Leveling 55 Gallon Aquarium?

Hugh Mann · May 30, 2020

Moving my aquarium tomorrow, and switching to a DIY cinderblock and plywood stand, as my current stand is starting to sag and fall apart.

Cleared out a space and set it up, but it's definitely not level, it's the floor not the stand. Basement, the whole floor slopes to the sump pit.

So, how does one go about properly leveling a stand, and how important is it to have it perfectly level?

First picture is the width, second is the width, if it matters.

GaryE · May 30, 2020

You want it as near perfectly level as you can get.. My floor is off by about what yours is. I leveled with wood shims. Got it pretty much dead level.

Dempsey941 · May 30, 2020

Suppose you could just get some shims from home depot and push them under until you’re good.

Hugh Mann · May 31, 2020

So these shims, where would they go? By that I mean directly under the tank rim, or underneath the plywood? Does the entire tank bottom needs to be supported.

GaryE · May 31, 2020

Under the plywood..

Hugh Mann · May 31, 2020

Perfect, thanks. Shouldn't be overly difficult I don't think. Except my hardware store is closed tomorrow. Dang. Might be able to find some elsewhere.

Billdogg · May 31, 2020

Yes, shim. NEVER directly under the tank - you will create pressure points that can cause the tank to crack.

Hugh Mann · May 31, 2020

That's what I was thinking might happen, but wasn't quite sure. Will be sure to do that. Thanks

cvrle1 · May 31, 2020

If it is a bigger tank, use plastic shims. Wooden ones will compress under pressure over time. Also, make sure you have shim every 1-2 inches, so it distributes load evenly.

Hugh Mann · May 31, 2020

Apparently my local 'hardware' store is all out of shims, as are the nearby ones. Guess everyone is doing home improvement projects with all this downtime.

So I got some aluminum flat bar, and started shimming.
Well. Turns out my floor is way not flat. I don't even know if there is a point trying to shim it 7/16ths...

Hugh Mann · May 31, 2020

So, I am at a point where I have the wood level to where I think it's just surface irregularities, but am not 100% sure from here.

I hear a rubber mat or Styrofoam can cover up those discrepancies, is that a thing?

cvrle1 · Jun 1, 2020

Hugh Mann said:
So, I am at a point where I have the wood level to where I think it's just surface irregularities, but am not 100% sure from here.

I hear a rubber mat or Styrofoam can cover up those discrepancies, is that a thing?

A yoga mat is probably cheapest way of going about it, but it all depend in what kind of tank you have. If it is glass with plastic trim on bottom and top, then nothing goes underneath it, as that is what plastic trim is for. If you have glass tank without that trim or acrylic tank, then you can use mat underneath it.

Hugh Mann · Jun 1, 2020

cvrle1 said:
A yoga mat is probably cheapest way of going about it, but it all depend in what kind of tank you have. If it is glass with plastic trim on bottom and top, then nothing goes underneath it, as that is what plastic trim is for. If you have glass tank without that trim or acrylic tank, then you can use mat underneath it.

Plastic trim. I was going to put a thin rubber sheet under it to protect the plywood from any spills.
I'm sure it will need adjustment once the tank is on the stand, but I really want to avoid screwing around with it too much, as my livestock (2 fish) will have to be living in a bucket during the move, concerns about stress, ammonia and whatnot.