Things I've learned in the process of preparing my first aquarium.

[L98-Z]

There are probably alot more, but these stood out the most.



-One way check valves are important.

-You can never have too many ball/gate valves. The more water you can control, the better.

-When gluing PVC, more is better. Especially if that PVC pipe will be nearly impossible to reach later down the road.

-Anytime something has to seal to glass, there is a chance for leaking.

-Buying a power pump sounds good, but much like as seen in Home Improvement, does not always work out as great as you had imagined.

-Buying a large expensive skimmer that you have no idea how it works, may not be the best choice for the beginner.

-Most importantly, ensure that your aquarium is level before placing a very large amount of sand and water into it.


I'm 4-5 months at least now working on this aquarium. My time playing with it is a bit limited due to work/school, but I've tried to make some type of progress every weekend.

My biggest issue is that the aquarium is not level. One overflow will fill up, and the other overflow is wishing it could obtain more water. Even if the tank had no sand or water in it, it would be difficult to lift it in some manner to fix this. I'm a bit confused on how to solve this one.

[bj32482]

with a 180, you need to fix that now!!!
the tank must be level or you could crack it...

[poppin_fresh]

How out of level is it? Even when mine was level, I still had a hard time getting both overflows to work properly.


While I will agree that being unlevel is a pain, I dont think that it will actually cause the tank to fail. Unless its extreme!

[L98-Z]

Originally posted by bj32482
with a 180, you need to fix that now!!!
the tank must be level or you could crack it...

Interesting. That could be very bad.

How does that work?

[L98-Z]

Originally posted by poppin_fresh
How out of level is it? Even when mine was level, I still had a hard time getting both overflows to work properly.


While I will agree that being unlevel is a pain, I dont think that it will actually cause the tank to fail. Unless its extreme!

I'd guess 1/8th to 1/4th of an inch.

What causes so many issues with the overflows? I mean, yours being level but still failing to work properly?

[poppin_fresh]

not an overflow issue, just that its hard to get them at the exact same level. I have the AGA Megaflow kits and they are hard to be precise with. As long as water flows from each there fine.

I wouldn't sweat 1/8 of an inch too much...you'll still grow old and bored with the hobby before the tank fails from that.

[Macimage]

I wouldn't worry about 1/8" or less. If it's more, you may want to empty and shim the stand.

Also, you may want to consider plumbing without using check valves. It's not a matter of if they'll fail, but a matter of when! Usually you'll be out of town on vacation and some snail or piece of algae will clog it or the calcium deposits will not allow it to work correctly.

Joyce

[BrokeColoReefer]

I can shim my stand with tank on top and full of water, but its MUCH easier to level empty. Use plastic shims, and put them every 6 inches or so on the side your leveling. Make sure your level front to back and left to right, I tank that is unlevel both directions can twist and cause seams to fail. If it where me i would put 1/4" foam between the stand and the tank.

[Macimage]

I've read not to put foam between your stand and tank, especially if it's a glass tank.

Joyce

[BrokeColoReefer]

Joyce, correct, both opinions stand on that subject. I chose to foam my tanks, but all my stuff is acrylic. I dont see what it can hurt, and i do see how it can help the tank "self level" to a point. Glass tanks bear the load on the edges of the aquarium, acrylic bears over the entire bottem, given the total difference between the two systems, i still think foam is a good idea.

[craab]

use shims to bring the one end up.

[Macimage]

broke-Thanks for the additional info. That makes sense.

Joyce