Help w/how To Level A Tank/Stand

[FishChris]

Hi - I just spent 1/2 of the day yesterday moving my 120G Reef tank down to the basement, and I have make an awful mistake (I forgot the basic item on setting up a tank). Got the tank all set up, 75% filled, and called it a night. This morning, when I filled up the tank the rest of the way I now discover that the tank is not level ! The out of level is enough so that one corner drain is doing most of the work, I'd say there is about a 1/8" + between one end and the other. Now, I have about 6 other tanks sitting down here, and all have the same deal, but this is the only reef tank, and it is a 4X2X2, and, well, I am worried.

The tank sits on a comericial stand, which sits totaly flat (no legs) on the floor, that is , the entire rim of the stand hits the floor. It is sitting on a concret slab. Now doing the research, I see the slab is slanting at an angle, that is, the floor itself it out of level.

After the initial shock, I had to ask myself "Self , WHAT do you now do ?". If I drain the tank and prop up one end of the stand, I then would have the middle of the stand not supported by the floor. So, I am sort of lost, and do not want to drain and scoop and move, and then be clueless what to do, and I would want to do the right thing, as I do not want to move / drain this sucker again !

Mu gut feeling right now is to go upstairs and hide and ignore I have a salt tank in the basement !

Does anyone know what is the proper method to level a tank like this on a concrete floor ? I saw a post on using shims, but, that seems that I would have a lot of partial contacts between the stand and the floor, but I am so lost, I can't think....

Thanks.

[wanareef]

I would use shims. Drain the tank to where you can work on it. Start at the lowest end and with a level on top of the tank, bring the low end up.
Make sure to switch the level perpendicular to the tank and make sure you are level front to back as well. (if you have 2 levels this will work better one parallel with the tank and the other one across the tank)

Now you have some space under the cabinet, use the rest of the shims to take care of this, 6" incriments should work, but since you are the worrying kind, do it every 3" - just make sure that when you shime the rest of the cabinet - you don't raise it out of level.

hth

[bgaineshunter]

I've got a leveling problem, too. However, I live in earthquake country. Shims probably will not work in the long-run.

[rabeiler]

How bad is it? Is the problem front to back or side to side? It is very difficult to leve the stand once the tank is already on it. I agree that shimms are not the answer as they will crush over time with the wait of the tank.

If your problem is front to back, you could support the long edge of the tank with a good piece of hardwood molding at the proper thickness. The sides would just need to be supported every couple of inches.

If your problem is side to side, you need to cut a tappered lengths to make up the difference so that you continue to support the stand. If you can't make the tappered pieces, You could try shimms, but make sure you go the whole length with shimms.

I never buy store stands, I always make them myself so that I can take into account minor variations in floors.

Good luck

[Joel]

I have the same side to side unlevel problem. Brand new house (we moved in Dec 22 2003) that I guess "settled" so the left side of my 135 is 1/8" - 1/4" below the right side. I've adjusted standpipes and returns but the left side still drains most of the water. I thought of shims but wasn't sure how well they'd hold up under all that weight (~250lbs rock + sand + water+ weight of tank) and was even more unsure on my precision shim cutting and placing skills. Should I be worried or not. Another new house is outa the question and when I asked the builder about it he said that kinda thing happens when you live close to the water on an island.

[wanareef]

IMO if you get a small bunch of cedar shims they use for roofing, these things won't crush - even over time not when you have a flat surface.

[tdwyatt]

Originally posted by wanareef
IMO if you get a small bunch of cedar shims they use for roofing, these things won't crush - even over time not when you have a flat surface.

I have used the cedar shims, they work well, I would suggest using a piece of selpat between the shim and the floor (under the shim, but not under the tank) if it is a finished floor. Start all the shims about 1" apart and work each shim an equal amount (start with the lowest one, then the next two, then the oroiginal shim, then the next two plus the next two in sequence, and so on) until the bottom area is level all the way across, starting at the lowest end and working to the shallowest end. This prevents problems with raising one section too much. Do it without water in the tank, then check your work by partially filling the tank. Once you've determined that the tank has reached its level, allow it to stand ofr 2 weeks, and recheck. Once it has been checked and is still level after 2 weeks of pressure, score the tops of each shim with a sharp cutting tool, then snap them off close to the stand. I have used these types of shims in the same manner under a 180 gal tank for 6 years.

hth.

[RenDragon]

FishChris, Welcome to TRT

[Casey]

Fishchris Welcome to TRT

[nezw0001]

Ditto on the shims. I used them extensively in my old farm house 180 gallon. Once the stand is level, keep checking as you add weight, ie sand and water, just to double check. I hand made my stand but the floor was too uneven and I still needed shims-plus two support walls in the basement.