Leveling question

[kfisc]

So- just finished building a stand out of 4x4"s and 2x4"s for my (brand 'spankin new) 90g aga: Is there any wiggle room at all beyond the tank being absolutely dead level?

The bubbles in the level are within the lines, but just a smidgeon close to one side. Any preferences for shim material? Thanks very much!

[jlyles]

As long as the as the surface the tank is sitting on is nice and flat I would say you would be ok. But you want the stand as level as possible. My 90 is on a basement floor that is not level and has shims on the 4 corners and the center of both sides of the bottom of the stand. I used the wedge shims like you get at Lowes for hanging doors. My tank has been like this for two years with no problems.

[reefnetworth]

pine window shims, from Lowes, Home Depot, or almost any hardware store works great.
the pine is easy to cut with a razor knife once you get it leveled.

[alan214]

Sounds like you're pretty close but you should add shim's under the stand. Home Depot and Lowe's sell both wooden and fiberglass shims.

[kfisc]

Acht! Despite the fun in building it, it's just not level/planar.

The last ditch effort was to cut a 3/4" plywood piece (49"x20") to fit between the stand and the tank, hoping to distribute the weight. I know well enought never to shim between the tank and stand, but is it at all acceptable to shim between the top of the stand and the bottom of the plywood to close the gaps? Again, nothing would come between the plywood and the tank- just the stand and the plywood, plus shims on the floor once the gaps are closed.

Otherwise, I'm thinking I may have made a reasonably nice workbench.

[poppin_fresh]

how much sag are we talking about? Some custom manufacturers recommend plywood/rigid foam/plywood as a base for their tanks.

[Craig Lambert]

Sounds to me like you are very close to perfect. If it's 1/16th or 1/8" I don't think it will matter. Plenty of people are using wavemakers which causes the water to slosh back and forth in the tank raising and lowering the level as much as an inch with each wave. I would fill it with a hose and test it.

Edit:..Also, are you testing it in the exact spot the tank will be placed? Probably a dumb question, but just wanted to make sure you have it set up in its location rather than trying to level it wherever you are building the stand.

[kfisc]

Originally posted by poppin_fresh
how much sag are we talking about? Some custom manufacturers recommend plywood/rigid foam/plywood as a base for their tanks.

At some points, about 1/16th - just enough to see daylight between the plywood and the tank, especially near the middle rear. I wish I could be convinced that the commercial AGA stands would be any better; it's that point of risking the money for one of their stands or not...thanks again-

[kfisc]

Originally posted by Craig Lambert
Sounds to me like you are very close to perfect. If it's 1/16th or 1/8" I don't think it will matter. Plenty of people are using wavemakers which causes the water to slosh back and forth in the tank raising and lowering the level as much as an inch with each wave. I would fill it with a hose and test it.

-Thanks, will do. I'd like to bet it's just the slight warp in the plywood- Also, it's now in it's final spot-

[jay24k]

I really don't think it matters. In the end, weight over time might even cause it to become level or worse. My 180 gallon was a slight hair off due to my tile in my living room. Haven't had any issues yet.