How level does a tank have to be ? I just finished the plumbing on my tank - just waiting for the solvent to glue - and want to water test it tomorrow but the tank and stand are not perfectly level. On the bubble level, the bubble is within the marks but slightly more to one mark. This goes for both sides ( front to back ) of the tank but its not exactly to the same degree on each side. I tried moving the stand a little in each direction ( its a basement floor so concrete foundation, no carpet or anything ) without success. I bought a pack of shims but I think they might be too much plus I dont know how smart it is to have one shim under all that weight. The tank is a 65 gallon AGA and the stand is pretty solid.
How level does a tank have to be ?
- Thread starter jejton
- Start date
- Location
- Rockaway Park
thats a good question. however, i've kept a 75, 55, 54 corner and now a 40 breeder on my uneven floor in my room and never had problems with the uneven water level in the tank...
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
It should be very level. The bubble being in between the lines and the bubble being in the center could be almost a 1/2" difference in water heights on each end of the tank. It would also unnecessarilly stress the glass if it is not level.
If the stand is metal I would use metal shims. On my tank I use galvanised Electrical blank covers. (I am an electrician) They are called 1900 blank covers and are less than a buck in a hardware store or Home Depot. They have been under my tank for over 30 years. Only use galvanized metal as these covers are. If you need more than one, I would put grease between them.
Paul
If the stand is metal I would use metal shims. On my tank I use galvanised Electrical blank covers. (I am an electrician) They are called 1900 blank covers and are less than a buck in a hardware store or Home Depot. They have been under my tank for over 30 years. Only use galvanized metal as these covers are. If you need more than one, I would put grease between them.
Paul
water level
i would say it could be off a little bit, but very little. i had a 55 gallon that was off by let's say an inch from one end of the tank to the other, and it eventually started leaking at the seal on top. for my current tank, i levled it as good as i could, but still of by a couple of centimeters and it's fine.
i would say it could be off a little bit, but very little. i had a 55 gallon that was off by let's say an inch from one end of the tank to the other, and it eventually started leaking at the seal on top. for my current tank, i levled it as good as i could, but still of by a couple of centimeters and it's fine.
- Location
- Marine Park
That's the key, the less level it is the quicker it will fail. Way back when I've had new tanks fail in less than 6 months. Maybe it was built wrong, maybe it was because it wasn't level there's no way to tell. I would take the time and spend the $1 to make it perfectly level.
OK, first I will have to say that this subject is tricky. You can actually add more stress to the tank by trying to shim it just to get the water line level.
If the floor is uneven (even slope) & the tank sits flat on the floor, this is fine. As long as there are no inconsistancies in the floor, i.e. one corner higher than another.
You need to inspect how the stand sits on the floor in relation to the tank being uneven, rather than worry about the water line.
If the floor is uneven (even slope) & the tank sits flat on the floor, this is fine. As long as there are no inconsistancies in the floor, i.e. one corner higher than another.
You need to inspect how the stand sits on the floor in relation to the tank being uneven, rather than worry about the water line.
- Location
- Greenpoint Brooklyn, NY
Actually when u shim your supposed to not just shim one corner but along the sides that are raised from whatever you shimmed it also. You also want to shim the bottom of the cabinet off the floor and not the tank that is sitting on the cabinet. And if you are shimming the tank only you want to build up the spots that are raised to provide even up force pressure around the empty spots between surface and tank. Only place i see where u should be able to shim just the corners is if the stand had legs, or is built where it creates an I beam affect. And wood shims are the best because they will compress to some degree to help further even out the stress of your shimming. But if your doing it right PaulB's way works too.
If done right there is no way you should be adding more stress by shimming, and if you do think your doing so then your shimming wrong.
The tank for the most part should be level. Any uneven weight distribution will cause stress on the seams and glass. On a 120+ gallon tank a half inch or more off on 4 feet of tank can shift up to 50-200 lbs on one side of the tank than the other. Also if you don't like to use the air bubble levels then just fill your tank up with water to the bottom of the plastic moulding on the bottom of the tank. Its usually raised up 1/2 inch or more and level within 1/16. take out a tape measure, mark off level spots around the tank and use that for reference.
Just because you say you had one tank set up uneven and it never gave u problems doesn't mean you ruled it out and you don;t need to level it out. If you set up 100 tanks uneven in a room i guarantee you 25% will fail or leak eventually if not more.
Should I ask my question on a whole nother thread? I'm not trying to hijack your thread jejtom!!
I would just like to know, because my tank was set up without being level, and you guys have reweaken that nightmare.lol- Location
- Greenpoint Brooklyn, NY
You can;t shim a full tank jet. The bottom moulding i have used when i found out my level was off and i couldn;t get another that was spot on. made some marks 1/4 inch above it and leveled it off that way but also checked to see if the mouldings were even and level compared to the rest of the tank. Takes some geometry and math =0)
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
You put the level on a relatively flat surface and check the bubble. Then you turn the level around, end for end and check it again. If it reads different, it is off and should be discarded. (electrician 40 years)
I would make that tank very level, bubble in the center of the lines. It does not cost anything to level a tank. My level tank which was leveled the way I stated has been full of water for almost 40 years with no leaks. It is a home made stand on concrete. I have galvanized plates under the legs to level it.
Should I ask my question on a whole nother thread? I'm not trying to hijack your thread jejtom!!
When I had my 125 unlevel by almost 3/4 of an inch i freaked out and shimmed it up at 3 in the morning. I believe master swimmer told be if its only like 1/16th of an inch dont freak out. I may be miss quoting him but he said as long as it isnt too much, likw 1/8th I wouldnt freak. If it was like a 1/4 plus and a large tank Id empty water, rock etc in to large tubs and shim it all along the sides and make sure you dont make it unlevel from front to back with shimming.
The shimming is easy just the water and rock a pani, but a good oppertunity to clean up detritus and do some serious aquascape
jejton, take a tape measure and measure from top of the tank on furthest right side to the top of the water, then do the other side. The difference is off level you are. This will give us a quanitative guage because its tough to describe the bubble
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
