Stand not perfectly level, am I ok?

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couvier

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Dec 7, 2019
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I just got a new 180gal glass tank to replace my same size acrylic tank. The size is 2'x6' and 2' tall. Unfortunately the stand is not perfectly level, please see images for what the level measurement reads!

As you can see it is still within the black lines on the level stick, only slightly off.

My fish tank stand is a bit complicated, it consists of wood, then a steel frame, then granite on top. My contractor told me it would be at least 3k worth to re-level it and even then they told me it may not be perfect again.

Would this be ok I assume?

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Rbishop

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I think your contractor is full of crap....Get us shots of the stand.
 
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That bubble is inside the lines. Which means dang close to level. However, when and where you placed the level to check makes a difference. Things can settle. For example, you can place a stand and then check to see if it is level before the tank goes onto it. Then you put the empty tank on the stand and you check that. You have to assume that the frame on which you plece the level or even the bottom glass of the tank is level itslef. Of course, the weight of the empty tank may cause faults not evident in the stand and/or floor it is on to show up. Finally, you can fill the tank with water, adding most of the weight it will eventually hold and check the level again. More often than not you may see the position of the bubble will change from the start to the finish of a set-up.

This becomes less possible the more solid and well anchored one's set up is. Things can compress with weight, this includes a lot of common floor materials. Here are two things I can tell you. My house is built on a slab and has no basement. Our flooring is wood tiles with an 1/8 inch styrofoam backing is placed directly on top of the concrete . I have tanks from 30 gals. to 150 gals on top of these floors. Some of my stands are bought and sit with only 4 legs on the floor and those legs are placed on oak wood squares to help spread out the psi on the floor. Some are wood stands I built myself and they spread the weight around, but also use 2x4s on edge to support the bottom frame of the tank. I have a 150 and a 125 gal. like this.

Almost none of my tanks on either the stands I built or the typical hobby stands I bought is perfectly level. But they are also not way off. On some tanks one end is likely between 1/8 and 1/4 inch off between the ends depending on how long the tank is. So far nothing has blown out. While the 150 has only been up a few years, I got it used and it is likely 30+ years old. I do have two perfectly level tanks. I paid a finish carpenter to do a custom install by repurposing a large closet. This was about 17 years ago and that leakey 75 was inwall and was replaced. Today that set-up is still perfectly level.

One last observation, the longer any given tank is, the greater a given level error will be whetween the two wnds of the tank. The same degree of error in a 10 gal. and a 180 gal can be invisible when you fill the 10 and noticeably large in a 180. Tanks are designed to be set up level so that the water presses fairly evenly on the ends and then on the front and back, When they start to become unlevel, the pressure increases on the side which is lower. Eventually this can cause a blowout or leak.
 

Rbishop

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And until we have pics of the stand, help will be minimal....
 

couvier

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I think your contractor is full of crap....Get us shots of the stand.
My tank (currently an acrylic) is shown from 2 different rooms. It is seen from one side as an in-wall aquarium and the other side with cabinets in my bedroom which also has a 120 inch projector screen.

I did have a glass tank in the past (the image shown as the in-wall tank), but the stand was not flat and level and the tank cracked on the bottom (3 months in) and water spilled everywhere in my house. So my contractor rebuilt it using a steel frame and granite, but they did not make it perfectly level. So because I have had bad experiences with glass tanks cracking in the past, I decided to go with acrylic and is why I am so anal about another glass tank cracking again (thus this forum post). Over the last 8 years with my acrylic tank I have been missing the clarity of the glass tank I once had, as it had no warping and distortion of the viewing of the tank like my acrylic tank has had.

My stand is expensive because it consists of high quality wood and stain, with a steel frame and then granite on top. The cabinets go all the way up to the ceiling. There is remote controlled curtains that I can open and close on the aquarium. I live in a rich person neighborhood so things get quite expensive.

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Rbishop

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you need to show more of the structure inside and if possible from behind. What is all the plastic for?
 

dougall

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Mar 29, 2005
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Why would you use/pay for a contractor that would not create you a perfectly flat aquarium stand?

I would be going back to them and having them correct their issues, not looking for the IK to move ahead from the internet.

Perhaps consulting with a local aquarium maintenance company might be in order?
 
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