Leveling feet on a wood floor a bad idea?

[miltonkl]

I'm looking to upgrade my 40gallon tank to a 75 gallon tank (plus sump). It's on the 2nd floor and has hard wood floors. I'm thinking about putting the stand on some casters/leveling feet to help me both level it, and lift it off the floor so I can clean under it/run cables under it.

The casters would just help me position it and then the feet would drop down and actually hold the tank, not the wheels. It would never be wheeled around with water in it, so that's not a concern.

My concern is simply about how the installation of feet might impact weight distribution on the floor, effectively placing all of the weight (I think) into those 6 feet (3 in front 3 in back) that touch the ground. Normally when you see this utilized in the aquarium world its always in an industrial setting where the tanks are installed on a concrete floor. Is this a bad idea on an upper level wooden floor?

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

I'd expect there to be some indentation over time. Hard wood isn't as hard as concrete, for sure. If the leveling feet are wide enough that may not be an issue.

 

[hsp]

Can you adjust the levelling feet after a few months if there is an indentation?

 

[carri10]

Cut some wood blocks and wedge under the bottom cross bars to help distribute the weight.

 

[Trial&Eror]

I wouldn’t say it’s a bad idea, there’s actually a couple solutions imo. However, one factor you did not mention is humidity. The humidity from the tank and the weight can damage the hardwood around the tank (hopefully you don’t have Brazilian or some other exotic, pricey hardwood.

My solutions: place down a thin piece of underlayment/ plywood (maybe 3/16 of an inch, cover that piece with an outdoor patio or marine carpet that’s quick drying or water resistant. I think this solution would also be the easiest to level. I wouldn’t get too concerned with level, as long as the bubble is within tolerance!

 

[Bruttall]

the problem I see is the increased amount of pressure a "foot" would have compared to a Rail, or a Board the length of the tank resting on the floor shimmed with window shims.

There is a good reason for the boards top and bottom of the stand, weight distribution so all the pressure of that tank is not on 4 spots.
Pic of the corner of my 300gallon wood stand,. yes that is a 1 inch into a garden hose drain for the display. And the pump for my RODI reservoir too. When a STAND gets SHIMMED you should shim the entire length of the stand IMO.



Good Luck.