Should I be worried?

Vahanyos · Feb 21, 2019

Hey guys.

So my tank has been up about 8 months and I have no idea why I’m barely posting this but better late than never lol

The floor in my house is not real wood, it’s that fake stuff. Where I have the tank positioned, it kind of has a lean to it. All 4 corners of the tank are leveled with the stand and it has a leveling mat under the tank. The tank leans forward a tiny bit. I measured with the flow off and the water level at the front of the tank measures 1/8 inch higher than the back of the tank. I also attached some pics with a leveler to show you how much of an imbalance there is. Should I be worried? I Keep thinking I’m hearing noises coming from my stand or tank, like snapping noises, but then I came to the conclusion that it’s my tiger snapping shrimp. Their snaps can be looouud.

(Standing in front of the tank) the first pic is the left glass panel. Second pic is the right panel. Third pic is the back panel and fourth pic is the front glass panel.

Thoughts?

JasonK84 · Feb 21, 2019

What size tank and are you fake wood on concrete or pier and beam?

Fudsey · Feb 21, 2019

Actually I wouldn't be worried about it. But, if it make you nervous, when you do your next big water change, push the tank backwards to tilt it a little and either adjust the feet a little or use a couple shims to get it level.

Mastiffsrule · Feb 21, 2019

JasonK84 said:
What size tank and are you fake wood on concrete or pier and beam?

+1. Maybe the tank is to heavy for where it is sitting depending on the foundation below.

Vahanyos · Feb 21, 2019

Tank is 42 gallons. I’d say 50 gallons with sump. There is no concrete underneath the floors. Probably a very thin layer to be honest. It’s also possible I’m hearing that thin concrete cracking underneath...

I highly doubt a 50g tank will put enough weight to cause my floor to break through lol

Vahanyos · Feb 21, 2019

Fudsey said:
Actually I wouldn't be worried about it. But, if it make you nervous, when you do your next big water change, push the tank backwards to tilt it a little and either adjust the feet a little or use a couple shims to get it level.

I wish I can shim it but I’m so hesitant to because of the way the stand sits. See pics... it has those white nipples that are under it and pretty much the whole weight is on them

JasonK84 · Feb 22, 2019

Vahanyos said:
Tank is 42 gallons. I’d say 50 gallons with sump. There is no concrete underneath the floors. Probably a very thin layer to be honest. It’s also possible I’m hearing that thin concrete cracking underneath...

I highly doubt a 50g tank will put enough weight to cause my floor to break through lol

No, I don’t think 50 gallons would be enough to worry about the floor giving way.

Aren’t those “nipples” adjustable? Can’t you unscrew them a bit to raise the tank. Same way you level a washing machine?

steallife904 · Feb 22, 2019

is this a rimless tank? i ask because i though i had a level issue once and it turned out the black trim on the top of my tank just wasn't pushed down and glued in completely level. so the tank and stand ended up being level but the trim at top just wasnt. might want to check more than one spot for level.

Fudsey · Feb 22, 2019

Does the tank move at all when you walk by it or is it pretty stable? Being only 42 gallons you could easily take 20 gallons out, put it in a brute can and level the tank, putting shims under those feet (if they are not adjustable), then put the water back in. But if the tank is stable and doesn't move, I'd wouldn't be worried about it.

Vahanyos · Feb 22, 2019

JasonK84 said:
No, I don’t think 50 gallons would be enough to worry about the floor giving way.

Aren’t those “nipples” adjustable? Can’t you unscrew them a bit to raise the tank. Same way you level a washing machine?

Not adjustable

picture a thumb tack just pressed into it

steallife904 said:
is this a rimless tank? i ask because i though i had a level issue once and it turned out the black trim on the top of my tank just wasn't pushed down and glued in completely level. so the tank and stand ended up being level but the trim at top just wasnt. might want to check more than one spot for level.

It’s rimless

Fudsey said:
Does the tank move at all when you walk by it or is it pretty stable? Being only 42 gallons you could easily take 20 gallons out, put it in a brute can and level the tank, putting shims under those feet (if they are not adjustable), then put the water back in. But if the tank is stable and doesn't move, I'd wouldn't be worried about it.

It doesn’t move when I walk by it at all. Although I have stood in front of the tank and Applied pressure (like you would mess with someone inside an elevator lol) and it wobbles a tiny bit because of the “soft” wood floors. It’s pretty stable, it’s just that 1/8 lean that’s making me nervous

Saltyreef · Feb 22, 2019

Wait until you see how the glass panels of a 40 breeder bow and then youll start to feel better lol. FWIW my tank leans forward this much or more without issue.... but its strapped to the wall studs with earthquake straps. Even tho i dont expect them to keep it upright and stable in the event of a large earthquake. Thats why its in the room over my garage and not over my hardwood floors

Vahanyos · Feb 22, 2019

Saltyreef said:
Wait until you see how the glass panels of a 40 breeder bow and then youll start to feel better lol. FWIW my tank leans forward this much or more without issue.... but its strapped to the wall studs with earthquake straps. Even tho i dont expect them to keep it upright and stable in the event of a large earthquake. Thats why its in the room over my garage and not over my hardwood floors

What are the straps you're using? Because of the very small footprint of the little nipples that the stand is resting on, I'm worried to shim it. I think I can get some straps like you mentioned to at least prevent it from leaning any further? It's been 8 months now and I haven't noticed the lean getting worse

steallife904 · Feb 22, 2019

if i knew the bottom of the stand was level i would remove those feet and have the stand sit directly on the floor. A lot of weight is getting directed onto those feet which is probably sinking it into the soft floor a tad. i do not think being off level that much on your size tank is anything to freak out about. may consider draining and lifting stand up to check if level, if so remove those feet, bet that will solve it.

FishyDP · Feb 22, 2019

I wouldn't be worried about the weight, we are talking about around 400 lbs. That is like 2-3 people standing next to each other. I would personally empty half the water and try leveling it though.

Vahanyos · Feb 22, 2019

Thanks for the help guys - I definitely feel much better about the 1/8” lean.

I’ll see if I can drain it and level it just to be on the safe side. Then again, I might just find this as an excuse to replace the stand entirely

“Oh honey, this has to go. We don’t want a flood on the house. I need to buy a new stand for sure” haha

GabeM · Feb 22, 2019

Just get a new/bigger tank!

(jk)

I have my 50 gallon on the 2nd floor of an apartment and it's accidentally off by about 1/4" - doesn't cause any issues unless you're OCD and really look at it. This is an old building and really nothing is level.

I wouldn't worry on it at all.

Justin Cook · Feb 22, 2019

As a former carpenter and home builder, don't worry about it at all. The loud snaps are the shrimp. I was going to ask when you house was built but then realized it didn't make any different. I've got a system twice the size of your that 12" off the wall over 2x12's. My house is old and it's settled some so the tank isn't even perfectly level. It's been that way for 15+ years and there hasn't been any issues. It is IMPORTANT to get a tank and stand as level as possible but almost impossible to do it 100% dead with the tools we commonly use.

Vahanyos · Feb 22, 2019

Justin Cook said:
As a former carpenter and home builder, don't worry about it at all. The loud snaps are the shrimp. I was going to ask when you house was built but then realized it didn't make any different. I've got a system twice the size of your that 12" off the wall over 2x12's. My house is old and it's settled some so the tank isn't even perfectly level. It's been that way for 15+ years and there hasn't been any issues. It is IMPORTANT to get a tank and stand as level as possible but almost impossible to do it 100% dead with the tools we commonly use.

My building is actually a little over 3 years old. We were the first tenants

Again, thank you all for chiming in and providing your feedback