Help Tank Unlevel

So I need so input on my new 75 gallon tank; it is on hardwood floors on the main floor.
This is my stand...


My tank is now filled and cycled with sand and plants in it. I don't think that shimming is possible with the stand that came with my tank. What should I do? is it safe to leave it like this? Is the bubble on the level that bad?

Also, my 36 gallon upstairs was unlevel and took about a year to "settle in". Does this happen with new tanks?

 

I wouldn't worry about being out of level that little bit.

 

I wouldn't worry about being out of level that little bit.

thanks for the reply, I really appreciate it

 

You are welcome

 

What is settling in is your house. You're putting 100 pounds per square foot on the floor that's probably designed for 50 lb per square foot continuous load (in addition to the ordinary live load).

It all depends on what kind of building you're in, but few of them are designed with aquariums in mind.

Is it possible to shore up the floor from below?

 

What is settling in is your house. You're putting 100 pounds per square foot on the floor that's probably designed for 50 lb per square foot continuous load (in addition to the ordinary live load).

It all depends on what kind of building you're in, but few of them are designed with aquariums in mind.

Is it possible to shore up the floor from below?

My house is fairly new being built in 1993. The fish tank is on the main floor and from what I know is perpendicular to the floor joints. It isn;t really a possibility to shore it up from below.

 

Why do you believe it is impossible to shI'm or level the stand?

Nobody can really tell anything about your house from here.
If in doubt about that floor, well I was in structural engineering over 20 years, so my advice would be to find a local engineer.
I all you want is a professional opinion, verbally, it should be affordable.

Plans, calculations and reports can all get very expensive.

 

Why do you believe it is impossible to shI'm or level the stand?

Nobody can really tell anything about your house from here.
If in doubt about that floor, well I was in structural engineering over 20 years, so my advice would be to find a local engineer.
I all you want is a professional opinion, verbally, it should be affordable.

Plans, calculations and reports can all get very expensive.

The reason why is because this isn't your typical aquarium stand. it is supported by 6 legs instead of flat against the floor. How would I shI'm it? like just under one leg? wouldn't that make the tank unbalanced and wobble?

I guess my overall question was is it okay to leave it how it is? I don't think that the bubble on the level is that bad

 

Well I wouldn't accept it, but then I could fix it. Clearly your situation is different.
The tank will be OK.
My question is what is it doing to the floor?

 

All of my tanks sit up level due to my house being built by people that didn't understand what plumb is. I have exactly one tank that sits level enough that the water is flat from side to side, the other 13 all have a water level that is higher on one side than the other. I would not worry about shimming it as long as your tank sits level on your stand it is not causing the tank stress (the trim needs to sit flat on the stand, only if that isn't happening is when I would be worried).

 

All of my tanks sit up level due to my house being built by people that didn't understand what plumb is. I have exactly one tank that sits level enough that the water is flat from side to side, the other 13 all have a water level that is higher on one side than the other. I would not worry about shimming it as long as your tank sits level on your stand it is not causing the tank stress (the trim needs to sit flat on the stand, only if that isn't happening is when I would be worried).

Thanks so much! this helped alot, my tank sits fully even on the tank stand is supported from all four corners.

 

Thanks so much! this helped alot, my tank sits fully even on the tank stand is supported from all four corners.

I have two larger tanks that have almost a half inch from one side to the other in water line difference - they are doing fine and even the cat can jump on them without hurting anything (she likes to sit on the lights so I have to be careful about cleaning them off).

 

I have two larger tanks that have almost a half inch from one side to the other in water line difference - they are doing fine and even the cat can jump on them without hurting anything (she likes to sit on the lights so I have to be careful about cleaning them off).

Thanks so much for the response! I am glad to hear that I am not alone on this! how large are your tanks? Sometimes I wonder if it is the uneven black rI'm that makes the water level look off...

 

Thanks so much for the response! I am glad to hear that I am not alone on this! how large are your tanks? Sometimes I wonder if it is the uneven black rI'm that makes the water level look off...

That is a 45 and a 37. The 60 that is going up to replace the 45 (long story short the 45 is causing issues with it being on the second floor), sometimes the trim can be off, but for the most part line of sight is pretty accurate.

 

The trim is normally within 1/16" on these tanks so it's a pretty good way to evaluate the level of the water vs tank.

Here's the thing about this whole business of leveling.

You can put a tank way out of level and fill it up all the way if it's on a nice solid surface.

It's not going to explode suddenly under normal circumstances but you have reduced the Safety Factor.

This means it will be easier to damage.

But the most important thing is how well the bottom four edges of the tank are supported. If they don't have firm even support all the way around that puts a lot of stress on your tank.

I've seen long tanks that were only sitting on the two ends, and those two ends were out of level enough that the tank had a visible twist along its length. Since the tank bows out slightly at different points when you fill it, The Twist adds to the stress in some places and subtracts at others, in a very complicated way that creates a highly uneven loading of the glass panels.

This ruins your safety Factor.

Such a tank could explode from a hard bump or a rapid change in temperature.

 

Ya know...I don't think an out of level tank reduces the safety factor. Water in a vessel exerts pressure in all directions. The max pressure outward is when the tank if filled to the top. But of a tank is out of level, you cannot fill it to the top since the water would pour out over the low side.

 

My 55 isn't level. It is about 3/16 of an inch lower on one end. I am sure that is caused by my floor because the cabinet it sits on is strong and level. I would prefer the tank be perfectly level but try as we did it didn't turn out that way. As long as the tank is sitting on a perfectly flat surface I don't foresee a problem with it not being perfectly level.

 

Ya know...I don't think an out of level tank reduces the safety factor. Water in a vessel exerts pressure in all directions. The max pressure outward is when the tank if filled to the top. But of a tank is out of level, you cannot fill it to the top since the water would pour out over the low side.

You have a good point. A tank that is grossly out of level has a smaller capacity. How much smaller depends on the geometry of the tank.

A really shallow tank could pour out half its water. Shallow tanks of course are never a problem.

It's when you have an unlevel tank with uneven support that you cause really big stresses

 

Ya know...I don't think an out of level tank reduces the safety factor. Water in a vessel exerts pressure in all directions. The max pressure outward is when the tank if filled to the top. But of a tank is out of level, you cannot fill it to the top since the water would pour out over the low side.

thanks so much for your reply, this helped a lot. there are so many differing opinions out there that it gets kind of confusing... lol