Tank is no longer level

[cbarria]

I've had the tank up and running since February. It is a new 90g. The sump is in an adjacent closet and it is 29g. I was feeding yesterday and noticed that the water level wasn't even. So I took some measurements and this is what I found.

The tank is now 3/32in lower on the right side and about 1/16in lower on the front side.

Do I need to worry about this? The tank was completely level when we first set it up.

[VWD]

is it set up on carpet, if so it may have settled on one side more then the other. If it is a solid floor it wouldn't be able to

[cbarria]

The tank is sitting on hardwood floors on the second floor. It is the floor that has actually settled.

Originally Posted by VWD

is it set up on carpet, if so it may have settled on one side more then the other. If it is a solid floor it wouldn't be able to

[Alice]

Is the tank on the ground floor? Do you have a crawl space or basement? If the tank isn't sitting on a cement floor, you are probably going to need to get underneath and look at the joist supporting the floor. You may need to jack something up and then reinforce it.

Ideally, the tank should be sitting across the floor joists, rather than running parallel with them.

I hope it's an easy fix!

ETA: Sorry, I didn't see your post about the 2nd floor before I posted!

[Fly Guy]

I agree with Vinnie. Its most likely on carpet.

I would do two things

1. stand at the low corner and push on the tank.......it doesnt sway at all does it??? Do this just to make sure it is still solid

2. You have the current measurements. Check again in a few weeks to bake sure it isnt getting any worse.

Unless it really bugs you it is fine assuming it doesnt sway and doesnt continue to worsen.

If it does continue to worsen OR it bugs you get some wood to distribute the weight under the tank/inside the stand and get a car jack or something.......get a couple of people to help stabilize it and then lift that corner and put shims under the low side to bring it up to level

What Alice said should be done first as well to make sure it isnt something underneath....although if it is uindernath the house that is a more complicated fix unless you just buy a cheap car jack and leave it there

[Alice]

Is the tank glass or acrylic? If it's glass, you'll need to be really careful lifting an end of the tank.

[cbarria]

I was planning to keep an eye on it for a while. I just wasn't sure how uneven can it get before it is an emergency. Unfortunately, since it is on the second floor I can't really look at the joists.

Originally Posted by Fly Guy

I agree with Vinnie. Its most likely on carpet.

I would do two things

1. stand at the low corner and push on the tank.......it doesnt sway at all does it??? Do this just to make sure it is still solid

2. You have the current measurements. Check again in a few weeks to bake sure it isnt getting any worse.

Unless it really bugs you it is fine assuming it doesnt sway and doesnt continue to worsen.

If it does continue to worsen OR it bugs you get some wood to distribute the weight under the tank/inside the stand and get a car jack or something.......get a couple of people to help stabilize it and then lift that corner and put shims under the low side to bring it up to level

What Alice said should be done first as well to make sure it isnt something underneath....although if it is uindernath the house that is a more complicated fix unless you just buy a cheap car jack and leave it there

[cbarria]

It is a glass tank sitting on a pine stand.

Originally Posted by Alice

Is the tank glass or acrylic? If it's glass, you'll need to be really careful lifting an end of the tank.

[reefermike1]

water is roughly 8lbs/gallon so your 90gal has 720lbs of water plus the weight of equipment, the tank itself stand, etc, so i would estimate somewhere around 900lbs, on a second floor i could see it being alot of stress on your joists, i would measure it again in a couple weeks, if its ANY worse i would try what flyguy suggested with a couple 2x4s under the stand to distribute weight better. that should work, otherwise move it closer to an exterior wall if possible.