Tank/Stand Leveling

[rsaavedra]

Can I use some shims from HD/Lowes? Are shims a good idea/solution? I heard some where to level the stand & not the tank on the stand? Can anyone tell me the reason why? The tank is a 90G 48X18 with AGA wooden pine stand.Help me out.

[kngfisher]

I used shims for my 90 gal acrlic. worked great. I did have to double-up the shims but tank is level.

[rrubberbandman]

raf,

i guess it like building a house ...make sure the first layer of bricks are level and the house will be level in the end.

Bryan

[davelin315]

Tanks, both glass and acrylic, require that they be on a level surface so as to not put added stress and pressure on the seams. A glass tank bears the weight of the tank and contents on the edges while an acrylic tank bears the weight evenly across the bottom. Since the seams are all connected with a level surface in mind, if you do not have a level surface you will have pulling at the seams, creating pressure for the tank to theoretically rip itself apart at the weakest place - the seams.

 

Theoretically, a stand should be level which is why many people will put styrofoam beneath a larger tank to help more evenly distribute the weight of the tank and contents. If you shim the tank itself, you will inevitably leave gaps here and there and distribute the weight unevenly. Think of it like being on thin ice. If you distribute your weight as evenly as possible by lying down then you are much less likely to crack it. If you are standing up with your legs spread apart you are still distributing the weight between two points and the further they are apart, the less stress and pressure there is on the ice. If you stand with your legs together and all of your weight is concentrated in one place, you are likely to crack the ice and fall through. This is like shimming the tank instead of the stand, you will distribute the weight, but it will not be as evenly distributed and instead will create smaller loads at uneven points.

 

Now, if you shim the stand itself, you will still have a level surface on which your tank rests and the weight will be evenly distributed across the wood itself, versus being on the shims. Shims, by the way, will compress to a certain extent, but not significantly.

 

Oh, and the reason some stands are made of softer wood, at least in my opinion, is that they will help to distribute the load more evenly. Wood such as pine, which you can sink your nail into with very little effort, will help to maintain an even surface below the tank.

[rsaavedra]

Tanks, both glass and acrylic, require that they be on a level surface so as to not put added stress and pressure on the seams. A glass tank bears the weight of the tank and contents on the edges while an acrylic tank bears the weight evenly across the bottom. Since the seams are all connected with a level surface in mind, if you do not have a level surface you will have pulling at the seams, creating pressure for the tank to theoretically rip itself apart at the weakest place - the seams.

 

Theoretically, a stand should be level which is why many people will put styrofoam beneath a larger tank to help more evenly distribute the weight of the tank and contents. If you shim the tank itself, you will inevitably leave gaps here and there and distribute the weight unevenly. Think of it like being on thin ice. If you distribute your weight as evenly as possible by lying down then you are much less likely to crack it. If you are standing up with your legs spread apart you are still distributing the weight between two points and the further they are apart, the less stress and pressure there is on the ice. If you stand with your legs together and all of your weight is concentrated in one place, you are likely to crack the ice and fall through. This is like shimming the tank instead of the stand, you will distribute the weight, but it will not be as evenly distributed and instead will create smaller loads at uneven points.

 

Now, if you shim the stand itself, you will still have a level surface on which your tank rests and the weight will be evenly distributed across the wood itself, versus being on the shims. Shims, by the way, will compress to a certain extent, but not significantly.

 

Oh, and the reason some stands are made of softer wood, at least in my opinion, is that they will help to distribute the load more evenly. Wood such as pine, which you can sink your nail into with very little effort, will help to maintain an even surface below the tank.

 

Thanks Dave, great explanation. I won't shim the tank, but I'll shim just the stand.

[YBeNormal]

3/4" is a lot of shimming! Is the stand that far off or is it due to the floor being uneven? Depending on the cause of the issue and how the stand is designed, I might be able to make a plywood plate to insert below or on top of the stand that would compensate for the differences and provide a true and sturdy platform.

[rsaavedra]

3/4" is a lot of shimming! Is the stand that far off or is it due to the floor being uneven? Depending on the cause of the issue and how the stand is designed, I might be able to make a plywood plate to insert below or on top of the stand that would compensate for the differences and provide a true and sturdy platform.

 

Stand is level all the way around, is the floor that is uneven. Not certain if it is all the way to 3/4", I am almost certain that it will be almost that much.

[YBeNormal]

 

Stand is level all the way around, is the floor that is uneven. Not certain if it is all the way to 3/4", I am almost certain that it will be almost that much.

 

Levelling compound would be best but there other options, incuding the plywood plate that I mentioned in my previous post. I'll give you a call tomorrow.

 

~Bob

[ErikS]

As mentioned shim the stand, one additional tip - shim under the entire stand. In other words don't just place the shims under one end to get it level. Use shims along the entire length of the stand.

[davelin315]

Is the tank filled already or is it in the process? If it's not filled yet I would go with the leveling compound first. Like Erik said, you will want to shim all the way around (same idea as not shimming under the tank because of stress points you'll create and with wood, it'll eventually warp and/or compress a bit to compensate for that), but the easiest way to level it is use the leveling compound. It's basically a dry mix (mortar) and you add water, pour it in, and it levels itself. You could also get away with a thin set, something just enough to make sure that the tank is level versus a thick set which is what you do under marble floors. Another analogy. If you look at a marble tiled floor, if the tiles are cracked, it's because the floor is either not level or has too much give to it - such as a marble floor laid on a plywood base. You would use a floor leveling compound and set it about 1 to 1.5" thick in order to prevent this from being an issue as it will give it a firm base that won't bend and it will also give it a completely level base as well. In my upstairs bathroom I'm about to do this because I'm installing marble tiles (OK, it's another one of those projects that will take a couple of years - I've already had the tile for 2!). I'll only be able to do a 3/4" one on my floor which will still be asking for trouble, but it's better than nothing. The difference is that your tank is more or less a static load, it's not moving around necessarily and shifting weight from one side to the other as much as someone walking around. Granted, it's much heavier than a person is, but it also won't give your flooring a pounding like a person walking would. There's no plant point, it's simply there distributing weight evenly and constantly across the floor, so you could go with a much thinner set (make sure that you have something over the entire length, though, otherwise it will crack around the edges).