Leveling A large tank, please help.

[mb5322]

My 240 is a 1/4 lower on the right side then the left, unfortunatley it didn't settle until It got filled with water, sand, live rock and 9 fish. It took quite sometime before it settled this far into the foam, and I have no idea how to level it, because emptying it is not an option, and this sucker weighs about 3000 lbs, so if there are any ideas on how to get it level I'm all ears

[Tigger240]

are you saying you have foam under the stand? or tank? or both?

[DaveWC]

My tank had the same problem, similar weight. I took my car jack, sat it right next to the low side of the stand and cut and notched a 2x4 so it would sit on the jack and fit under the steel beam at the top of the stand. I jacked it up so it was about 3/8" off the ground and then slid a 1/4" piece of wood under the entire side of the stand and two wedge-shaped pieces under the long side of the front & back of the stand. When I lowered the stand it sat on the wood and the tank was level. Because the jack was so close to the stand there was little risk of it slipping and shooting across the floor, but that is a risk. I also sat the jack on a piece of plywood so it wouldn't damage the floor. Attempt this at your own risk.

[mb5322]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8649699#post8649699 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tigger240
are you saying you have foam under the stand? or tank? or both?

Under the tank, it's an Oceanic with double 3/4 glass bottom, no trim, just solid glass, it's a beast.

[mflamb]

What is the floor of the house, wood with a crawl space or concrete slab?

[mb5322]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8650189#post8650189 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mflamb
What is the floor of the house, wood with a crawl space or concrete slab?

concrete slab

[oceancowboy]

I had a leveling problem with my 400 gallon. The tile floor in our new house was not quite level. We used the shims from Lowes (a hybrid plastic and wood product that comes in a bundle of 10 or 15 of the things) and leveled it the 1/4" needed. This type of shim is very stable under weight. The local fish store I'm working with on the project has done this many, many times to fix minor leveling issues.

If you can get the shim under the stand, use a piece of 2x4 and a hammer to drive it under....this might work. I'm not so sure if it would with the tank full....mine was empty at the time. Hate to say it but you might need to take some of the water out to reduce weight to get it leveled.

[jnb]

empty out a good amount of water and you should be ok for a little while while you jack it carefully and shim - if your stand is not built rock solid be very careful that the stand does not flex putting stress on the glass

you should be able to empty at least half the water for this without causing harm to life

[mflamb]

Use the plastic/wood shims and shim under the stand. The difficult part is what others are talking about. You can shim on the low end and it will appear level, but the stand may be flexing in the middle and putting undue stress on the tank. Is the botom of the tank a "floating bottom" meaning the bottom glass is on the inside of the front/rear/side glass, or a "structural bottom" meaning the front/rear/side glass sits on top of the bottom panel/panels?
Mike

[mb5322]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8658815#post8658815 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mflamb
Use the plastic/wood shims and shim under the stand. The difficult part is what others are talking about. You can shim on the low end and it will appear level, but the stand may be flexing in the middle and putting undue stress on the tank. Is the botom of the tank a "floating bottom" meaning the bottom glass is on the inside of the front/rear/side glass, or a "structural bottom" meaning the front/rear/side glass sits on top of the bottom panel/panels?
Mike


It's structural, the bottom is 2- 3/4 inch glass slabs, so 1.5 inches of glass on the bottom, it's built like a tank.

[mflamb]

That's the best situation for you. I would use the shims under the stand. You can try putting them between the stand and the floor. Probably have to hammer them in. Start at the low end and work back toward the middle putting shims in so that there seems to be even pressure on the shims. It will be by feel, sort of guess work. The idea is to make the top of the stand level.
Is that Xenia, Ohio?

[mb5322]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8671918#post8671918 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mflamb
That's the best situation for you. I would use the shims under the stand. You can try putting them between the stand and the floor. Probably have to hammer them in. Start at the low end and work back toward the middle putting shims in so that there seems to be even pressure on the shims. It will be by feel, sort of guess work. The idea is to make the top of the stand level.
Is that Xenia, Ohio?

Ya, it's Xenia, Ohio, I used to live in Clearwater Beach, god only knows what the hell I was thinking when I moved from there.

[mflamb]

I lived in Fairborn, and on WPAFB about 27 years ago.

[mb5322]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8672426#post8672426 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mflamb
I lived in Fairborn, and on WPAFB about 27 years ago.

I work in Fairborn. Civilian or Military?