Uneven Tank

[mrsaltwaterguy]

Hello everyone, I'm currently setting up my 75 gallon reef ready tank and it appears that my tank is not level. The water level seems to lean towards the overflow by about an 1/8th of an inch. Should I take my entire system down to level it or should I be ok?

Thanks!

 

[Tflow256]

I would remove as much water as necessary to shim it up. Non level tanks can lead to a disaster. Better to do it now than have an issue after you have it stocked in my opinion

 

[mrsaltwaterguy]

I even checked if it was level before I filled it. What should I do once I shim it to make sure it is level before filling it back up?

 

[Windy]

If it is setting evenly on the stand, just leave it. I don't know of any disasters caused by slightly unleveled stands. I hope they are not nuclear.

 

[moru]

Hello everyone, I'm currently setting up my 75 gallon reef ready tank and it appears that my tank is not level. The water level seems to lean towards the overflow by about an 1/8th of an inch. Should I take my entire system down to level it or should I be ok?

Thanks!

uneven tank leads to uneven pressure. it's a must to have it leveled.

 

[hybridazn]

I would def make every effort to level the stand. Like already stated it puts abnormal pressure on one or 2 seams. It might take months or years but it will eventually fail and break.

 

[mrsaltwaterguy]

Can I add the shims with the tank half full? I'd hate to have to empty it, apply a fix and fill it just to find the same issue.

 

[Tflow256]

Should be able to. Just empty some out and try shimming. Keep doing this until it works

 

[mrsaltwaterguy]

Alright thanks for all the help.

 

[Harold Green]

Make sure your stand is sturdy enough before trying to lift it up with that much weight on it. Some of the factory stands look barely strong enough to hold a tank on a level floor and if you shim on one end the stand may sag in the middle over time. It might be worth trying to get some half the thickness shims you need on the end and place them in the middle of the stand if there's any gap at all.

 

[davocean]

I would drain that tank into brute cans or similar, shim it, and pump water right back, shouldn't take too long at all.
The bigger question here is if it was truly level before you filled it, and then out of level after filling, you may have other issues.
Double check what happens this time, use the same level, same side up.

 

[mrsaltwaterguy]

I placed two small furniture pads on the bottom of the right side of the stand to try and level it. Looking back it seems foolish as they most likely crushed under the weight of the stand and are pushed into the rubber that the stand is on. My guess is thats what caused it to become unlevel again.

 

[Harold Green]

Most of the lumberyards carry a plastic shim. I'd go for them. They won't absorb water if any spills. They look like the typical wooden shims but are made of a composite material.

 

[davocean]

Ah, yes the furniture pads would make sense there, and probably right.
I agree either the composite or cedar shims should be used.
Draining is best, especially if it is a trimless tank where flexing could cause failure, less critical on trimmed but I'd still drain it.
I think everyone should have vessels that hold your total water volume and a pump to push back in for this and many other reasons.

 

[mrsaltwaterguy]

Took the time to empty the tank and properly level it with composite shims. Thank you everyone for the advice, I'll sleep easy tonight knowing my tank isn't at risk anymore.

 

[Harold Green]

I think few regret taking the time to do things right. When I set up my 210 last year I had to shim one end, the middle, and across the front to get the tank level. A year later and it's still level which I consider pretty important in a large tank. It's always easier to adjust level of the empty stand first, then check with tank placed, then with sand, rock, and water. Up to this point level can change if there's any give to the floor or stand.