leveling a tank, need help

[exoticaquatix]

well, after a year my future father in law finally had me set up his 75 gallon tank. the spot he and his wife chose was pretty unlevel. just how unlevel was only discovered after i had filled the tank with sand and saltwater, unfortunatly. it is about an inch over the 4 feet of tank length. the main problem is the fact that it is a reef ready oceanic and the slope is away from the overfow. with the return pump running the water on low end sits just below or touching the bottom of the rim. water also touches half the center brace but i think thats a minor problem when compared to a potential overflow.
I mentioned the possibility of shimming the entire stand but have never done this before and need some advice. it is, as stated, a 75 gallon oceanic RR on an oak stand(solid bottom). this is all sitting on a tile floor in the basement.
my other options would be to find a new spot for the tank but where its at now is probably the best spot.
how does one go about shimming a tank this size? im sure some of you have had to do this and i really need some help. i appreciate any and all feed back. especially if its telling me to just leave it as is!!
thanks guys.
-nick

[Amador]

I did this on my 125, and it wasn't tough. Get some shims (they sell them by the doors at my local HD or Lowes). Drain the tank into some Brute trashcans (or similar). Then you just shim between the stand and the floor until it is level. Pump the water back in, and you're done! You don't even have to drain it all the way ; I drained half the water out of my 125 and it was enough.

[drstupid]

i'd get a piece of 3/4" plywood (exterior grade of course) and cut it to the size of the stand. if you're really good, you'll paint it with exterior primer. level that on the tile floor with wood shims. put the stand on top of that. voila.

you may need to make minor adjustments to the shims under the board once there's some weight on it, i'd suggest putting 1" of tap water in the tank and use that as your final levelling test.

[drstupid]

btw, the situation as you've described is really tenuous, you could blow your seams at any time. you should probably take care of this sooner rather than later.

[trippyl]

You must shim or else. Get those wood shims that they sell at home depot, ensure to get a hard wood for the shim material, they sell different shims, some with softer wood that could eventually give a little bit.

While you are at home depot, spend some money on a quality level, one that contractors would use. Remember, the longer the level, the more accurate it will be.

Make sure the tank is empty, place the level inside the tank on the bottom glass, and shim until you get a level reading. Then try with water (might need to do this a few times so don't use salt water).

One final point, it's not just side to side level that is important, it's corner to corner and front to back as well.

Good Luck!

[exoticaquatix]

i think a 3/4" piece of plywood would drive the future mother-in-law a little crazy, she is the one complaining about the water level and you cant even tell from outside the tank.

basicly i just need to jam shims under the stand all the way around 3 sides till it level? the back will be a huge PITA if not impossible.

the plywood trick would work but they are really chomping at the bit to get this baby up and running. i know, i know, patience is a virtue but i have no time for watching paint dry let alone making a new base for the stand. plus finals are comming up and id rather be at work making money than doing pro-bono tank maintinance if im not doing school work.
thanks for the info so far guys, any more help would be great.
-nick

[trippyl]

Im not quite sure what plywood has to do with anything. The stand already has a flat bottom, so just shim directly against the stand. Plywood is more useful when the stand doesn't have a solid bottom.

Use the shims that I suggested and level the stand using a quality level. As far as the impatience and time constraints go, it's your choice, shim now or mop later :>

[drstupid]

every oceanic stand i've ever seen is made of MDF. water + chipboard are a bad combination, especially if you're shimming significantly, making pressure points and spreading the stress out unevenly.

i'd use the plywood. $30 to make bombproof one of the fundamental parts of your setup you want bombproof.

[trippyl]

Good point, I agree 100%

[exoticaquatix]

this stand does not appear to be MDF. it was about $350 bucks and labeled as oak so im going to assume it is not chip board. i know what assumptions get me tho. im not going to be lazy, i will get it taken care of but when, i dont know. busy is busy and its not at my house. i just dont see how jamming a bunch of shims under the EDGE of a stand is any better than it sitting FLAT in a solid floor that just happens to be a little off level.
-nick

[Amador]

It is better in the sense that it lessens the stress on the seams of the tank. If you leave it out of level long enough, the seams can blow out and you'll have 75g of water / sand on your floor.

[mistermikev]

as an ex cabinet maker i thought i'd chime in.
A. just shims raising 1" holding 800lbs + = bad idea
B. don't get a wood level... plastic
drstupid is right on... use plywood and shims on the one side
AFA shimming... start at the corner that is high... it shouldn't need anything on one corner. level it on the tanks width, then work your way down to the low end checking the width as you go. If the level says level - you don't need to check with water - levels have water in them for that reason. just my 2c

[mistermikev]

ps I was going to mention... some of the nicest cabnetry I have seen utilized veneered mdf panels. if you have a long strech of woodgrain it is likely not solid wood. there are always exceptions, but most expensive cabs have solid framework with laminated panels.

[Ixthys]

Not to stir the pot, but does anyone have any proof that an unlevel tank causes excess stress on the seams? The tank is on a flat surface, so there are no focal point pressures. Oceanic can't stay in business and make their tanks to handle "only" the forces of water volume that the tank can hold (i.e. what about canopies that sit directly on top of the tanks?).

I'll admit it makes common sense to make the tank as level as possible and the poster may need it level for better water flow.

Just some food for thought.

[Hugeness]

Originally posted by exoticaquatix
i just dont see how jamming a bunch of shims under the EDGE of a stand is any better than it sitting FLAT in a solid floor that just happens to be a little off level.
-nick

You're the LFS worker, so you should know that most tank's busting leaks are caused by not being level to being with. Being on a flat surface is nothing if that surface isn't level to begin with. By your description its not even a minor leveling issue... a one inch rise from one end to the other is very significant and should of been checked before adding water... It's not just about aesthetics here at all, its just a matter of time before the water busts a seam from the pressure, floods their basement... requiring you to clean the mess, account for dead livestock, reseal the tank... AND then level the tank. It's not even a lot of work... to prevent all that crap from happening. Don't make me call your mother-in-law!

[exoticaquatix]

for some reason the last few tank leveling threads i have read all result in people taking shots at one another......."You're the LFS worker, so you should know that most tank's busting leaks are caused by not being level to being with. "
How does that logic work? Your the lawyer, are you familiar with falicious reasoning?

i dont see how the pressure is any different, or different enought to cause a seam to burst from being 3/4"- 1" off level over 4 ft. im not saying i wont level the tank, im saying that improper leveling can easily create pressure points along an edge. THAT is what causes seams to blow out. not a slight difference in water level.

when i was about 15 i set up my first "big" tank, a 40 long, and the floors in my parents house were at least 1" off level over the 4 foot length of the tank. that tank had glass half as thick as the 75 gallon in question but managed to hold water with out incident for over 6 years. explain to me, please, how the 1'' difference in pressure from one end of the tank to the other is going to cause a seam to blow out? now if the stand it was sitting on was level but the top surface was not level and caused some sort of torque or pressure on the tank, THEN i can see a problem. this is not the case, however. All edges of both tanks are perfectly flat, on a flat surface which is sitting on a flat surface which happens to be off level.

all that aside, i own a 3ft level and its made of metal. i will not be buying a plastic one. that does not change the fact the entire basement slopes to one side. i did not know the proper way to level a tank/stand so i figured a FLAT Unlevel tank is better than one that has been leveled in way that would cause the stand to go out of square and cause even bigger problems.

I am a member here so that i may exchange information with other reef keepers, not so that i can get ripped on for asking questions. Id go back to grade school if i wanted to be in a group of people who attack others for asking questions they feel are stupid or silly. Anyway, all that aside, i appreciate those who have help in a constructive manner and look forward to this thread continuing in a the same way.

-nick

[MC Lighting]

ok so I am having a bit of a leveling issue myself floor slopes down from left to righ and also from rear to front so I am leveling with shims and plywood squares. How many shims should there be along the bottom of the stand, mind you this stand is of 4x6 construction holding a 180G tank.... Anyone?