Problem- Tank Not Level

[Inquisitive]

hey guys...been awhile since I've updated....I have the 55 gallon tank on the stand that my dad built and decided to go ahead and fill it with tap water tonight in order to make sure the powerheads work and the skimmer works (or at least appears too)....yadda yadda....frankly, I got tired of seeing it with no water!


anyway...I digress.....fill the thing up....everything works...I stand back to admire it and notice that the water is a quarter of an inch lower on the left side....the light bulb goes off that the tank is not level....it is on carpeting so not a huge suprise...but, anyway.....should I be hugely concerned about this?....I'm going to empty the tank anyway during the week and begin the fill with the RODI water (bought a unit from air, water, and ice)....I can hide it by just filling it a bit more...got lots of room before it would overflow....I'm going to shift the stand over anyway onto a section of carpet that is more plush on that side and see how that works....and lastly, I can always shim it.....the tank is being fully supported as the stand is tabletop, not open and just supporting the rim of the tank.....sorry for being long winded....basically, is this severely compromising the integrity of the tank?...should I rush to empty it?...and should I be super meticulious about leveling it before the LR and LS and RODI water goes in?

Thanks!

 

[redfishbluefish]

My thoughts:

1. Carpets underneath tanks will get wet. I have first hand knowledge of this…get a wet/dry vacuum and a small fan for the numerous times you will have to dry it out.

2. If it is wall-to-wall carpeting, be aware that there is a nailer strip close to the wall that could cause for the tank to not level front to back if the stand is resting on this strip.

3. I am not big on shimming a stand. It puts a point load on the location of the shims, which most likely are not on a joist. You want the load to be spread out over the length of the stand, hopefully hitting as many joists below to transfer the load.

4. You only mentioned that the stand was homemade…what does it look like. If it is a 2 x 4 stand, simple cut off the necessary wood from the bottom to level the stand. Otherwise, jack up the house. ;D

 

[Inquisitive]

thanks for replyin, red!

I figure the carpet will get wet and just will make every effort to assist in keeping it dry...I own a second floor condo and the carpet is wall to wall....anyone above the first floor is not permitted to install hard wood floors...so, unless I want this tank in my kitchen, I just have to cope wtih the carpeting...

thanks for the tip about the nailstrip....I wouldn't have thought of that....I have to go to hd during the week to get tubing and buckets and will pick up a level....and shims

the stand is freaking GORGEOUS..no way am I cutting into the bottom of it.....laughs...dad did excellent work....and it is much overkill too....I'm not worried about structural probelms with the stand as much as the water putting pressure on the seams of the tank...though quarter of an inch doesn't seem like much.....will post pics after after I borrow a friends cam....

 

[Phyl]

1/4" is actually a LOT and you will definitely want to address this. I would empty the tank, shim it into level and then fill it back up. We have our tank on carpet and it is perfectly level. Looking forward to pictures of the artwork!

 

[redfishbluefish]

Does dad want to do a stand for me! I’m up for adoption.

Another thought…make a frame using dimensional lumber (2 x2 to whatever). This frame would fit the footprint of you stand. More specifically, the load dimensions of your stand. Now, cut whatever you need to cut off the bottom of this frame to level the tank. If you use 2 x 2, especially on carpet, it would barely be noticed.

On the other hand, with most store bought stands at 32 inches, I typically use 2 x 6 frames to raise the stands to a more comfortable viewing height….And now do whatever scribing / cutting to level the tank.

 

[JerseyWendy]

I agree with Phyl. 1/4" IS a lot, and you should definitely do something about it to avoid possibly disaster in the future. I'd shim it, too.

 

[REEFLECTIONS]

if you can level it, why not level it.... i agree with the others.... the nailer strip for the carpet is against the wall and no wider than 1 1/4" so i'm sure that's not a factor, the tank is most likely farther from the wall than that.... as far as the shimming, if your dad is as handy as he sounds, i bet he can shim the whole side, and if not don't worry about the pressure being just on the shims... there are many large tanks on metal stands that have small feet that don't sit right on a joist... good luck, i remember 3 years ago when i filled my first saltwater tank, it was very exciting, a high point in my hobby experience.

 

[Inquisitive]

ok....I'm going to fix it...will drain it this week and then move it and the stand over and shim if necessary....it seems to be ok right now...I was basically just wondering if I had some time to play with on this..didn't want to have to re-empty it immediately.....will have it fixed by the weekend....

thanks everyone!

 

[REEFLECTIONS]

just keep in mind how much space you keep between the tank and the wall, you never know if you may want to add some sort of hob gizmo.... i always keep it about 8-10" away from the wall