Tank not level.. what should I do?

[Cheebs]

I set up my 75 gallon perfecto tank today and everything is going well, except that I noticed that the water level on the right side is perhaps a couple millimeters higher than on the left. At this point it would be a tremendous hassle to drain all my water out and shim it. The level shows that it's off by maybe 1 degree or less. I have foam between the tank and tank, and overnight the tank seems to have leveled off a little more. I can also balance the weight slightly when I add my live rock, but I wa simply wondering if this minor imblance is worht a redo, or if I shouldn't worry about it. It's brand new and its holding up great.

Thanks,
Cheebs.

[nyvp]

level it, take the time and do it right now. I removed the water from my 560 prob 3 or 4 times to level it right.I took a car jack and a 2x4 and jacked up my 560/g to make perfect it will add stress to the tank.

[mr.maroonsalty]

What is a couple millimeters? About the thickness of a Loony? I don't think I'd loose sleep over it, anymore and I'd likely try fixing it.

[PSam]

1/2" on my current FW setup, +3 years, 75gallon. Never noticed until a couple months ago, back to front.

[Cheebs]

Now that I meaure it, it's actually roughly half a centimeter difference. How much danger does this actually pose for my tank? Does it have to be perfect? I plan on having my live rock in the back (80lbs or so) and I thought that might even it out as the foam underneath compresses slighty. Am I really stuck drainign all this water, or will my tank be ok? I'll have the tank where it is for roughly a year, at least.

Thanks for the replies so far,
Cheebs.

[HBtank]

I think being level becomes more critical with tank size.

You should always try and get it level, but I don't know how much I would worry about a couple millimeters on any size tank.... Actually I wouldn't, but thats just me.

Edit: A half centimeter might make me worry, I would shim it..

[skriz]

the foam won't compress, so don't count on that.

you should be able to shim it without draining it completely.

It is better to get it right now, rather than regretting it later.

if not, a few milimeters won't make too much difference, most everything is inperfect.

[Cheebs]

Hmm it seems a half centimeter shim under 1 leg of the stand should do it, if I end up doing it. I could probably get away with draining 3/4 of my tank and lifting it just enough. Would wood shim do?

Thanks,
Cheebs.

[Lumamae]

Shim it and stop worrying. You only need to siphon tank water into a couple of 30g Brute water change trash cans and shim it. It won't hurt to have it not leveled, but since you know about it, it's either bite the bullet now and do it or do it later when you can't stand it any longer. :lmao:

[Cheebs]

Alright alright, I better just shim the damn thing before it drives me nuts. Thanks everyone for the info. Oh yes, can someone tell me if regular cedar shims will do the job?

Cheers,
Cheebs.

[Lumamae]

yep

[asm481]

Back up here. Foam between a glass tank and stand? If it is glass with the blastic frame you are not to have foam under it. Support only the frame. the frame may compress the edge of the foam and put pressure on the bottom glas which will crack it.

As far as level....get it level now. overflows will work better and you will like it better.

[nyvp]

HD and lowes have these plastic ones that are more resistent. I used those

[Cheebs]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10770696#post10770696 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by asm481
Back up here. Foam between a glass tank and stand? If it is glass with the blastic frame you are not to have foam under it. Support only the frame. the frame may compress the edge of the foam and put pressure on the bottom glas which will crack it.

As far as level....get it level now. overflows will work better and you will like it better.

Are yous ure? I've been told by many others with experience that I should have a foam board between my tank and metal stand. I've seen 3 other big tanks like mine or bigger, and 2 of them have had foam under them for years. Any second opinions?

Cheebs.

[triggerfreak]

Foam only under acrylic tanks not under glass.If you have seen people with foam under there glass tanks than that is just a disaster waiting to happen.<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10773864#post10773864 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Cheebs
Are yous ure? I've been told by many others with experience that I should have a foam board between my tank and metal stand. I've seen 3 other big tanks like mine or bigger, and 2 of them have had foam under them for years. Any second opinions?

Cheebs.

[bthomas]

Foam should only go under acrylic tanks, not glass.

[Shaun120]

Take the time to shim it. Most tanks even ones that are shimed level properly at initial setup will still require additional leveling after water has been added and had a chance to settle (like if placed on carpet or wood framing).

nyvp has his (awesome) tank on a stone top of some kind (sorry can't remember what type). It is critical that he has his perfectly flat due to the fact that his large tank would probably crack the top if it wasn't. Besides the fact he is a little OCD with his setup ;)

I do have to say something on the foam issue...

IMO, whether to use foam or not is dependant on the type of tank you have (glass/acrylic). Some tank manufacturers use plastic framing to only protect the edge of the glass which if damaged can cause cracks. Other tank makers like Oceanic have a substantual frame which floats the bottom plane of glass. Probably not a good idea to use foam in that case.

However, especially with larger tanks, the use of foam prevents stress from pressure points in the stand or from settling that usually occurs over time. Getting a large plane perfectly level and not torqed in any way is challenging. Foam adds a little insurance against this type of stand issue. It is not for leveling of a stand or the tank on it.

I have NEVER heard of any tank failing due to having foam under it. Unless some clown was using some kind of latex foam or something stupid like that, I don't know how foam would beat glass in any kind of matchup unless it was a crappy tank to begin with. High density extruded foam is what is normally used. I have friends with several large tanks (one that is 700gal) that all have foam underneath them, including my own. Some have been up and running for over 12years. If a tank failed, I wouldn't be blaming the foam but looking at the stand it was on.

As for putting foam under smaller tanks (<=120gal) I think your wasting your money.