Is my tank too uneven?

[An_Enemy]

I've just noticed that my Red Sea Reefer 250 (45 gallon display tank) is uneven.

The front right corner's water level is around 8mm(0.3 inches) higher than the left back coroner's water level.

Is this too much of a difference? If it is, what's the best way to fix this?

 

[Phil D.]

Did you put a level on the sides/front and see what the reading is? My Red Sea E-260 is 1/16th lower in the front than the rear. But remember, physics states that liquid exerts the same amount of pressure on all sides of the container equally. So, I don't think you have an issue.

 

[vetteguy53081]

You needed to and should leveled prior t filling. You may now have to empty or reduce drastically and have 3 strong guys elevate it while you shim

 

[JoshH]

Did you put a level on the sides/front and see what the reading is? My Red Sea E-260 is 1/16th lower in the front than the rear. But remember, physics states that liquid exerts the same amount of pressure on all sides of the container equally. So, I don't think you have an issue.

The issue in this case isn't the pressure exactly, but the fact that the tank is actually twisted right now. This puts a whole new level of stress on the actual seams as they are now pulling away from each other. Being lower front to rear 1/16th is not a big deal as all panels are still technically square to each other. If one corner is lower than the others you're now twisting the tank and seams.

To the OP, I would drain as much as you can and level that one corner up with shims, ideally composite shims if you can find them.

 

[An_Enemy]

The issue in this case isn't the pressure exactly, but the fact that the tank is actually twisted right now. This puts a whole new level of stress on the actual seams as they are now pulling away from each other. Being lower front to rear 1/16th is not a big deal as all panels are still technically square to each other. If one corner is lower than the others you're now twisting the tank and seams.

To the OP, I would drain as much as you can and level that one corner up with shims, ideally composite shims if you can find them.

Thanks, I was wondering about doing that. My only concern is that while the floor is slightly sloped, it's still flat. If I start shimming and the weight is no longer evenly distributed over the 14 feed, could that end up making things worse?

 

[JoshH]

Thanks, I was wondering about doing that. My only concern is that while the floor is slightly sloped, it's still flat. If I start shimming and the weight is no longer evenly distributed over the 14 feed, could that end up making things worse?

As long as you shim under each foot you should be just fine. But if your tank is only low in the one corner you shouldn't have to shim much else maybe a few extra feet across the front of the tank.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

Thanks, I was wondering about doing that. My only concern is that while the floor is slightly sloped, it's still flat. If I start shimming and the weight is no longer evenly distributed over the 14 feed, could that end up making things worse?

You could level the house instead

 

[JoshH]

You could level the house instead

It's funny but this is exactly what I did. I leveled the entire floor under my tank and the section of the house it's in. I still needed a couple shims to make everything perfect. But the bulk of it was fixed by jacking up the floor.

 

[Flameback Pair]

@An_Enemy I would definitely take everything out and level it with shims. BTW, do you have a build thread for your Reefer 250?