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JingoFresh
12/18/2015, 09:06 AM
I have a Marineland 56 gallon tank and stand. The stand is made from MDF.

I have been completely unable to get this tank and stand to be level.

I have tried shimming the floor but this is impossible. Shimming one part simply creates a different part that needs to be shimmed, or placed too much stress on the stand.

I have found that this is due to an issue in the floor. The hardwood floor seem to have a bump/issue in the back right corner, and in addition the entire floor is sloping from left to right (when facing the front of the tank).

I live in a small NYC apartment and have no other place I can put the tank.

The difference in level is about half an inch and on one corner not just on one side. The difference is on the right side, but more noticeable on the right front corner.

What are my options?

I have used the stand for over 2 years so I do trust the tank is sturdy, and for that reason would prefer to avoid making a new stand if possible.

How easy/hard would it be to fix the floor? Would a heavier/more durable stand solve this issue? A stand with a planed surface to counter the slope of the floor?

Thank you for any advice.

Drewl117
12/18/2015, 10:34 AM
I would just build a short stand for the stand. Build a base that fits the floor but the top is level, then set your stand on that.

Jscwerve
12/18/2015, 11:19 AM
I would put leveling feet/pads under the corners of the stand. Infinite adjustability.

laga77
12/18/2015, 05:43 PM
Just shim the bottom. It does not matter if it takes a lot of shims. In fact, I just installed a new 120G and I put shims every 3-4 inches around the bottom. This many shims takes the stress out of the stand.

Bogue Chitto
12/18/2015, 08:22 PM
All of those are good ideas.

hotdogmj71
12/18/2015, 09:45 PM
Just shim the bottom. It does not matter if it takes a lot of shims. In fact, I just installed a new 120G and I put shims every 3-4 inches around the bottom. This many shims takes the stress out of the stand.

I did this. Afterwards, I bought trim to match the stand to cover the shims

JingoFresh
12/18/2015, 09:48 PM
Just shim the bottom. It does not matter if it takes a lot of shims. In fact, I just installed a new 120G and I put shims every 3-4 inches around the bottom. This many shims takes the stress out of the stand.

Shimming the bottom is not possible, as mentioned in the OP. It is impossible with the damage to one corner on the floor and the other end sloping.

JingoFresh
12/18/2015, 10:23 PM
I would put leveling feet/pads under the corners of the stand. Infinite adjustability.

I don't think this works well with an MDF stand.

billdogg
12/19/2015, 06:56 AM
Shimming the bottom is not possible, as mentioned in the OP. It is impossible with the damage to one corner on the floor and the other end sloping.

Photos of the problem might help. IME, it is ALWAYS possible to shim underneath the stand. It may take quite a few, you may even have to use something other than "shims" to build the area up, but in the end, the effect will be the same. It will be shimmed to level.

laga77
12/19/2015, 07:15 AM
Photos of the problem might help. IME, it is ALWAYS possible to shim underneath the stand. It may take quite a few, you may even have to use something other than "shims" to build the area up, but in the end, the effect will be the same. It will be shimmed to level.

What he said. BTW, I was a carpenter for over 30 years so I`ve had to shim a few things in my time.

Bogue Chitto
12/19/2015, 12:58 PM
I agree with laga.