Tank Levelling

[fullinfusion]

I think back in the day Hagen used to have a suspended bottom with a plastic skirt that went around the bottom of the tank.. the lfs store in Winnipeg I used to deal with years ago would sell these tanks to customers and what they would do would trim the silicone inside the tank on the bottom and reseal it where they cut it and then they would put a nice bead underneath the suspended bottom because they were always fearful that the bottom would bust out. And out of the 10 years of going to that same lsf they never had a single problem with customers coming back saying their tank is leaking underneath. I know it's a little bit off topic but in a previous thread that I replied to about the Red Sea Aquarium issues that people are having, I commented by saying that if it was my tank and if customer service were complete boneheads and not replacing my tank I would cut all the silicone joints out of that entire tank and redo it myself and it would look 100 times better than what the factory is doing right now.

 

[stoney7713]

So essentially youre saying put plywood then the styrofoam then levelling mat? This would solve the issue

If the desk top isn't level, you will need to level it. Which you may not be able to. That's the idea of checking if it's level with just the mat.

So if the desk top isn't level, you will have to create a surface that is flat you can level.

The plywood or other sturdy material, would be a flat surface you could level. You could place the mat on top of the plywood, I wouldn't worry about the styrofoam. Then shim beneath the plywood.

 

[fullinfusion]

And glass doesn't twist well, It goes kablooey!

LOL glass doesn't twist very well is right. It may hold out long enough for you to take a sigh of relief and then once you look at it sideways that's all it will take and that glass will just like you said go kablooey!

 

[kenreefer]

If the desk top isn't level, you will need to level it. Which you may not be able to. That's the idea of checking if it's level with just the mat.

So if the desk top isn't level, you will have to create a surface that is flat you can level.

The plywood or other sturdy material, would be a flat surface you could level. You could place the mat on top of the plywood, I wouldn't worry about the styrofoam. Then shim beneath the plywood.

thanks! What would you use to shim beneath the plywood? It does look like the desk top isn't 100% level

 

[fullinfusion]

If the desk top isn't level, you will need to level it. Which you may not be able to. That's the idea of checking if it's level with just the mat.

So if the desk top isn't level, you will have to create a surface that is flat you can level.

The plywood or other sturdy material, would be a flat surface you could level. You could place the mat on top of the plywood, I wouldn't worry about the styrofoam. Then shim beneath the plywood.

Personally I think by putting half inch piece of plywood on top of the stand and then place the leveling mat on top of it. Hey Ken! Shut all your pumps off in the tank and measure from the surface of the glass to the water level on all four corners of the display and see if the water is level, if the water is level then the tank is not Square and I would be returning it ASAP

 

[fullinfusion]

thanks! What would you use to shim beneath the plywood? It does look like the desk top isn't 100% level

The desk leaning towards the back I'm assuming?

 

[kenreefer]

Personally I think by putting half inch piece of plywood on top of the stand and then place the leveling mat on top of it. Hey Ken! Shut all your pumps off in the tank and measure from the surface of the glass to the water level on all four corners of the display and see if the water is level, if the water is level then the tank is not Square and I would be returning it ASAP

wouldn't the water being level mean the tank IS square?

 

[stoney7713]

thanks! What would you use to shim beneath the plywood? It does look like the desk top isn't 100% level

Depends on how much you have to shim, wood shims, composite shims. Paper like cardboard would degrade to quickly.

 

[fullinfusion]

wouldn't the water being level mean the tank IS square?

With the water level being the same distance on all four corners means your tank is level. Now here's the big BUT, the water level may be level across all corners so then why is the one corner have a gap under it? That tells me the tank is crooked somehow and flexing.

I need to head to bed, and hopefully you come up with some solution this evening. I've got a long drive tomorrow but I will check in and see how you made out. Good luck okay, that's a beautiful tank you got going on and I hope you get it sorted out.

 

[fullinfusion]

Depends on how much you have to shim, wood shims, composite shims. Paper like cardboard would degrade to quickly.

Back to my racing reference LOL.. I had a 71 Nova SS with a 396 big Block back in the late '90s and it was running 750 HP on the dyno. When I lived in Winnipeg Manitoba we used to drag race down Portage Avenue on the weekends and my car hooked up so well that it would literally crack the driver side front corner of the windshield. It didn't happen very often but it still did. Just having a front clip on the front of the car and the amount of body twist or roll when it would launch actually cracked the window pillar where it joined the roof.

Ah the good old days.. then I got into reefing... Had to retire the car otherwise I wouldn't have a driver's license today and had to retire the reef tank due to a move and the tank has been sitting in the storage shed for 20 years. I just got back into the hobby this year and after looking at my old tank, it was going to cost me an arm and a leg to reglue the entire tank and then upgrade the lights and everything else we never had 20 years ago..

I'm freaking out because the OP is dancing with the glass devil and I don't know why I'm all weirded out about it since it isn't mine but I'm in the transport industry and it just discusses me on the price of everything these days and hate like heck for him to be woke up in the middle of the night from a big crash and everything he's worked so hard for laying on the ground dying.

Heck I almost pulled all my hair out the other day when my new xpduetto 2 ATO pump didn't start up when the controller was showing me it was filling the tank up and it wasn't doing a darn thing. I spent part of the afternoon emailing back and forth with XP aqua on what's going on and I was having my own little panic attack. Anyways I got that solved in a hurry and hopefully ken can get this sorted out quickly this evening

 

[kenreefer]

update: Removed the tank and added some shims on the supports and removed the styrofoam and added plywood instead below the leveling mat. The spacing in the corner is less now so hopefully that will be okay

 

[fullinfusion]

update: Removed the tank and added some shims on the supports and removed the styrofoam and added plywood instead below the leveling mat. The spacing in the corner is less now so hopefully that will be okay

So you put plywood down and then placed the leveling mat on top of the plywood is what you're saying?

 

[kenreefer]

So you put plywood down and then placed the leveling mat on top of the plywood is what you're saying?

yes that is what I am saying. Also shimmed the actual desk as well. Hopefully this works!

 

[fullinfusion]

yes that is what I am saying. Also shimmed the actual desk as well. Hopefully this works!

Good deal, sounds like that should work fine. I'm sure it'll get better as the leveling mat adjusts.

Keep us posted on how it is in a few days

 

[vetteguy53081]

View attachment 3123236

I dont see an issue however to eliminate any concerns, go to a home depot and have them cut a piece of plywood the same dimensions as tank and you now have a safe solid base. That foam also works

 

[kenreefer]

Good deal, sounds like that should work fine. I'm sure it'll get better as the leveling mat adjusts.

Keep us posted on how it is in a few days

For sure. Had to do this whole process of draining it and refilling twice though since the first time it threw off my levelling and made it worse than with the stereo

Anyways thanks for the help!

 

[kenreefer]

I dont see an issue however to eliminate any concerns, go to a home depot and have them cut a piece of plywood the same dimensions as tank and you now have a safe solid base. That foam also works

The issue was that the front right corner of the tank wasn't sitting flat agains the desk as the middle of the desk sags a bit. Refer to the pictures on the first page

 

[vetteguy53081]

The issue was that the front right corner of the tank wasn't sitting flat agains the desk as the middle of the desk sags a bit. Refer to the pictures on the first page

Great to hear

 

[WestMI-Reefer]

Just my 2 cents, its fine.
Put the foam back under the corner and shim it up a bit and enjoy! Getting PERFECT weight distribution in a nano isn’t essential, and I guarantee if you let me measure your aquariums, they aren’t perfect level either

 

[Dom]

Step 01: Get 4 Home Depot buckets.
Step 02: Siphon off 20 gallons.
Step 03: Slide the tank out of the way.
Step 04: Place a piece of 3/4 inch ply, whose footprint matches the tank.
Step 05: Level the plywood.
Step 06: Place the leveling mat on top of the plywood.
Step 07: Place the tank on top of the leveling mat.
Step 08: Check that the tank is level.
Step 09: Replace water.
Step 10: Enjoy!

Friend, I can imagine how disappointed you must feel. The tank looks great, and it will be difficult getting it exactly the way it was after you make the correction. But it will be worth the effort.

If you don't, I worry that we will see a post on here somewhere down the road, telling us about a seam failure and leak.

Do the work and have peace of mind knowing that its right.

Good luck!
Dom