300 gallon stand/slab issues

[hitawaah]

So I have a 300 gallon (96X24X30)reef ready stand aquarium and canopy. I had quite a few aquariums and they were all set up on carpet or tile. I wanted to do something different with this tank. My idea was to have a really clean look that is easy to clean up any water around the tank so I am going to put it directly on the slab, I am going to acid wash the concrete then I've got the concrete paint that's colored and after it's painted I'm putting a wet-look concrete sealer. I cut out the carpet to prep today and before going any farther I decide to check with a level to see how level the concrete actually was. That's where I had a snafu, right where my the middle of my stand is going the concrete isn't flat it actually is a little bit higher than the rest of the area I ripped up which is 120" by 42". The concrete actually is like like a fulcrum to my stand, the middle brace of my stand rests upon that raised up section so that stand\tank can rock a little. I put the stand on the bare concrete to further prove what I saw with the level. I even moved the stand around a bit to no avail. So my first plan of action is tomorrow I'm going to grind that little section of concrete down. I'm talking about 1/16 to1/8 of an inch is all that it is. My main question is though i know they make rubber mats to go between the tank and the stand, I'm wondering if I could do the same under the stand? Just to make sure that the entire stand is completely touching and supporting all that weight. Then I'll cut the rubber( or whatever material) that I use to exactly match my stand keeping the clean look all the way around the stand. I'd rather not float the entire section with concrete it's only one place that I'm having a problem with. I would appreciate any ideas or suggestions of materials that I can use under the stand. Also any advice or ideas in general is welcome. Thanks for reading!

[jccaclimber]

I think you will find that not only are floors not level, walls rooms also tend to be not square by a surprising amount. This is why stands have adjustable feet, or are shimmed. Personally my large stands have been wooden, so I have shimmed them. If the stand is to be open a little trim around the bottom of each leg hides the shim and unless someone measures the shim to platform height. If your stand is enclosed you won't see it anyways.

Edit: I shim with hardwood or metal plates, then put a felt pad under either the lowest shim, or directly on the stand if there are no shims on that leg. Once you fill the tank the whole stand will want to bend and you want your shims giving full support to that leg. The felt is the same thickness on all legs, and so compresses equally.

[jmike0311]

I see no problem with your current plan as long as the area to grind down is relatively small. Also if your stand is one that touches ground all the way around the bottom as is sounds like it does I think the rubber mat idea is a good one. That will allow any other minor imperfections in the floor to be negated.

[wirewiggler]

They make a number of self leveling compounds that could be used, if you form an area that coresponds to the shape of your stand base you could retain the finished concrete look around the base you desire. To me this would garentee a more even loading then some sort of flexible underlayment.

Bill

[hitawaah]

Originally Posted by jmike0311

I see no problem with your current plan as long as the area to grind down is relatively small. Also if your stand is one that touches ground all the way around the bottom as is sounds like it does I think the rubber mat idea is a good one. That will allow any other minor imperfections in the floor to be negated.

Hello jmike,
Yes you are correct in that my stand is made with 2X4's around the bottom but it entirely closed with 3/4" oak plywood in the front and sides and the back is another full sheet of 3/4" birch or something else, it isn't oak but it isn't regular plywood it's really nice looking. So those oak and(birch?)front, back, and sides needs to touch because they are also load bearing. As much as I don't want to put anything down in between the shiny floor and the stand, because of water issues in between the rubber and the floor it's gonna take longer to dry out any spillages, I believe that it is the safest plan to make sure my stand can bear all that weight. Which is about 5000lbs. total weight. I'm also still considering floating it with the proper heavy duty epoxy mortar something like ABE epidermix 500 or 520. But that is a good deal of work. Thanks for your input, I appreciate it.

[hitawaah]

[QUOTE=wirewiggler;24779484]They make a number of self leveling compounds that could be used, if you form an area that coresponds to the shape of your stand base you could retain the finished concrete look around the base you desire. To me this would garentee a more even loading then some sort of flexible underlayment.



Yes I agree that the absolute safest way is to just make sure the entire area is level by doing it myself. You mentioned that there are a number of self leveling compounds. I have looked at ABE epoxy mortar but if you have any names to be more specific I would greatly appreciate it. If want just pm me with them. Thanks for your advice.

[reddtiger88]

If it is a small gap, use a wood shim. If it is large, then grind it down.

[LotsaTanks]

We had some leveling issues at our house. The leveling compound is extremely easy to use and once poured in the area, self levels. It would be the easiest solution. Don't remember the brand but bought a bag of it at home depot.

[dt204]

I think the consensus of everybody sounds good. Grind the middle down. Self level. Shim if there is any gaps. Do you have pictures of the area?

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[DasCamel]

Grinding concrete can be super messy. Fine dust everywhere...

[bhbell]

Originally Posted by wirewiggler

They make a number of self leveling compounds that could be used, if you form an area that coresponds to the shape of your stand base you could retain the finished concrete look around the base you desire. To me this would garentee a more even loading then some sort of flexible underlayment.

Bill

I second this idea.

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[hitawaah]

Yes I agree with the general consensus, I'll grind down the floor(yes it completely can and does make a mess, the concrete dust is so fine that even though I have it completely enclosed in visqueen it will find the tiniest hole to escape) then use a bag of level quick over the entire 120"X42". Then prep and use the colored floor paint at least one coat probably two, once dry and cured I will put my wet-look concrete sealer Lastly I will put red guard on the bottom of my stand for water protection and if everything works right and it looks great,fingers crossed, I will not need the rubber mats. I really appreciate everbody who responded!! If the most important piece fails due to it not being properly supported then besides the mess I also lose any aquatic life and probably some equipment. Oh and the tank too. So this has been a major stressor and just having your posts reaffirms what I want to do. If anybody has any other advice or ideas please share them with me! I am taking pictures and will be starting a build thread in the upcoming weeks. Thanks alot everyone!!!

[Ron Reefman]

I don't know what kind of colored floor paint you plan to use. But I would seriously consider the 2 part epoxy paint they make for garage floors. I've seen a lot of garage floors painted with 'special concrete paint' and it doesn't take long before they become a mess. Even ones that have been etched and washed with muriatic acid. My wife and her ex did the garage floor in our house before I met her and it didn't hold up well at all. I raced sports cars and a friend and I rented a small warehouse (new construction) and we epoxy coated the floor. It held up to spills of gas, oil, gear lube, antifreeze, brake clean, lacquer thinner... you name it, we probably spilled it... even a beer or two!

I'd love to empty the garage at our house, strip all the old paint off the floor and epoxy coat it, but the darn thing is so full of aquarium stuff it would take me 3 days to empty it!

[hitawaah]

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

I don't know what kind of colored floor paint you plan to use. But I would seriously consider the 2 part epoxy paint they make for garage floors. I've seen a lot of garage floors painted with 'special concrete paint' and it doesn't take long before they become a mess. Even ones that have been etched and washed with muriatic acid. My wife and her ex did the garage floor in our house before I met her and it didn't hold up well at all. I raced sports cars and a friend and I rented a small warehouse (new construction) and we epoxy coated the floor. It held up to spills of gas, oil, gear lube, antifreeze, brake clean, lacquer thinner... you name it, we probably spilled it... even a beer or two!

I'd love to empty the garage at our house, strip all the old paint off the floor and epoxy coat it, but the darn thing is so full of aquarium stuff it would take me 3 days to empty it!

concrete

Hello Ron,
yeah That is a valid point I know exactly what your talking about (two part epoxy paint) and I was considering buying it but went with the gallon of grey colored concrete paint. I'm still easily a few days away from painting so another trip to HD or lowes isn't a biggie to do it right the first and only time.

On the other hand I can't feel too bad for a man that can't paint his garage floor becuase he has too much aquarium stuff on it.LOL. IMO that's a good problem to have.

[jml1149]

Is there a concern for how thick the self leveling stuff should be, as well as how long it should set? If it's too thin, will it crack?

[hitawaah]

Originally Posted by jml1149

Is there a concern for how thick the self leveling stuff should be, as well as how long it should set? If it's too thin, will it crack?

That's a good point, and had crossed my mind. I read the back of the bag to see it's psi load rating took pictures so I can call the company. Still I'm going to go to a flooring company and see if I can get the professional stuff. An ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure every time! Thanks for the input!

[Ron Reefman]

Originally Posted by hitawaah

concrete

Hello Ron,
On the other hand I can't feel too bad for a man that can't paint his garage floor becuase he has too much aquarium stuff on it.LOL. IMO that's a good problem to have.

You might think so, but our cars (that sit in the driveway every night) and our 11' Zodiac (that sits in the backyard all the time) aren't big fans of the garage full of aquarium crap... I mean valuable aquarium stuff that has been previously owned! In fact I've stopped calling it a garage... I tell people it's an above ground basement! Oh how I miss having a real basement!

But I'll be selling a lot of stuff locally and here on RC over the next few months. I even sold my leaking 180g tank to a guy that wants to tear it apart and rebuild it.

[hitawaah]

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

You might think so, but our cars (that sit in the driveway every night) and our 11' Zodiac (that sits in the backyard all the time) aren't big fans of the garage full of aquarium crap... I mean valuable aquarium stuff that has been previously owned! In fact I've stopped calling it a garage... I tell people it's an above ground basement! Oh how I miss having a real basement!

But I'll be selling a lot of stuff locally and here on RC over the next few months. I even sold my leaking 180g tank to a guy that wants to tear it apart and rebuild it.

Hello Ron,
sorry to offend I was making a joke. I do understand the problem of having my garage not being used to house my baby(car, Charger RT/ Mopar Edition, limited edition numbered car) sits in my drivewäy because I'm taking too long getting this aquarium together the right way. So the aquarium, stand, and canopy take up a large part of my garage. And where my tank is going to go are 2 sumps and boxes upon boxes of equipment, actually scratch that because I moved it all and tore up the carpet. Now I am waiting on a concrete grinding wheel that's should be here anyday, and I'm taking your advice on the two part epoxy coat. Do remember what brand you used? Thanks.

[Ron Reefman]

No offence, I was just explaining our situation. It seems pretty common here in Florida.

I don't remember the brand of epoxy paint we used, but it was close to 20 years ago and I'd wager the stuff for sale now is better anyway.

Talk about needing room, here is the stand and tank system I put together about 6 years ago.




I just tore it out due to the 180g tank failure and my desire to downsize and improve the looks of the overall system.
The old set up when it was done:




The new system 9only 2 months old).

[sandyland]

Why do t you scribe the bottom on the stand and grind it down?

[hitawaah]

Originally Posted by sandyland

Why do t you scribe the bottom on the stand and grind it down?

I considered that (and actually did it a little but to the concrete since it was mainly one high spot on my center brace)but I feel that the best way to have it as level as possible is using the self leveling concrete fill in the entire section and be done with that part of it. I already have to use concrete patch where some of the nails holding down the tack strip chipped the concrete, so why not just fix it all at the same time and then I'm moving on to the next step. Thanks for your input.