Leveling a Tank

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by rastaangel

Im not wrong, Im a glazier I know how glass works and cracks when its torqued out of level.
But im not gonna continue to argue with you, thats not the point of this thread

Actually it is the point of the thread, to determine how much it matters for tank to be off level. That said I'm also glad you polish glass for living, I'm a professional stress engineer, I design tanks and vessels among other things and on top of that I even use to build aquariums.

The simple fact is if a tank is built and supported properly then there are no pressure points. The only stress is created from the pressure from the water and that doesn't change if the tank is not level, running a wave would have a much higher affect and even that isn't enough to over-stress a tank. These pressure points your talking about are result from uneven glass edges contacting one another, this will cause issues even if the tank is perfectly level. Also shimming a tank isn't a good idea, the stand should be shimmed and the tank receives even support. This is why foam is often used and recommended to provide even support the base of the tank. This is what is critical, not the level.

[gregzz4]

Woah, I didn't mean to imply the tank itself should be levelled, but instead the stand
I may have used the word 'tank' in general as a reference to the whole unit

Thanks for the clarity on this sphelps

[Enigma]

Originally Posted by gregzz4

Woah, I didn't mean to imply the tank itself should be levelled, but instead the stand
I may have used the word 'tank' in general as a reference to the whole unit

Thanks for the clarity on this sphelps

Speedy fingers!

I went to butter my toast In the middle of writing my reply and didn't see yours.

Yes, toast for supper. This hobby is leaving me broke.

[Enigma]

Originally Posted by sphelps

. Also shimming a tank isn't a good idea, the stand should be shimmed and the tank receives even support. This is why foam is often used and recommended to provide even support the base of the tank. This is what is critical, not the level.

Thank you for making that very important distinction. I totally neglected to mention what I was shimming. I shimmed the stand (an old dresser), and not the tank, to get the tank close to level.

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by Enigma

Thank you for making that very important distinction. I totally neglected to mention what I was shimming. I shimmed the stand (an old dresser), and not the tank, to get the tank close to level.

Good stuff, it's also a good idea to check if the surface the tank sits on is perfectly flat, if not you should use some thin foam or rubber under the tank to even it out. If it's already running you can't really do much though.

I should add that leveling a tank is a good idea, it's an easy task and everything will look and work better but being off won't cause it to break, that's just silly.

[Enigma]

I can fit a piece of paper between the trim and the stand on the front over a length of around 6". I missed that earlier. I checked that the centre of the tank was in contact with the stand. The gap is to the left of centre.

I've got around 15 gallons in the tank so far. Is it important enought that I should drain it and use the foam?

If so, could I use layers of laminate flooring underlay? We've got piles of scraps of that (Hubby installs wood floors for a living).

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by Enigma

I can fit a piece of paper between the trim and the stand on the front over a length of around 6". I missed that earlier. I checked that the centre of the tank was in contact with the stand. The gap is to the left of centre.

I've got around 15 gallons in the tank so far. Is it important enought that I should drain it and use the foam?

If so, could I use layers of laminate flooring underlay? We've got piles of scraps of that (Hubby installs wood floors for a living).

Yeah if you're just filling it and you got 15 gallons in there, it would be wise to drain it seeing how it's possible some of the tank may not be supported completely. Foam underlay really isn't ideal as it's not very rigid but it would be better than nothing, just make sure it's even and not making things worse. What can work quite well that is readily available and not an eyesore is the one sided black foam tape. It's used for insulating things like attack access hatches and other generic applications, available at pretty much any hardware store. You can just stick to bottom of the tank frame itself.

[Enigma]

I'll see if I can find the tape. TY!

[Enigma]

Woah! Placed our new display tank on its stand last night. There is a very significant gap (1/8" or more in some places) between the black plastic trim and the stand on three sides of the tank.

I've found a couple of different types of foam tape. I have found "expanding" foam tape (an automotive product, but I think it is too thick), and weather stripping foam tape (in various thicknesses, and open and closed cell). Is one of those types of tape what I should be looking at?

[Mike-fish]

My 175g has always been out of level currently by about 1/2" both front to back and left to right. The tank has Been moved several times since I got it about 4 years ago I'm pretty sure that the guy that had it before me had it out of level. The stand is flat on both top and bottem so the entire thing is tilted.