Levelling large tanks

[bdebauche]

Folks,

I am trying to install a 180g reef tank from scratch, and I ran into an immediate problem. The stand with this tank is heavy angle iron, welded and joined in ways that are not going to come apart easily. It seems that last time it was set up with the tank, the floor was less than ideal and the stand actually warped. I need to level the tank now, after I level this warped stand. How does one go about shimming the tank back up so it sits with 100% support? I estimate the weight will be over a ton once everything is installed, so I need to be careful with the tank in this situation, right?

[jesspaul]

Pretty scarry. The weight of the tank with water might force the iron frame flat depending on the thickness of the metal. I would find a level patio or driveway to test. Actually I would scrap the stand and build one with wood. I had a 90 burst once. That was a distaster,

[Junkzoo]

First off,Welcome to TRT enjoy your time here!

Big tanks are always magnified on the problem areas,,,with a big tank, level is a very important issue...
When you mentioned the stand was warped, it gave me a red flag here, and i'm glad it was brought up b4 i posted here,,,i would be very leery of a warped stand being 100% trustworthy in a new set-up location use,,,
True, it might form itself to the new location, but what if it does not, either while it is getting filled or just happens to "twist" itself to form when the tank is ready to run,,,,yup.its a lot of weight,,
I picked up a used 200g Oceanic from a guy i worked with(who had had it in his LFS for a time) he had made a wood stand for it to use in his home,,,i took the partially completed stand with the tank, but the more i thought about it, and looked the stand over, it seemed to have plenty of strength for the downward pressure, but i felt it was lax in the side to side strength department.
Even my wife agreed it made sense to get a Oceanic stand for it, since it is a monster tank,,,i think the tank itself is prob 400#+.and since Oceanic does not carry 200g tanks as "in-stock" anymore(only custom built) the price for the stand was way more than i figgered it would have been,,,but priceless for piece of mind,,,,
Granted the Oceanic stand ,compared to the DIY stand, does not look to come close to the store bought stand in the "beefy" department,,,,,i figgered i'm better off with it, than worry about a untested,home built one...

Sorry to side track, just wanted to relate your situation here,,,
Others might suggest rigid foam (styro) as a "pad" 'tween the tank and stand to help mold the two together,during fill up ,and beyond,,,,
Like was already said, a "dry" run outside with fresh water might be the way to go,,,it might set the stand during that also,,,,
only suggestions here,,,mebbe others can chime in on your question,,,
Again,,,Welcome to TRT!
and keep us posted on your tank,,,,,

[tims]

i agree.
if the stand is warped now. trying to get it to bend back not a good idea.once metal is stressed........... that being such a nice large tank , why risk it.
if you have the skills then make a new one or contact a cabinet maker ot LFs to order one. cost more right now but may end up saving you in the long run

[pmh]

I'm with the others. buy/build a new stand


pmh