Tank Leveling

[bobtrop]

What do most people use when they have to level a tank? My tanks are all on wrought iron stands and I have some small (maybe 1.5" by 1.5") shims that appear to be made out of a very hard masonite like material that have a somewhat shiny surface. My biggest fear is that one of these would crack with a set-up tank on it. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

[TankGirl]

I would not use any kind of masonite shim, because the force put on it is tremendous, even for a small tank.

I have used the shims that you use to level a door or window frame. They are wedges of wood, and I find them easy to tap in, with a little water in the tank used like a bubble level. Try to shim the stand but do not shim the tank, because the bottom outside edge of the tank needs to be in contact with the stand all the way around. Wrought iron tank stands are more difficult to shim, since the feet on them are relatively small.

[bobtrop]

Thanks for the advice. What makes the leveling even more difficult is that my tanks are in the basement on a concrete floor.

[TankGirl]

Well that concrete floor is your friend when it comes to those heavy aquariums! It is so stable that once you get the leveling done it will stay that way, barring acts of nature, of course... Plus, any (god forbid) leaks don't ruin hardwood or the floors below.

My two large aquariums are in my office/den, which is on a concrete slab with carpet.

[William]

If your floor is horribly out of level, just figure out the angle of the slop and build a wood platform to fit that angle so that you get a flat surface to sit the stand on on top of the wood platform.

[bobtrop]

I just had another thought. Since the legs on these stands are so small and shims might be difficult to use, what about using coins? A penny, nickel, dime and quarter are all slightly different thicknesses and usually you only need to make minor adjustments. Has anyone used coins for this purpose? Thanks.

[jsoong]

A coin or two should work, as long as you can get it to stay put. However, a wedge is much easier. You can pound the wedge in or out to adjust height, without having to lift the stand & tank up. You can get hard plastic wedges or hardwood wedges at Home Depot (or similar) pretty cheap. They are sold for shimming appliances, kitchen cabinets, etc.

Also, concrete in not necessarily that stable. You won't have to worry about the weight collapsing the floor, but a concrete slab can move. I know! My basement floor had moved at least 1/2" supposedly from the last few years of drought & I am struggling with cracks & now have to re-level the darn thing.

Anyway, if your concrete slab shifts in the future, it would be much easier to move wedges around than to try to adjust things stuck to bottom of legs. OTOH, wedges do look ugly, so you'll need to find a way to hide them.

[TankGirl]

My wooden wedges are hidden by the pile of the carpet, which is not high but is enough to disguise the shims. I would think coins would be slippery and apt to shift with any lateral force applied to the tank.

I like the platform idea, William. I was thinking about doing this anyway for my 44 since it sits a bit low for my taste. That might be the safest way to go if you want to get it done right and not have to worry about it, especially if you are handy.

[William]

Just use real beefy wood and beefy construction.


I am the king of overkill, so I would build the box, and then fill it in with joists probably every 6 inches, or closer.


You could even cover the platform in laminate, carpet, or anything else to make it look purdy

[TankGirl]

A fitting stage for a display tank!

[William]

Exactly

[bobtrop]

I went to Home Depot yesterday and bought some wood wedges. I'll give these a try. Thanks for the info!