using shims. This took some time and effort, as the floor was not simply non-level but also contoured so that all corners of the room sloped towards the drain, so the concrete surface of the floor was essentially a huge, very shallow cone. Each concrete block stack required a three-dimensional construction of shims to evenly support the plywood sheet, and all four of those constructions needed to be level with each other as well.

This drove me nuts...not just doing it, but then knowing what was under there afterwards. I didn't like it one bit, and never tried that method again, although it worked perfectly for years once set up.

Nowadays, when I set up a large-ish tank in my unfinished basement fishroom, I attach a piece of 2x4 to the concrete wall at the desired height of the top of the stand. This then supports the rear longitudinal top piece of the stand, carefully levelled as it is screwed to the original 2x4. The end pieces and the front longitudinal piece are added, supported by temporary jigs and fixtures while they too are installed perfectly level. Legs are individually measured and cut specifically for their intended locations, and once installed they are held perfectly vertical by a secondary "frame" at or near the floor. The temporary jigs are removed and the rest of the braces and support pieces are then added. The resulting stand sits on an uneven floor, but it is absolutely vertical and has an absolutely level top. It's permanently attached to the wall and cannot be moved or used in any other location. No shims needed or desired; it's strong, level and OCD-friendly.

 

[Backfromthedead]

I tried this once. The stand in question was simply four stacks of concrete blocks, but the floor beneath was slightly sloped towards a central floor drain (unfinished basement). I used a piece of 3/4-inch plywood on top of the stacks, and laboriously levelled it using shims. This took some time and effort, as the floor was not simply non-level but also contoured so that all corners of the room sloped towards the drain, so the concrete surface of the floor was essentially a huge, very shallow cone. Each concrete block stack required a three-dimensional construction of shims to evenly support the plywood sheet, and all four of those constructions needed to be level with each other as well.

This drove me nuts...not just doing it, but then knowing what was under there afterwards. I didn't like it one bit, and never tried that method again, although it worked perfectly for years once set up.

Nowadays, when I set up a large-ish tank in my unfinished basement fishroom, I attach a piece of 2x4 to the concrete wall at the desired height of the top of the stand. This then supports the rear longitudinal top piece of the stand, carefully levelled as it is screwed to the original 2x4. The end pieces and the front longitudinal piece are added, supported by temporary jigs and fixtures while they too are installed perfectly level. Legs are individually measured and cut specifically for their intended locations, and once installed they are held perfectly vertical by a secondary "frame" at or near the floor. The temporary jigs are removed and the rest of the braces and support pieces are then added. The resulting stand sits on an uneven floor, but it is absolutely vertical and has an absolutely level top. It's permanently attached to the wall and cannot be moved or used in any other location. No shims needed or desired; it's strong, level and OCD-friendly.

Ah i see...ive never built a cinder or concrete block stand. Ive never really trusted the design, mostly due to the issues with leveling youve described.

Ive always been inclined to carpentry and so build with dimensional lumber and plywood always. Perhaps i was presumptuous in my response thinking OPs design would be altogether similar to mine.

I personally trust my lumber stands more than most floors and walls. Ime floors--even concrete--can sag unpredictably in places, especially when under static load for long periods. So my procedure is to set up the tank full where it sits for at least a week while monitoring everything, make any adjustments before putting the setup into service.

 

[jjohnwm]

Ah i see...ive never built a cinder or concrete block stand. Ive never really trusted the design, mostly due to the issues with leveling youve described.

Ive always been inclined to carpentry and so build with dimensional lumber and plywood always. Perhaps i was presumptuous in my response thinking OPs design would be altogether similar to mine.

I personally trust my lumber stands more than most floors and walls. Ime floors--even concrete--can sag unpredictably in places, especially when under static load for long periods. So my procedure is to set up the tank full where it sits for at least a week while monitoring everything, make any adjustments before putting the setup into service.

I hear that! My stands are not pretty; they, like the exterior of most of my plywood tanks, are bare wood which makes a leak easier to spot, and also allows any water to evaporate from the wood more quickly if it does become wet. I trust the strength of them but don't worry about cosmetics.

When I set up any tank, large or small, in the basement or elsewhere...I only start to relax and accept that all is well after maybe a year or two...

 

[fishguy1978]

I have a mix of stands in my fish room. I have 2 multitank racks and I have 4 cinder block pedestal builds. My concrete floor is sloped in multiple directions because I have a drain in the middle of the room and a shower with a drain in the back corner. With the cinder block piers I leveled each block that rests on the floor and I then level each block going up and finally level the dimensional lumber platform that the tanks sits on. The acrylic tanks and the 220g have foam under them.
This rack sits on concrete pavers and is then shimmed level. The 120g to the right if you zoom in the shims between blocks are visible.

The 220g was the hardest to level because the shower is just the right of the tank also the windows make measuring a pier height fun too. I borrowed a lazer level from a buddy which helped immensely.

 

[RD.]

Idk man....basic knowledge of physics tells us that any lean is putting more weight on one panel. In a perfect world where that load is perfectly static i would agree, no biggie, but you have to factor in shock load, especially with larger tanks. When that water begins sloshing back and forth, what mightve been 4x more weight hitting the panel on a level tank could be 2 or 3 times that on one that isnt. Combine this with the substandard glass and overall quality of most big box store tanks these days...ehhh like i said ill spend 5 minutes shimming to be on the safe side.

To each their own of course.

Yes, not disagreeing on the physics, but as F fishdance stated, both the tanks and stands built by the big name manufacturers have a huge safety margin factored in to every build. For obvious reasons they have to, or forums such as this would explode with threads blaming the owners failure, on the builder. Glass tanks aren't rigid, silicone allows a lot of give, and I have personally never heard/seen of a tanks glass failing due to a front to back, or end to end lean. I have tanks that lean in one direction or the other for 20+ yrs, not an issue. One was an old 90, that was resealed 10 yrs or more before I got it, and ran that way for another 12 yrs or so before I finally drained it for it's next reseal. It leaned from left to right, due to the slope in my basement concrete floor. No shims, no problem.

 

[Backfromthedead]

Yes, not disagreeing on the physics, but as F fishdance stated, both the tanks and stands built by the big name manufacturers have a huge safety margin factored in to every build. For obvious reasons they have to, or forums such as this would explode with threads blaming the owners failure, on the builder. Glass tanks aren't rigid, silicone allows a lot of give, and I have personally never heard/seen of a tanks glass failing due to a front to back, or end to end lean. I have tanks that lean in one direction or the other for 20+ yrs, not an issue. One was an old 90, that was resealed 10 yrs or more before I got it, and ran that way for another 12 yrs or so before I finally drained it for it's next reseal. It leaned from left to right, due to the slope in my basement concrete floor. No shims, no problem.

Gotcha. Ive long maintained the opinion that 95+% of catastrophic tank failures are user error related. So with that in mind, i always want to give myself the narrowest error margin possible. Paranoia aside, one cant deny a level water line looks better if its visible.

Shim squad for life over here

 

[RD.]

For sure, better safe than sorry. I'm sure that my co-workers all get sick of hearing me chant that mantra at work. lol