Tank stand woes

[KathyC]

I thought he was gonna put them in between the tank and stand. And his post said the tank is longer than the stand. So still there is no support for the outer edges. And yes you would need to use some floor level cement. And 2x4's can warp on a basement floor as well. Just my opinion from experience. If you don't trust my experience on foundations then stay away from The new Yankees, Giants and new Citifiled for the Mets. As well as the new Freedom Towers. As I did the foundation for all 4. Not to mention numerous lower profile buildings throughout the city. And he new Intrepid Pier. As for that tank above WOW that takes some balls, those boards are laying on the weakest side.

No he did not, which is why I answered the way I did.

His issue is the HEIGHT of the stand is lower than he ( & the Mrs.) would like.

What I offered is quite reasonable and doable.
Obviously he needs to level the whole sha-bang, as you need to do with any tank. If the floor is that far off, he obviously can & should address that first.

Cowfish - if you do use the Quiklevel - be sure to follow the direction to the letter and be certain it is fully cured before you install the tank.

Thanks Russ...:sigh:

 

[cali_reef]

I used 3 - 4 X 4 laid front to back under the legs of the iron stand my 120 is on now to add some height to the tank. We did this last summer. So far so good, also neither of my 2 tanks are level due to my 98 year old house is out of whack, and neither stand was leveled during installation. So far it's been 3 years for the 155 bow, and approximately 2 years for the 120.:bigeyes2:

You guys are scaring me...

The tank don't necessary have to be level, it would look kinda funky if it's off too much.

The bottom rim of the glass tank and the full bottom of acrylic tanks need to sit flush to the supporting stand, and the stand needs to be solid and not move. Best way to do this is (if you don't or can't level the floor) to shim the stand with lots of shims (use plastic ones on the floor) and use a sheet of 1/2" insulation foam between the tank and the stand. The point I am making lol2 is you want to evenly distribute the weight of the entire tank over as much stand structure surface area as possible.

 

[Awibrandy]

The tank don't necessary have to be level, it would look kinda funky if it's off too much.

The bottom rim of the glass tank and the full bottom of acrylic tanks need to sit flush to the supporting stand, and the stand needs to be solid and not move. Best way to do this is (if you don't or can't level the floor) to shim the stand with lots of shims (use plastic ones on the floor) and use a sheet of 1/2" insulation foam between the tank and the stand. The point I am making lol2 is you want to evenly distribute the weight of the entire tank over as much stand structure surface area as possible.

Thanks Pierce!!!!! That's a relief.:flower:
Both tanks sit squrely on their stands. For the most parts it is not that obvious since I do keep the water level on my tanks just above the bottom edge of the frame.
The 155 is off by about 1/2", this can be seen when you look at the water level by the overflows. The water is much higher on the right one.
On the 120 the level is off front to back by about 1/4". Neither is really noticeable until I sit and look up at the edges, and I would not care as long as I know the tanks are not going to burst open one day.:meow:

If, and when new stands are made for them I will certainly look for the plastic shims to be sure to level them.

 

[cali_reef]

The biggest enemy to a tank cracking is being un level. The corners of the tank will not be supported at all. Laying 2x4's on the flat side is also the weakest part of a 2x4. An 8' foot 2x4 standing straight can hold 600lbs before breaking on the 2" side almost 900lbs and then comes the 4" side which holds about what 50 lbs before it sags. Also that is the side as where it would warp. And a tank stand is bulit to match the bottom perfect for a reason. What would be supporting the tank on the outeredges? Nothing just overhanging 2x4's that would sag and do nothing for the tank. Trust me I have been in the foundation buisness for 12 years and the reef hobby for 16.

Just try to make my point in the last post :thrash: (I am all about making "points" today :wink1.

Yes, 50 lbs on a 8' long pine 2x4 will most likely snap it in the middle. When the length is reduced, the fulcrum of the 2x4 has changed and it will take more to snap it. I am sure you have bend 1/2" rebars when they are 10-12 feet long, cut that down to 12" and you probably can't do the same (unless you can bench something like 400+).

That 180G tank should weight close to 1,500 lbs and it's resting on three (maybe 4) 2x4 or 2x3's, it didn't break as far as I know but not a very smart thing to do for sure.

 

[masterswimmer]

No he did not, which is why I answered the way I did.

His issue is the HEIGHT of the stand is lower than he ( & the Mrs.) would like.

What I offered is quite reasonable and doable.
Obviously he needs to level the whole sha-bang, as you need to do with any tank. If the floor is that far off, he obviously can & should address that first.

Cowfish - if you do use the Quiklevel - be sure to follow the direction to the letter and be certain it is fully cured before you install the tank.

Thanks Russ...:sigh:

Hey Kathy, my response remains the same to your answer. Good job.

Awilda, I understand that your tanks have been fine for three years. However, 1/2" out of level in the span of 6' is too much (even over the span of 8'). Again, I know three years makes you feel secure, but I'm not comfortable with the stand/tank situation. I don't want to make you scared, but better to be safe than sorry.

Cowfish, If you have the tools you can 'shave' the 2x4 so that it levels the stand from the base without shims. The 2x4's themselves actually become the shims as well as add the additional height to achieve the elevation you and the Mrs are looking for.

Russ

 

[jaa1456]

I read the post quickly and thought it said shorter than the tank. Either way the floor still needs to be level. And I would still use a piece of 3/4" plywood across the top of them anyways. And NO I do not know where Hoffa is LOL