Similar tank leak, twice! ??

HI there. I've had a 55 gallon tank for a few years now, no issues. About 3 months ago the tank started leaking out of the blue. A super slow leak near the bottom somewhere along a seam. Couldn't see exactly where the leak was, just saw the water seeping out from the plastic around the bottom. I've never had this happen before with any tanks I've ever owned, so figured it was just bad luck. We got a new tank and transferred everything over, all good..

..Til today. The exact same thing happened again with the new tank. Slow leak, water coming from the bottom.

Twice in 3 months can't just be a coincidence, right? The only thing I could think of was the tank wasn't sitting completely level. It was close to level, but when full the water was about a half an inch from the top at the bank of the tank. We have the tank sitting on a slab of wood on a (fake) hardwood floor in our apartment. The building/floor is obviously not perfectly level, so before setting up this 2nd replacement tank tonight I shimmed up the wood the tank is on in the front and now it looks just about perfectly level.

I can't really imagine the level being off by such a small amount causing a leak to spring, but I don't know what else it could be. I really don't want this to happen again! Any info would be appreciated.

If it helps any the first tank was by Aqua Culture and the second tank was Aqueon.

 

If it was not level by half an inch that's probably the cause.

 

You're scaring me!!! None of my tanks are level and the one that terrifies me is the 75g. They're all off by a little less than 1/4 inch in various directions. Slab foundation poured by the Three Stooges, I guess. How 'off' was your level....? ps.... I don't speak math or geometry or anything beyond basic arithmetic!!!

 

Also make sure you're not using foam or anything underneath it to keep it level that can touch the bottom glass. It can push the bottom panel up and damage the seal. It's only made to take pressure in one direction.

 

Probably the worst way to be out of level is diagonally from corner to corner..that wracks the aquarium on both axes and makes for a worst case scenario.
Most homes are not perfectly level all directions...human error and natural settling always create a discrepency.

 

Probably the worst way to be out of level is diagonally from corner to corner..that wracks the aquarium on both axes and makes for a worst case scenario.
Most homes are not perfectly level all directions...human error and natural settling always create a discrepency.

Oh NO! Ignorance is bliss. Just studied the 75 gallon and swear it's 'off' on all four corners! When you check the level, do you do that with one of those great big long level things? Seriously, I used a two inch level and my eyeball to check the level originally!

 

The most important factor regarding a tank & stand is that all four corners of the tank rest firmly on the stand.

 

The stand being "level" is not as important as being flat. There is some tolerance if the surface is not exactly level, but if it's not flat the tank will skew and twist, causing the seam to fail.

If you had two tanks start leaking in the same manner it's almost certainly the surface is not flat.

I had a similar situation a while back. I've always built my own stands and never had any trouble. Then I built a long stand and used a 1 x 12 piece of lumber for the platform instead of machined shelving pieces. A few days after I set up the tanks, one started leaking, then another, then another. I took the tanks down, and sure enough, the platform was slightly warped, which is all it took. Thank goodness my LFS guy took mercy on me and replaced the tanks, even though I admitted I screwed up.

I replaced with pre-made shelving, and covered the shelving with a piece of a cheap floor rug I got at the home store. Something thin and soft can help even out the inconsistencies. I've also found placemats that were the right size. I turned them over, which is black foam, and that worked well also.

 

Oh NO! Ignorance is bliss. Just studied the 75 gallon and swear it's 'off' on all four corners! When you check the level, do you do that with one of those great big long level things? Seriously, I used a two inch level and my eyeball to check the level originally!

I use a 4 or 6 foot level....a small level like a plumbers level is really pretty useless. If you don't own a longer level someone you know probably has one you can borrow.

You can also make one of these

How To Make A Water Level - DIY Instructions For An Accurate leveling Tool

 

Thanks for the info everyone. As I said originally the tank is on a wood slab (it was a piece of shelving but it's pretty solid) which is on the floor. So it is very flat. It just wasn't completely level from front to back. Seems good diagonally, as far as I can tell. The new tank is now about as level as can be from what I can tell visually with the water line after I shimmed the front up a bit (the shims are under the wood slab of course so the tank is sitting firmly with full contact on the wood). If this leak happens again I am done with fish honestly. I travel a lot and can't risk it happening while I'm gone for a week, or a month!

Speaking of that I have thought of setting up an alarm of some sort, similar to the flood alarm under my sink near my water filtration system. It beeps loudly, which wouldn't help if I was gone, but I'm sure I can get a wifI one that would alert my phone.. ?

 

I use a 4 or 6 foot level....a small level like a plumbers level is really pretty useless. If you don't own a longer level someone you know probably has one you can borrow.

You can also make one of these

How To Make A Water Level - DIY Instructions For An Accurate leveling Tool

That's what I suspected... a big level. I took my Stanley tape measure and measured from under the lip to the water level (lower at the moment). Left side ends are 1/2 inch. Right side ends are 3/4 inch and 5/8 inch. That's not good. That means I'm going to have to almost empty the tank and hire people to come in and level it properly. Sigh.

 

I wouldnt worry that much about a 1/4 inch.
Next time you do a water change stick a 1/4 inch EVA pad from the craft store underneath the side that's lower ( 3/4 and 5/8ths) and see if that doesn't help out.