Tank Levelling on garage floor

[Ben Mccue]

Possibly a stupid question but after having had a panel break on my first tank I'll risk it. I have an Aqueon 180 coming, 72x24x24. Before i drill for the modular marine overflow and void the warranty I want to water test it in the garage. my thought was to put it on a trimmed to size piece of 3/4 plywood or MDF, level under the plywood with shims (no gaps), and fill with water for a couple days. I'm concerned the weight load would not distribute evenly even with no gaps in shims.

Probably overthinking it but I'm pretty sure my old 60 gallon cracked due to settling of the wood stand so I'm really nervous now about twisting/ flex. Is a single piece of plywood a good option or would it be better to place on the stand? I'm trying to avoid having to phone a friend to keep helping me move a 400lb tank on and off a 33inch stand while i water test and drill for plumbing, then finally move into the house.

Also on a separate note I'm considering setting the stand on a 4-6" high platform of wood or 80/20 with 8-10 levelling feet rather than shimming the stand. My tile (on concrete slab) floor dips around 1/4" to 3/8" dead center of where the stand will be and the stand has weight bearing panels around the full perimeter. Would be a heck of a lot of shims and my confidence level would be low, 4' level would probably live by the tank and I'd lose sleep. I'd like the rim of the tank to be a bit closer to eye level as well which is why I've been throwing around the idea. Thoughts or experience on this?

 

[nuxx]

We put our 10 foot acrylic tank on a dense foam board on top of the plywood.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Possibly a stupid question but after having had a panel break on my first tank I'll risk it. I have an Aqueon 180 coming, 72x24x24. Before i drill for the modular marine overflow and void the warranty I want to water test it in the garage. my thought was to put it on a trimmed to size piece of 3/4 plywood or MDF, level under the plywood with shims (no gaps), and fill with water for a couple days. I'm concerned the weight load would not distribute evenly even with no gaps in shims.

Probably overthinking it but I'm pretty sure my old 60 gallon cracked due to settling of the wood stand so I'm really nervous now about twisting/ flex. Is a single piece of plywood a good option or would it be better to place on the stand? I'm trying to avoid having to phone a friend to keep helping me move a 400lb tank on and off a 33inch stand while i water test and drill for plumbing, then finally move into the house.

Also on a separate note I'm considering setting the stand on a 4-6" high platform of wood or 80/20 with 8-10 levelling feet rather than shimming the stand. My tile (on concrete slab) floor dips around 1/4" to 3/8" dead center of where the stand will be and the stand has weight bearing panels around the full perimeter. Would be a heck of a lot of shims and my confidence level would be low, 4' level would probably live by the tank and I'd lose sleep. I'd like the rim of the tank to be a bit closer to eye level as well which is why I've been throwing around the idea. Thoughts or experience on this?

If this is a rimmed tank, shims and plywood would work fine. The weight will be distributed along the trim, so as long as you make sure that the shims for around the perimeter of the tank and support it that way/level it that way, should not be an issue.

If this was a rimless tank, just some cheap foam board from a big box hardware store would work fine.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Possibly a stupid question but after having had a panel break on my first tank I'll risk it. I have an Aqueon 180 coming, 72x24x24. Before i drill for the modular marine overflow and void the warranty I want to water test it in the garage. my thought was to put it on a trimmed to size piece of 3/4 plywood or MDF, level under the plywood with shims (no gaps), and fill with water for a couple days. I'm concerned the weight load would not distribute evenly even with no gaps in shims.

Probably overthinking it but I'm pretty sure my old 60 gallon cracked due to settling of the wood stand so I'm really nervous now about twisting/ flex. Is a single piece of plywood a good option or would it be better to place on the stand? I'm trying to avoid having to phone a friend to keep helping me move a 400lb tank on and off a 33inch stand while i water test and drill for plumbing, then finally move into the house.

Also on a separate note I'm considering setting the stand on a 4-6" high platform of wood or 80/20 with 8-10 levelling feet rather than shimming the stand. My tile (on concrete slab) floor dips around 1/4" to 3/8" dead center of where the stand will be and the stand has weight bearing panels around the full perimeter. Would be a heck of a lot of shims and my confidence level would be low, 4' level would probably live by the tank and I'd lose sleep. I'd like the rim of the tank to be a bit closer to eye level as well which is why I've been throwing around the idea. Thoughts or experience on this?

Shims and plywood base or 1/2 ' -3/4" leveling foam under the tank should keep it simple

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Possibly a stupid question but after having had a panel break on my first tank I'll risk it. I have an Aqueon 180 coming, 72x24x24. Before i drill for the modular marine overflow and void the warranty I want to water test it in the garage. my thought was to put it on a trimmed to size piece of 3/4 plywood or MDF, level under the plywood with shims (no gaps), and fill with water for a couple days. I'm concerned the weight load would not distribute evenly even with no gaps in shims.

Probably overthinking it but I'm pretty sure my old 60 gallon cracked due to settling of the wood stand so I'm really nervous now about twisting/ flex. Is a single piece of plywood a good option or would it be better to place on the stand? I'm trying to avoid having to phone a friend to keep helping me move a 400lb tank on and off a 33inch stand while i water test and drill for plumbing, then finally move into the house.

Also on a separate note I'm considering setting the stand on a 4-6" high platform of wood or 80/20 with 8-10 levelling feet rather than shimming the stand. My tile (on concrete slab) floor dips around 1/4" to 3/8" dead center of where the stand will be and the stand has weight bearing panels around the full perimeter. Would be a heck of a lot of shims and my confidence level would be low, 4' level would probably live by the tank and I'd lose sleep. I'd like the rim of the tank to be a bit closer to eye level as well which is why I've been throwing around the idea. Thoughts or experience on this?

You foam insulation from home Depot. Soft enough to take any error strong enough to handle load

 

[LokeLucky]

I had a Red Sea 750XXL V3 in my garage and you know this tanks should be perfectly levelled else they will leak.
I got multiple sizes of metal shims (2 * 2 inch ) from metal depot and used them under each feet and then levelled the tank. It came out perfect. My garage is also concrete. I used metal because they don’t compress or shatter so easily and I powder coated them multiple layers so they don’t rust.

 

[Ben Mccue]

If this is a rimmed tank, shims and plywood would work fine. The weight will be distributed along the trim, so as long as you make sure that the shims for around the perimeter of the tank and support it that way/level it that way, should not be an issue.

If this was a rimless tank, just some cheap foam board from a big box hardware store would work fine.

It is rimmed, thanks.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

It is rimmed, thanks.

On most rimmed tanks, the manufacture recommends that you do not put foam under them, as they are designed to have the weight go along the trim and you do not want the glass to have anything contacting it. Be sure to check the warranty for the tank though, as that is really what matters (I know you said you were going to drill it, but still good to reference to see what they recommend for placing it on a stand.)

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

I’d use a bunch of Plastic Toilet Shims under the Stand. Get the ones that can be snapped off. Big Bag of them is cheap on Amazon. Lowe’s and Home Depot Sell them, along with Plumbing Supplies. If it’s an Aqueon or Mass Built Stand, I’d do three or four coats of Topside paint. Rust oleum topside, instructions say to use a coat of Spar Varnish, first on any bare wood.

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

I always use leveling cement its cheap and works 100 percent of the time .. frame a rectangle fill with cement.. let it dry .. done...... any stand that uses feet is putting alot of pressure on each foot,, better to spread it out over the whole area....

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

The leveling compound works well. The Mapie Leveling Compound was used on my Basement Floor, before tiling. I had to mop the floor with 20:1 Water : Hydrochloric Acid, rinsed four times, let it dry. Took over a week, as the floor was cold. The Contractor had to use the Mapie Pink Primer first. The Vapors are highly toxic to fish, especially Tangs. They applied the leveling compound, and spread it while walking in shoes with cleats.