Is my tank going to explode?

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shayfish

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Sep 2, 2006
Messages
577
Location
Calgary, AB
I have discovered that my 55 gallon is not level. I can't tell if its the table or the floor. I think it might be the table, plus being right up against the wall is causing it to lean towards the wall and my level is too long to investigate much further. I was totally convinced that this table was fully capable of the load (I told everyone who asked that I would park my car on it) but now I am imagining faint creaking noises coming from it.

What should I do??? I am freaking out.

I'm afraid that my table is going to collapse and my tank is going to explode and flood my house, drown/electrocute my cats and get me evicted.

8O
 
The difference in the water level between the front right corner and the back left is 3/4 inch. Its had water in it (not right to the top which is why i didn't notice before) for 4 or 5 days with me climbing all over it... if it wanted to collapse it would have by now, no? (wishful thinking I guess...)
 
I have a level difference of 0.3cm along the 62cm of the tank. I just realised when I set up the tank almost month and a half ago, since then I just forgot it and its fine (for the moment :) )
 
shayfish said:
The difference in the water level between the front right corner and the back left is 3/4 inch. Its had water in it (not right to the top which is why i didn't notice before) for 4 or 5 days with me climbing all over it... if it wanted to collapse it would have by now, no? (wishful thinking I guess...)

i dont want to make this look bad, but 3/4 if really noticeable, it may decline even more. imagine 55 gallons of fish water (not just tap water) on your carpet
 
Aside from leveling the tank, I encourage you to get some type of insurance. I'm not sure about up there, but here in Michigan we can get homeowner's insurance even for a rental. It could potentially save your butt, and it's relatively inexpensive. jmo...
 
hc8719 said:
i dont want to make this look bad, but 3/4 if really noticeable, it may decline even more. imagine 55 gallons of fish water (not just tap water) on your carpet
This is exactly what I'm imagining. Its somwhat like a... nightmare?

I am now moderately convinced that my floor is not completely level but to figure it out with certainty I would need to drain my tank, move everything, check it all out and start again. Should I?

And would the table have collapsed by now if it wasn't strong enough?
 
The table is not going to callaspe but the stress on the tank could cause a nice mess somewhere down the road.
 
Tank is draining as we speak/type.

I am so sad. Its okay though.... I had got nowhere in my cycle. Defective shrimp I suppose.

If I drain enough to level the table and start over will I be okay? Or do I need to disassemble everything and check out my floor some more?
 
if its the table that is starting to bow or the legs starting to spead the table will collapse over time. JMO but i would spend the money on insurance or a proper stand! 55gals is alot of wieght, what type of table is it? (dining table, computer desk?) Just so i can picture it in my head. a pic would be better. Just to say that if the table is solid and can take the wieght, simply level the table and all will be ok! :)
 
I'm pretty sure it is just an unleve table now. Looking back onthe pics I took earlier I can see that the water level isn't perfect even the day I filled it. I am going to level the table, fill again and monitor VERY closely.
Here's a shot of the table. Its from Ikea and I thought it was totally trustworthy... didn't know it wasn't level. I think my floor may not be exactly perfect either. You can even see the uneven water level in this shot.
img_702660_0_398db246686f24f9c89cc9d75842a961.jpg
 
From here it looks fine, i would probably trust the table aswell. Is it wood or particle board?

Just a hint if the table is too far back it might be sitting on the nail strips that keep the carpet down causing the level to be higher as the other feet will sink into the underlay!
 
Its a general purpose coffee table type of item. It is solid pine according to Ikea's website ( I couldn't remember from setting it up)

Well after much measuring, stuffing things under the front legs, shifting and swearing, a bowl of soup and a stiff drink told me I need to recruit another set of eyes. I've not got it pretty much perfectly level but my eyes are playing tricks on me now and I'm convinced that the table is actually sagging in the middle, even though its probably not. I've got help on the way for tomorrow afternoon so I will post an update when its either perfectly perfect or we've flooded my house and I am homeless.

For now I am refilling enough to keep the plants alive and run the filter. Thanks everyone for your help tonight.
 
I would be extremely interested in how this works for you. I don't like my current stand, and keep going back and forth between buying a real stand, buying a peice of furniture, and building my own stand. That exact Ikea table is for sale by one of my co-workers, but I figured it wouldn't hold a 45 Gallon.
 
My eyes were indeed playing tricks on me. The table was not sagging. It is solid pine, there's no reason that the table will collapse. I am now convinced of that. I would still park my car on that table.

But my floor is not completely level and neither is the table. They were both out by fractional amounts going the same way which is why it was so exagerated. I've leveled it all out with a couple of thin pieces of wood and will monitor everything very closely to make sure that nothing changes. I am also praying that my plants will forgive me by... well, living.

All in all this was a tremendous pain in the a** but a good learning experience. That'll teach me to assume floors and tables are level. (btw I do know about bubble levels... you may notice there's one 4 feet long laying accross my tank :) )

Thanks again for the help folks.
 
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