Help, tank has unleveled

[Squishie89]

Starting acutely about 2ish months ago, the water on the left end of the tank has been getting higher. It has been slowly rising. It is now almost to the point of going over the top of the overflow. And it is not a flow issue because when all the pumps are off it is still lopsided.
Putting a level on the tank, it is not perfectly level. And it was only just a hair not level when I put this set up together. 
I have attached a ton of pictures showing what is going on. 
Please help. I know I may need to have a structural engineer out, but trying to avoid that at all possible. 

[Myst3ry_sea]

 Possibly level issue, simple add some shim under your stand should fix this issue. It's good that you caught it out, leaving this long term can have some bad effect on the silicon that holding the glass together (potential leak).

[Squishie89]

1 hour ago, Myst3ry_sea said:

 Possibly level issue, simple add some shim under your stand should fix this issue. It's good that you caught it out, leaving this long term can have some bad effect on the silicon that holding the glass together (potential leak).

So, forgot to mention. There is already 2 shims. And they're both 100% under the stand. So not like I can push them further in to try and fix it. 

[DaJMasta]

What is the floor it's on?  You mention a structural engineer, so I suppose it's over an open space and not just on a slab.

 

 

If it is actually floor warping, you can probably take a long straight edge and be able to see the bowing of the floor, and if it's that, looking to reinforce the floor is probably the right tact.  If you're directly above a basement or similar, there may actually be potential for using a post or something, but I imagine if it comes to reinforcing the floor, the only way to get it level would be to move the tank and fix it, cause I assume any reinforcement done with the tank in place would be only stopping further bending, which would leave the same problem in the water level.

If you can't detect any bowing in the floor, then maybe the stand is warping?  Probably cheaper to fix, but maybe also annoying!

[Squishie89]

58 minutes ago, DaJMasta said:

What is the floor it's on?  You mention a structural engineer, so I suppose it's over an open space and not just on a slab.

 

 

If it is actually floor warping, you can probably take a long straight edge and be able to see the bowing of the floor, and if it's that, looking to reinforce the floor is probably the right tact.  If you're directly above a basement or similar, there may actually be potential for using a post or something, but I imagine if it comes to reinforcing the floor, the only way to get it level would be to move the tank and fix it, cause I assume any reinforcement done with the tank in place would be only stopping further bending, which would leave the same problem in the water level.

If you can't detect any bowing in the floor, then maybe the stand is warping?  Probably cheaper to fix, but maybe also annoying!

Correct, not on a basement level/slab. It is placed against an exterior wall. 

 

We just used the level on the floor. It seems the front left corner is where the dip happens, as the level swings towards the right to the right and towards the left when going left. 

 

I just can't believe this. After years of getting this tank up and going, and this happens. I'm just crushed right now

[howaboutme]

It's important to distinguish structural integrity of your floor versus your floor being unlevel. Floors being unlevel is pretty normal as construction tolerances in residential is, well, loose. If you think your floor is safe (quite likely as it takes a lot to make it fail) then leveling via other means is the best way.

[DaJMasta]

Definitely true, some amount of sag is probably fine, but the speed at which it changed is enough that I would definitely look into it.  There is some possibility it's just 'settling' as homes do, and if it stops moving then shimming (maybe with thicker pieces) would still probably be sufficient, but if it keeps on sagging it is definitely worth investigating.

If the ceiling of the level below is accessible, you can try to inspect the joists for any obvious problems, but I expect any diagnosis or remediation would involve a professional at least in some capacity.

[howaboutme]

1 hour ago, DaJMasta said:

Definitely true, some amount of sag is probably fine, but the speed at which it changed is enough that I would definitely look into it.  There is some possibility it's just 'settling' as homes do, and if it stops moving then shimming (maybe with thicker pieces) would still probably be sufficient, but if it keeps on sagging it is definitely worth investigating.

If the ceiling of the level below is accessible, you can try to inspect the joists for any obvious problems, but I expect any diagnosis or remediation would involve a professional at least in some capacity.

 

Ah yes, I completely glossed over that this is happening in a short period of time. All good points.

[Origami]

Jessica, what sort of flooring are you on? Carpet, tile, wood? Can you set the level on the floor and get an accurate reading there? How about a reading on a "flat spot near the bottom of the stand and near the top of the stand? I'm assuming that this is a glass tank sitting on a solid surface, and not acrylic sitting on a foam pad of some sort? We're trying to determine where the unevenness is coming from.

 

Do you have any access to the floor below and, if so, do you see any evidence of uneven settling under area where the tank is situated?

 

If you flip the level around 180 degrees, do you get the same reading (in the same direction)?

[Squishie89]

On 3/30/2021 at 9:55 PM, Origami said:

Jessica, what sort of flooring are you on? Carpet, tile, wood? Can you set the level on the floor and get an accurate reading there? How about a reading on a "flat spot near the bottom of the stand and near the top of the stand? I'm assuming that this is a glass tank sitting on a solid surface, and not acrylic sitting on a foam pad of some sort? We're trying to determine where the unevenness is coming from.

 

Do you have any access to the floor below and, if so, do you see any evidence of uneven settling under area where the tank is situated?

 

If you flip the level around 180 degrees, do you get the same reading (in the same direction)?

So it wood, with a runner and then a piece of cement board under the tank. It is a glass tank, no foam, directly on a wood stand made by marineland. 

We cannot access the floor from below without cutting into the ceiling in the basement. 

 

We did take the level on a tour of infront of the tank. It is definitely the left front corner where the main issue is, and going to the right is all at a slope until a couple feet from the tank.