Tank leveling

Hey Gman, what I have done in the past is leave the tank filled to just below the rim so you can use it to see your level. If you place the shims under the stand and tap them in with a hammer you can usually get it right on. Just go slowly and dont get wild with the hammer and you should be fine. I've leveled a 135 this way with no problems.
 
Good thing someone clarified that you shim the cabinet & not the tank.

Just grab some shims from Home Depot, if you have a paint scraper or a flat bar that you can turn backwards, it will make tapping in the shim easy and will help prevent any damage to your floor.

Before you go shimming the cabinet, you should make sure it's not the cabinet that is settling. If it's particle board, has it gotten wet? Has it gotten wet & you let the water evaporate rather than wipe it up? Once particle board gets saturated, it will dry but it will lose it's strength and slowly collapse over time.

As long as the cabinet & countertop are level and not tweaking, it's not the total end-all if it's slightly unlevel, but you definitely want to level it out and find out if it's your flooring or cabinet.
 
Ah you posted just before me!

You should remove about 50% of the water so the flat end of the shim can force it's way under the cabinet.
 
:iagree:
I always build my own stands and should have thought to ask about yours. Particle board/pressboard is very unstable if it has ever gotten wet, you may want to replace it with a solid wooden stand while going through all this. Some never have problems but if they do the result is catastrophic.
 
Even if small drops of water have made their way out of the tank and just sat on the surface it can create problems. Depending on the brand, most are a cam & dowel assembled cabinet. A lot of the cam & dowels are a weak plastic and just overtime they break down or start to pull out of the cabinet.

A few things that everyone should do on a particle/pressboard cabinet is get clear silicone or a matching color silicone and seal EVERY joint where water could possibly end up. Also seal the inside joints at the bottom of the cabinet if you keep your tools, filters or a refug in there. The veneer won't absorb water or moisture, but anywhere there is a crevice or pieces butted together, water will find it's way through. Seal it!

If you have plastic cam & dowels, go to a store like Home Depot, Lowes or your local hardware store. Bring your plastic parts with you and see if you can find a stronger set to match the size you need. Better safe than sorry.
 
it is a brand new stand just bought it when my other tank sprung a leak. When I put a level on the floor in front of the tank it is the same amount of off level that the tank is. I am kicking myself for buying the stand that I did, I found a oak stand for like 20 dollars more.
 
i hate it when you need something and buy it cause you have to have it, then find what you want after the purchase and assembly.
 
Got the tank leveld, or as close as possible, The bubble on my level is in between the two line one hundred percent now. :grinyes: Now on to resealing the 55g for my balas.
 
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