Level Tanks And Stands

Hey all,

So I've been working on setting up a new 20 gallon (my biggest tank to date), and I've been having some trouble with stands and keeping the tank level. I initially ordered a cheap stand off of Amazon, which I decided wasn't sturdy enough and I couldn't get the tank level, and opted to just use it as a table instead. Then I went about making my own stand out of 2 cinderblocks and some plywood. I checked to make sure it was level (it was within 1 degree in all directions) and went about filling it up. This is on carpet, so I expected a little movement, but it seemed pretty good as far as I could tell. Over the past ~week I've been working on aquascaping and cycling the tank with the water at about half full. Didn't notice any problems, and went to fill it up all the way in anticipation to go get fish tomorrow.

So today, I noticed that the water level isn't matching up with the rI'm on my tank. It's a standard 20 gallon high, and the water level is off by ~1/8" from corner to corner.

Well, that led me to check the levels on my 10 gallon and 5.5g (one has been going for 5 months, the other for 1 month) that are sharing a desk. Those are pretty **** uneven too, and I noticed some silicone bumps on the outside of one of the corners on the 10 gallon (honestly don't remember if they were there when I bought it). Being relatively new to all this, I really don't know what to do.

Help?

 

That really isn't that much to be concerned with, especially with your tank only being 20 gallons. Use a level to make sure.
If it's bothering you to the point you are really worried, all you got to do is go to a hardware store and get some shims and place them under the stand..not the tank.

 

OK great, thanks BluMan. Gives me a little peace of mind. I've been reading more during the past hour (it's been a stressful afternoon getting this figured out) and it seems lots of people have this problem/have uneven tanks without problems. I think I'll leave the 20 gallon as is, and add a shI'm if it continues to give me grief.

What I'm most concerned about now is my 10 gallon honestly. The bumps go pretty much the length of the seam, and are all pretty uniform and small. Inside silicone is smooth, and I haven't had a leak (fingers crossed). Should this be a concern?

 

Since it's only 10g, and it's only been 5 months, I'd be surprised if the seam was beginning to go, but I can't find anything that looks like this online, so I have no idea if it's a problem or not... help?

 

Could you take a picture of it and show us? Is it possible it's just excess silicone that squeezed out when the tank was manufactured? If that's the case, then there shouldn't be a problem.

 

With the 10, every once in awhile just get a napkin or a toilet paper to check for leaks.

Does the silicone rub off easy, is it brittle, is it dry, cracked, or have pieces missing? If yes to any of these questions, it's possible there could be a problem in the future.

 

Here's the seam... and just ran a paper towel over all the seams and they're dry.


I also noticed that other seams have flaws in the silicone job... lumps of material on the outside of the seam. I'm only really worried about this one because I believe it's caring more of the weight of the water right now (even if it is only a little bit).

BluMan1914 no troubles along those lines, all the silicone is hard/rubbery and solid. The bumps are just odd...

 

From the picture it looks ok to me. It could just be how the silicone was applied and dried. Since its already been running for 5 months, in my opinion it's good to go. Just keep an eye on it for the next month or two.