Very uneven aquarium

[AaronBurr]

Hello all,

I live in an old apartment building. For various reasons I had to move my 55g aquarium from the only level area of floor. The floors in my building are badly tilted and so i moved it to the most even place I could, but it's not great... I have two questions:

1. Is there any reason this could be harmful to the aquarium? (Stressing the glass?)
2. Could I use a wedge (or ramp like thing) under the stand to try and level it out?

I've attached a pic but it looks like the water level is different by ~1.5 inches.

All advice is appreciated, and thanks!

 

[coralbandit]

You could just place shims under the lower side . Remove at least half the water to do this. You could the measure the thickness needed and replace shims with solid wood and then fill tank.
If you don't have a level just measure the water from top of tank on all 4 corners till they are the same...
I would not leave it like that.

 

[King Fisher]

Lol. Dang. Like Coral said, wedge something under the right side corners of the tank stand and slide a piece of wood under the right side then pull out the wedges and put wood under the corners. It looks like you could measure the drop in water from the right top of the tank and it would give you a good idea on how thick the wood you will put under the stand needs to be. I'd drop a little more than half the water if possible. Use particle board under the stand to level it.

 

[AaronBurr]

Thanks for the replies!

I considered blocks but i am worried if I just put a block of wood under one side it will leave part of the stand unsupported. Potentially letting the bottom of the stand sag or break? A 55g is heavy and idk how strong wood is...

I thought a wedge could offer more even support, but I also worry it would slide out.

Am I over thinking this?

 

[smallfry53]

Lol. Dang. Like Coral said, wedge something under the left side corners of the tank stand and slide a piece of wood under the left side then pull out the wedges and put wood under the corners. It looks like you could measure the drop in water from the right top of the tank and it would give you a good idea on how thick the wood you will put under the stand needs to be. I'd drop a little more than half the water if possible. Use particle board under the stand to level it.

Fixed that for you.... lol

Could you post a picture of the stand so we can see what you're up against?

 

[coralbandit]

All weight goes to corners of tank..No weight is pushing down in the middle.
Picture your tank on a metal stand..No support touching the floor but on corners...

 

[AaronBurr]

Fixed that for you.... lol

Could you post a picture of the stand so we can see what you're up against?

Thanks! And Yes, the left side will need raising. Pic should be below. But I belive it is a Top Fin Open and Close Storage Aquarium Stand for 55-75g.

It seems to have a base around the whole thing, not just 4 legs. That's the reason I hesitate to just raise the corners. But then I'm not an engineer so...

 

[AaronBurr]

All weight goes to corners of tank..No weight is pushing down in the middle.
Picture your tank on a metal stand..No support touching the floor but on corners...

Sorry if im being slow but are you suggesting leveling the tank instead of the stand?

 

[V227]

Use the composite plastic shims. Spilled water won't affect them and they won't rot. I had to do a major shim job on my 5 ft. Tank, it rests on a very wavy flagstone floor. The situation was much like yours. The tank is still not perfectly level. It slopes about 1/8 inch over 5 ft.

 

[V227]

If that's a Top Fin stand, it's likely particleboard. When you shim the low corner up, a long gap will form between the floor and the stand base. You will also have to shim the noted gap, spacing the shims every 3 to 6 inches or the stand base might sag.

 

[AaronBurr]

If that's a Top Fin stand, it's likely particleboard. When you shim the low corner up, a long gap will form between the floor and the stand base.

Yes. sorry. That gap is what I was so inarticulately concerned about. That's why I was initally thinking a ramp.

You will also have to shim the noted gap, spacing the shims every 3 to 6 inches or the stand base might sag.

You suggested plastic shims, which makes sense, do you remeber what you picked up?

 

[smallfry53]

IMO shims aren't really going to cut it... you're talking an inch and a half. You'd need a 2x4 under it on the left side.... This doesn't seem like an easy task to me.

 

[King Fisher]

Wedges then add particle board. This fix can be fairly easy

 

[V227]

I used plastic composite shims. Bought them at Ace Hardware. You can find them at most hardware stores. Both Small Fry and Kingfisher make great points regarding the problem. A 2×4 certainly will work but it will have to be custom fitted, which requires good carpentry skills. Wedges are a great idea and can be found right alongside the shims at the hardware store. I'm thinking it's more feasible to combine the wedges with the shims rather than particleboard.

 

[smallfry53]

So... I had another idea. So you could support the whole stand without sagging in the middle, maybe make a 2x4 structure under the whole thing. Make a "box" the size of the whole stand, then add a 2x4 laid flat on the left side, then possible shim a couple places in between to support the 2x4 structure. In the middle you might use like a 1x4 or 1/2-3/4" plywood depending on how big the gap ends up being. It might not look too pretty, but it's the only way I can think of to properly support the weight. Just an idea. Maybe somebody else can come up with something better.

 

[AaronBurr]

Thanks for all the replies! You guys make excellent points.

My carpintry skills aren't great but, Smallfry, I think youre right, shims aren't stable enough.

What about if I use a 2x4 type block to raise one side and then I can get a bunch of those wedge door stop and use them as "shims" for the thicker gaps. and then actual shims as the gap area gets smaller. Placing support every 3-5 inches as V227 suggested.

It may not be pretty but I think it could work?

 

[V227]

Small Fry, you are a natural born engineer. I think your plan would work. I'm going to throw out one more suggestion, "Thick rubber exercise mats". Not the cheap yoga types, but the kind used under big heavy machines at health clubs. Had one under my wife's elliptical machine.
The mats can be cut and stacked to size.
Lift up the low end then slide the trimmed mat under the stand probably 2/3 length of stand.
Stack another trimmed piece on top of the initial one, maybe 1/3 length of stand. Probably have to stack one more short layer of trimmed mat on the low end to raise it enough to offset the 1.5 inch slope. The weight of the tank just might squish the rubber flat enough to be somewhat uniform and level.
The mat can be cut clean enough not to look unsightly. The quality rubber mats cost between $25-$35 for a 6 ft. Peice.
Looking back, a rubber mat might have been a better solution to my leveling problem.

 

[smallfry53]

Hey guys, just realized we were making a catastrophic mistake. (mostly me) If you lift the left side 3/4" the water on the left side will go down 3/4 the right will go up 3/4. The floor is only (only) off 3/4", not 1&1/2". sorry about that....

 

[AaronBurr]

Hey guys, just realized we were making a catastrophic mistake. (mostly me) If you lift the left side 3/4" the water on the left side will go down 3/4 the right will go up 3/4. The floor is only (only) off 3/4", not 1&1/2". sorry about that....

Good catch!! I was thinking along the same lines and would have ended up tilting it in the opposite direction

I'll head to the store this week and see what I can find based on your guys suggestions. Thanks for all your help everyone! I'll try to remeber to post a final result after.

 

[King Fisher]

Small Fry, you are a natural born engineer. I think your plan would work. I'm going to throw out one more suggestion, "Thick rubber exercise mats". Not the cheap yoga types, but the kind used under big heavy machines at health clubs. Had one under my wife's elliptical machine.
The mats can be cut and stacked to size.
Lift up the low end then slide the trimmed mat under the stand probably 2/3 length of stand.
Stack another trimmed piece on top of the initial one, maybe 1/3 length of stand. Probably have to stack one more short layer of trimmed mat on the low end to raise it enough to offset the 1.5 inch slope. The weight of the tank just might squish the rubber flat enough to be somewhat uniform and level.
The mat can be cut clean enough not to look unsightly. The quality rubber mats cost between $25-$35 for a 6 ft. Peice.
Looking back, a rubber mat might have been a better solution to my leveling problem.

Now your talking. I like that idea.