Leveling tank from uneven floor

[Sasq40]

So I'm getting ready to refire my tank from my crash last year. And in my new house the floor slopes Into the middle. The tank if good left too right but not front the back. It's out about 1/2". Should I buy some shims or rock it how it is?

[smokinreefer]

easiest would be to throw some shims under there.
do it while you can.

[gregzz4]

Can you do anything from below ... Jack posts maybe?
Or at the very least have a look at the floor joists to see if they will handle the weight. If they are weak, shimming will only be a temporary solution as they will continue to deflect to the center of the room over time.

Mine in one area are cracked so I temporarily used a jack post and 2x10s to brace a few of them while a tank was in that area (temp spare tank)

[target]

Shims are needed for sure if its just an unlevel floor. My tank front left to right is out almost 1/2". and front to back is out 3/8". I custom cut shims to level it out.

[Sasq40]

I do have 2 joists setup and post under the tank since it runs with the joist, also sistered all the joists in that area tanks a 160.im leary with cranking those up Incase it affects other things in the house. Was looking at those ez shims as they seem to be pretty heavy duty. Would just need to make a flat shim to go across the front were the angled shims don't hit.

[bauder1986]

Also use a piece of 1/2"-1" Styrofoam under the tank cut to the size of the tank. The shims will help with the main leveling. And the Styrofoam will allow the tank to auto level to perfection and stay leveled in case the floor settles a tich under the weight.

[Sasq40]

Originally Posted by bauder1986

Also use a piece of 1/2"-1" Styrofoam under the tank cut to the size of the tank. The shims will help with the main leveling. And the Styrofoam will allow the tank to auto level to perfection and stay leveled in case the floor settles a tich under the weight.

Thought Styrofoam wasn't recommended with such a large tank

[whatcaneyedo]

Originally Posted by Sasq40

Thought Styrofoam wasn't recommended with such a large tank

I've never heard that before. What was the argument that you were told against having a layer of styrofoam under the tank? I've got 1/2" foam under my 5 yr old 225gal and shims under the stand because of the uneven floor.

[cvrle1]

Originally Posted by whatcaneyedo

I've never heard that before. What was the argument that you were told against having a layer of styrofoam under the tank? I've got 1/2" foam under my 5 yr old 225gal and shims under the stand because of the uneven floor.

It really depends on the tank. For rimless glass tanks it is recommend to have some sort of foam or barrier to distribute weight evenly in case there are some minor gaps. Some acrylic manufacturers say that you should use foam underneath their tanks, while others say dont. For rimmed glass tanks, no foam, as black plastic rim on the bottom does what foam would. Putting foam underneath rimmed could cause more issues than good, as you could create pressure points that otherwise wouldnt be there.

Best thing to do is reach out to manufacturer and ask them directly, this way you cut out any guess work.