Leveling 65 gallon tank and calculating saltwater needs

[Jd120988]

Hey guys, ive been out of the game for about 3 years and I've finally gathered everything I need to get a new reef setup. I have a 65 gallon rimless tank. I test ran it for about a week or so in the garage before moving it to the living room. It was perfectly level on all corners/sides in the garage when full, however admittedly i didn't level it when empty and the floor is really unlevel in the garage. I have it staged in its finally location in the living room now with no water and just live rock and when I checked the level its way out of level. The tank is on a concrete slab and the floor is very unlevel. So an obnoxious amout of composite shims later I finally have the tank as level as I can get it. My concern is that I literally had to use a ridiculous number of shims to achieve a level tank in the worst spot about 5 or 6 stacked under the stand. Is this too many shims? The tank does have a rubber leveling mat. Im just worried because I'd like to get the tank wet soon but I want to address my concerns before it gets filled. Also if anybody wants to assist me with a means of calculating how much saltwater to mix based off of my tank dimensions and live rock and sand that would be great.

 

[ReefLab]

Not an engineer or anything but posts on other forums say stacking should not be an issue and you should alternate them so the nestle into each other.

Just wanted to drop by letting you know something called an "air shim" exists and it was a life saver when setting up my tank. Its especially helpful after you've filled the tank a bit you can still lift it up if it shifts. Think of it as an aquarium jack stand lol.

you can get them cheaper at lowes/Home Depot

 

[Jd120988]

Not an engineer or anything but posts on other forums say stacking should not be an issue and you should alternate them so the nestle into each other.

Just wanted to drop by letting you know something called an "air shim" exists and it was a life saver when setting up my tank. Its especially helpful after you've filled the tank a bit you can still lift it up if it shifts. Think of it as an aquarium jack stand lol.

you can get them cheaper at lowes/Home Depot

I did in fact alternate to try and keep them as flat as possible instead of making wedges. I guess I'm just worried about having to stack so many to keep it level. Also I did stumble on that air shim but I just used my pry bar to lift it up to shim. I may still invest in one for future use and for when the tank gets filled.

 

[Grill]

I have a tank sitting on leveling casters. Seems like our floor "breaths" its uneven varies in the winter vs. the summer. They make them in all different sizes and are easy to adjust. Basic leveling casters

 

[ReefLab]

I did in fact alternate to try and keep them as flat as possible instead of making wedges. I guess I'm just worried about having to stack so many to keep it level. Also I did stumble on that air shim but I just used my pry bar to lift it up to shim. I may still invest in one for future use and for when the tank gets filled.

Should be fine. I'd fill it 25% with water and check level again after an hour.

 

[Jd120988]

I have a tank sitting on leveling casters. Seems like our floor "breaths" its uneven varies in the winter vs. the summer. They make them in all different sizes and are easy to adjust. Basic leveling casters

I dont know if I really like this idea or not. Seems like a great plan but I don't want to add anymore height to my tank at all as its perfect height for maintenance as of now.

 

[Jd120988]

Should be fine. I'd fill it 25% with water and check level again after an hour.

Ok thank you for the suggestion, im going to wait and see if anybody else chimes in with any other opinions on the matter.

 

[vlangel]

I did the same thing as ReefLab, I leveled my 56 gallon column tank empty, then partially filled it and checked the level again. I felt since my tank is so tall that it was important to get the level right. That was 4 years ago and everything has been fine.

 

[Jd120988]

I did the same thing as ReefLab, I leveled my 56 gallon column tank empty, then partially filled it and checked the level again. I felt since my tank is so tall that it was important to get the level right. That was 4 years ago and everything has been fine.

With those dimensions I'd be even more worried than I am now.

 

[vlangel]

With those dimensions I'd be even more worried than I am now.

I know that its height is apt to make my tank top heavy but it feels very solid so I am not worried. Ha ha, it helps that our 3 sons are grown, married and out of the house now. I have had to reprimand them at holidays about rough housing in the livingroom with the aquarium however!

 

[Jd120988]

I know that its height is apt to make my tank top heavy but it feels very solid so I am not worried. Ha ha, it helps that our 3 sons are grown, married and out of the house now. I have had to reprimand them at holidays about rough housing in the livingroom with the aquarium however!

How unlevel was your tank before you leveled it?

 

[vlangel]

It definitely leaned toward the front which is the worst scenario. If it leaned toward the back at least the wall would prevent it from totally tipping over. The shims I used have worked very well however. Like I said, I set this tank up Oct 2016, I run the water up to about an 1" from the rim and I can see that it has maintained its level state by seeing the water level at the the surface is evenly an inch the whole way around the top of the tank.

 

[Jd120988]

It definitely leaned toward the front which is the worst scenario. If it leaned toward the back at least the wall would prevent it from totally tipping over. The shims I used have worked very well however. Like I said, I set this tank up Oct 2016, I run the water up to about an 1" from the rim and I can see that it has maintained its level state by seeing the water level at the the surface is evenly an inch the whole way around the top of the tank.

Thank you for the response. My live sand should be coming in today so im hopefully going to start filling the tank today. Im going to follow your suggestion with filling it and making sure it remains level and adjust as needed. Fingers crossed all goes well.

 

[vlangel]

Thank you for the response. My live sand should be coming in today so im hopefully going to start filling the tank today. Im going to follow your suggestion with filling it and making sure it remains level and adjust as needed. Fingers crossed all goes well.

You will do fine. I am a 60 year old woman and I did my tank myself. ( Well ok, I was only 56 years old when I set the tank up, LOL) but if I could do it, so can you!