Unlevel fish tank. Water level uneven.

[Charlie the Reefer]

Hello everyone.

Researched multiple threads about this - but questioning the logistics of solving it.

My 125G tank is not level. On one side water level is .5" higher than the other. The tank is eurobraced, 60" x 24" x 20.5". The tank is currently full, my plan is to drain it and fix the leveling issue.

I already knew it was slightly off level before I filled it, so I shimmed it the best I can. I literally shoved two whole containers of composite shims under, and although it was still off-level, I thought it'd be okay. Looks like I was wrong...

Thus, my predicament is, I don't think I can fix this issue with shims. I think it would be structurally more sound to put in a sheet of plywood on the side that isn't level, rather than using a ton of shims under there. What do you guys think...?

Can't really do anything with the floor without going nuclear, it's tiled.

 

[Charlie the Reefer]

My concern about plywood, is would it potentially reduce the points of contact with the ground on the side that doesn't have the sheet of plywood under it...? If that makes sense...

Hope someone can help me

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Could you just use plywood under the stand where it meets the floor to get it level on that end, and then use shims going from that end to the other end along the bottom of the stand? This would allow for you to level the tank, but also keep the 100% contact where the tank meets the stand.

Think of the shims as little feet in between both ends of the tank.

 

[Charlie the Reefer]

Could you just use plywood under the stand where it meets the floor to get it level on that end, and then use shims going from that end to the other end along the bottom of the stand? This would allow for you to level the tank, but also keep the 100% contact where the tank meets the stand.

Think of the shims as little feet in between both ends of the tank.

Was just thinking the same. I think this is what I’ll do.

 

[Scottrshoe]

I think you should definitely make any adjustments under the stand, not between the tank and the stand. Since you are draining it, if shims will not be enough, you could order adjustable feet/legs off Amazon...there are lots of options on there. (you may need to reinforce the bottom of the stand to accept them)

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Was just thinking the same. I think this is what I’ll do.

I had to do something similar on a tank once. It looked funny at the bottom, so I cheated a little with a trim piece and ran it across my table saw at a slight angle to make the board taper from one side to the other, then when I put the board on the tank stand, made it a bit unlevel to hide it. Luckily the way it sat on the tile, the grout lines in the tile and how the stand was, it would trick the eye into not noticing that the board ran downhill and it hid the shims.

 

[Scottrshoe]

Conversely, I had a similar problem with a 20G tank that sits on my desk. The surface of the desk is uneven, so I placed the tank on a piece of plywood, cut the dimensions of the tank, then shimmed under the plywood. That way there was continuous support under the tank. Might not look as good as shimming under the stand though, and not sure plywood is strong enough for a larger tank.

 

[salty joe]

I like to scribe things like that. To scribe the stand, use blocks or what have you to make it level. Find the greatest gap between the floor and the stand, let's say it was 3/4". Then get a piece of wood or something that will hold a pencil 3/4" from the floor and use it to mark the bottom four edges of the stand. When you cut on that line, the stand will sit level.

 

[Charlie the Reefer]

Ok. So I used a cut piece of 3/4 plywood and it’s perfect now. I also shimmed everywhere else. Was a PITA draining the tank And removing all the rock… but worth it. Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the advice.

 

[Charlie the Reefer]

Tank is already 1/4 full

 

[gbroadbridge]

Hello everyone.

Researched multiple threads about this - but questioning the logistics of solving it.

My 125G tank is not level. On one side water level is .5" higher than the other. The tank is eurobraced, 60" x 24" x 20.5". The tank is currently full, my plan is to drain it and fix the leveling issue.

I already knew it was slightly off level before I filled it, so I shimmed it the best I can. I literally shoved two whole containers of composite shims under, and although it was still off-level, I thought it'd be okay. Looks like I was wrong...

Thus, my predicament is, I don't think I can fix this issue with shims. I think it would be structurally more sound to put in a sheet of plywood on the side that isn't level, rather than using a ton of shims under there. What do you guys think...?

Can't really do anything with the floor without going nuclear, it's tiled.

Wow, normally I'd say don't worry but 12mm is a lot of extra forces on the tank.

You need to drain the tank and then use a spirit level or some magical 21st century equivalent to make it dead level.

How you level it is going to depend on the stand construction.
if the stand has feet there are many forces on the feet and you probably need to level the floor under the feet.

I would ask a carpenter to make a shaved board to level.
I would definitely not try to use shims.

This is not something you wish to get wrong, the tank will be there for a long time and you don't want to hear gushing water middle of the night.