Stand Levelling Tolerance

[suresh2989]

Hi Friends,

Thanks so much for answering my questions so far in my DIY tank project, I am at the penultimate stage of Levelling my stand before I put the tank on it
details about the stand are in this Thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/steel-stand-leveling-ideas.916932/
and I have used Swiveling adjustable legs.

But due my hardwood floors being extremely uneven( in one corner about 3/4 of an inch ) I am not able to perfectly level the stand, and I have tried it for almost two days( in between work ) now.

Width: Bubble exactly in Centre.
Left Front to back: Bubble between the lines but leaning towards Front.
Right Front to back: Bubble between the lines but leaning towards Back.

Stand Details:

Steel stand with 6 legs, all 6 legs have adjustable levelling feet( please check above link).
Stand Top: Two 3/4 Plywood sheets laminated and Finished with Polyurethane.

Tank Details:

Width: 60.25"
Depth: 24.25"
Height: 20"
Thickness: 1/2"
Material: Cast Acrylic

Now If I try and match the left and right front to back the width wise levelling goes out of balance, so please suggest if this much unlevel is Tolerable ? also I have read a slight unlevel can be corrected with a leveling mat, suggestions for places to my Levelling mat for my tank dimensions also very much appreciated.

 

[KrisReef]

I'd set the tank on top of that stand and see if it sits flush or if there is air between the bottom of the tank and the top of the stand. Your leveling measurements suggest that the top board isn't flat, and there is no way to make it level if that is true.

I recently had snap together flooring installed. I think a dual layer of foam underlayment will work for your situation. Don't be surprized if there is an 1/8 gap between your acrylic tank and the stand, especially after you fill it. These things are not as flat as people think and they can handle the stress over time, ime. HTH.

Edit:
Also, those 6 feet are going to have a lot of PSI pushing into the floor below. 1000lbs+/6 sq inches or more?!

 

[TheBear78]

There are two important aspects when setting up a stand.
One is to have a perfectly flat base and the other is to have that flat base perfectly level with the ground.
The latter is less critical as it has minimal affect on the load that the glass is under but not having a flat base will twist the tank and that is a recipe for disaster.

 

[suresh2989]

I'd set the tank on top of that stand and see if it sits flush or if there is air between the bottom of the tank and the top of the stand. Your leveling measurements suggest that the top board isn't flat, and there is no way to make it level if that is true.

I recently had snap together flooring installed. I think a dual layer of foam underlayment will work for your situation. Don't be surprized if there is an 1/8 gap between your acrylic tank and the stand, especially after you fill it. These things are not as flat as people think and they can handle the stress over time, ime. HTH.

Edit:
Also, those 6 feet are going to have a lot of PSI pushing into the floor below. 1000lbs+/6 sq inches or more?!

Thanks you for the response, I was starting to think the top maybe unlevel myself , guess I can take your comment as validation for the same.

So do you think I can use the product in the below link, one on top another( it's already 1 inch thick) and put it on top of my plywood top?

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/owens-corning-foamular-codebord-xps-rigid-foam-insulation-board-1-inch-x-48-inch-x-96-inch-r-5-ship-lap-edge/1000155125

Thanks again for your responses, much appreciated.

 

[suresh2989]

I'd set the tank on top of that stand and see if it sits flush or if there is air between the bottom of the tank and the top of the stand. Your leveling measurements suggest that the top board isn't flat, and there is no way to make it level if that is true.

I recently had snap together flooring installed. I think a dual layer of foam underlayment will work for your situation. Don't be surprized if there is an 1/8 gap between your acrylic tank and the stand, especially after you fill it. These things are not as flat as people think and they can handle the stress over time, ime. HTH.

Edit:
Also, those 6 feet are going to have a lot of PSI pushing into the floor below. 1000lbs+/6 sq inches or more?!

I live in an older apartment so I guess there is a concrete flooring beneath the Snap-together flooring you see in the picture.

Do you think 1000+ Lbs / 6 legs is too dangerous for the floor ? wow hadn't really considered that so far, dang.

 

[KrisReef]

I have seen similar foam used and it seems to work just fine. I am not an expert on this kind of flooring but if there is concrete below I would expect it can handle the similar (if not greater) pressures from a person wearing high heels?

 

[suresh2989]

Hi Friends,

Thanks so much for answering my questions so far in my DIY tank project, I am at the penultimate stage of Levelling my stand before I put the tank on it
details about the stand are in this Thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/steel-stand-leveling-ideas.916932/
and I have used Swiveling adjustable legs.

But due my hardwood floors being extremely uneven( in one corner about 3/4 of an inch ) I am not able to perfectly level the stand, and I have tried it for almost two days( in between work ) now.

Width: Bubble exactly in Centre.
Left Front to back: Bubble between the lines but leaning towards Front.
Right Front to back: Bubble between the lines but leaning towards Back.

Stand Details:

Steel stand with 6 legs, all 6 legs have adjustable levelling feet( please check above link).
Stand Top: Two 3/4 Plywood sheets laminated and Finished with Polyurethane.

Tank Details:

Width: 60.25"
Depth: 24.25"
Height: 20"
Thickness: 1/2"
Material: Cast Acrylic

Now If I try and match the left and right front to back the width wise levelling goes out of balance, so please suggest if this much unlevel is Tolerable ? also I have read a slight unlevel can be corrected with a leveling mat, suggestions for places to my Levelling mat for my tank dimensions also very much appreciated.

pictures of the actual leveling itself

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Did you say the tank is acrylic?

 

[suresh2989]

Did you say the tank is acrylic?

Yes it’s acrylic 1/2” thick.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Yes it’s acrylic 1/2” thick.

You might reach out to @Tenecor Aquariums to discuss how best to proceed

 

[mdb_talon]

I live in an older apartment so I guess there is a concrete flooring beneath the Snap-together flooring you see in the picture.

Do you think 1000+ Lbs / 6 legs is too dangerous for the floor ? wow hadn't really considered that so far, dang.

You should be fine in this tespect as generally even residential concrete is going to be rated 3000psi +

 

[suresh2989]

You might reach out to @Tenecor Aquariums to discuss how best to proceed

Any comment on the level bubbles you see in my updates ? It shows the variantion between the levels from left front to back and right front to back( is the yellow leveller).

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Any comment on the level bubbles you see in my updates ? It shows the variantion between the levels from left front to back and right front to back( is the yellow leveller).

Personally, I don't see a lot of variation in the pics... Looks pretty level from what I'm able to zoom in on.
But I've only had glass aquariums with a bottom frame and so can't really comment on what the effects would be for an acrylic tank. I do know that for rimless glass tanks, it's recommended to use a leveling mat made of neoprene or something similar... (Some people buy yoga mats because they're cheaper than the ones marketed for aquariums).

But that's why I tagged tenecore; they make acrylic tanks and can definitely give you better advice than I can

 

[suresh2989]

You should be fine in this tespect as generally even residential concrete is going to be rated 3000psi +

True google says all high-rise apartments have a concrete subfloor, maybe an underlayment and an actual floor.

any thoughts on the levelling issue itself ? i have added some photos of the actual levelling after the orignal post, any advise is much appreciated.

 

[MERKEY]

From the pictures of your level a yoga mat should even that out pretty well.

You are almost dead center so I would try the mat before I added any shims.

Once you have the mat and tank on it, take more readings and see how it looks.

 

[suresh2989]

From the pictures of your level a yoga mat should even that out pretty well.

You are almost dead center so I would try the mat before I added any shims.

Once you have the mat and tank on it, take more readings and see how it looks.

Thanks so much, just ordered a Yoga mat on Amazon will try and move the Tank on top of stand tomorrow and update here with Pics.

 

[suresh2989]

Leak testing proceeding now.

levelling hasn’t changed a lot even with the yoga mat but I’ve come to the realization that I’m not going to get all sides perfectly level so I’ll okay with getting the longest side perfectly level.

thanks a lot everyone