Safe to shim an aquarium stand/cabinet?

[Tarkus2112]

Well, I got my new tank and stand home, set it in the perfect spot, and got the level out. Of course my floor is unlevel, I didn't expect it to be perfect. So as my tank sits, no water, no gravel, nothing, it's got a wobble. A scary wobble.

Honestly, I'm to paranoid to go any further. Im having horrible visions of my living room being flooded and it's kind of taking the fun away from everything else.

I have a basement apartment, so my floor is concrete with carpet and padding on top. I'm wondering if it's safe to shim under the stand or is that a no-no?


I've been looking online and found a few different answers, I was curious what everyone here thinks.

[tmcgee]

Yes, if you shim the stand itself, that will be great. Just don't shim one corner of the tank between the stand and the tank if it created a gap where the tank could crack. If you are shimming between the floor and the stand, that should be all you need.

[FishEggs]

if you are up close to a wall try moving it out another inch or 2. you may be sitting on the carpet tack strip which is what holds the carpet in place against the wall.

[Tarkus2112]

Originally Posted by FishEggs

if you are up close to a wall try moving it out another inch or 2. you may be sitting on the carpet tack strip which is what holds the carpet in place against the wall.

Its actually about 5 inches from the wall. It seems as though my floor has a hump.

If I shim the left rear portion of the stand, where the gap is, it then leans forward and to the right. Therefore I have to shim the front right portion of the stand to make it level. Then my stand is essentially resting on the floor in the middle and the shims on the sides. And then I must shim all around the front and back to take up the gaps created by the first two shims.

Does that make sense to anyone, it did in my head before I typed it out.

Ugh, I thought this would be the least stressful part. Haha:p

[BigJim]

At least you're doing this before the tank is filled.

Sounds like you're overthinking things. Pick where you want the stand and shim it (within reason) until it's level. If you don't like the wood shims, get the plastic.

[FishEggs]

of course you may have to tweak the shims when the tank is full. i would check it when it's half full since you are on carpet.

[tmcgee]

It sounds like you have it under control though. Your thinking is correct.

[Wy Renegade]

Originally Posted by Tarkus2112

Its actually about 5 inches from the wall. It seems as though my floor has a hump.

If I shim the left rear portion of the stand, where the gap is, it then leans forward and to the right. Therefore I have to shim the front right portion of the stand to make it level. Then my stand is essentially resting on the floor in the middle and the shims on the sides. And then I must shim all around the front and back to take up the gaps created by the first two shims.

Does that make sense to anyone, it did in my head before I typed it out.

Ugh, I thought this would be the least stressful part. Haha:p

Confused by what you mean by "middle" here? if the middle of the front and rear edges are touching, you shouldn't have to shim across the whole front and back. There should not be anything in the middle of the base of your stand for the floor to hit? Doesn't the stand have a front, sides and rear edge with the interior of the bottom being hollow?

Regardless, if you are doing that much shimming, you may want to consider ripping a 2x4 to the required size for both the front and back rather than relying on multiple shims.

[Tarkus2112]

Originally Posted by Wy Renegade

Confused by what you mean by "middle" here? if the middle of the front and rear edges are touching, you shouldn't have to shim across the whole front and back. There should not be anything in the middle of the base of your stand for the floor to hit? Doesn't the stand have a front, sides and rear edge with the interior of the bottom being hollow?

Nah, it's flat across the whole bottom with trim around the edges. Its a Perfecto pine majesty stand for a 55 gallon. I think what is throwing me off is that the trim isn't square with the bottom so the gap is deceptive.

I guess I am over thinking it. Haha. I'm just gonna go for it and hope for the best.