Should the water level be pefect ?

[sree]

Hi all,

I am still in the process of building my 125g tank. I used a 4' level to shim the stand and I thought I got it perfect. However when I filled the tank with water, the water level on one side is 3/16" higher than the other side. Is this difference okay for a 6' tank? The stand is sitting perfectly flat on the floor with no gaps. I guess the concrete basement floor is off a bit. Apart from the fact that one overflow will get higher drain than the other, which I can fix by raising the overflow teeth level, will this difference cause the tank to leak?

Should I drain the water out and shim the other corner 3/16" higher?
Thanks all for your suggestions and helping me out several times.

 

[smallblock]

have you looked at it filled with water and pumps on ?

 

[smallblock]

mine was just a little off but when u fill it and get it running you cant tell

 

[coolsurf]

3/16 " is not huge. I believe you will be just fine.

 

[sree]

Smallblock;525005 wrote: have you looked at it filled with water and pumps on ?

Yes.. I filled it with water almost all the way to the overflow. I am sure I won't see the water line once I place the canopy on. I am more concerned if this will cause more load on one side and cause leaks. What do you think?

 

[gnashty]

some will say your doomed and others will say your ok. my 210 is 7 ft and it is off by maybe that much but no more, and i cant notice it. as long as its not a rimless or trimless i think you are ok.

 

[ralph atl]

place the tank on foam padding, and it will level itself.

 

[sree]

gnashty;525015 wrote: some will say your doomed and others will say your ok. my 210 is 7 ft and it is off by maybe that much but no more, and i cant notice it. as long as its not a rimless or trimless i think you are ok.

Thanks. Mine has the trim and cross braces.

 

[lilrobb]

mysterybox;525017 wrote: place the tank on foam padding, and it will level itself.

That's physically impossible...

 

[rbredding]

you want the water level because that means that gravity is pulling down on all surfaces along their strong axis..

when you have something out of level, there is a (however small) force acting on the item literally pushing it left or right..

the force exerted laterally will cause undue stress (and premature failure) IF THE LATERAL FORCE IS TOO GREAT..

for our hobby and given that we're working with glass holding back hundreds of pounds, I would think that you're OK in your situation but I would recommend re-shimming the base cabinet if it were much more than that..

 

[grouper therapy]

My concern is that you used a 4 ' level to level the stand but when weight was applied something gave way and caused the tank to become out of level. Obviously something was not shimmed properly to begin with. Might point is something had to move and will it more in the future?

 

[sree]

grouper therapy;525074 wrote: My concern is that you used a 4 ' level to level the stand but when weight was applied something gave way and caused the tank to become out of level. Obviously something was not shimmed properly to begin with. Might point is something had to move and will it more in the future?

The tank is sitting on the basement floor and the floor is sloped in one direction causing the whole issue. When I leveled the stand, I guess the level wasn't exactly perfect and possibily didn't pick up the small difference.

 

[grouper therapy]

Sree;525085 wrote: The tank is sitting on the basement floor and the floor is sloped in one direction causing the whole issue. When I leveled the stand, I guess the level wasn't exactly perfect and possibily didn't pick up the small difference.

No biggie then if you are not comfortable that it was true level to begin with.

 

[sree]

on a related topic,,when I shim the four corners, wouldn't this take away the support from the bottom plywood where the sump is sitting? I have a 40g acrylic sump and I would think this would need solid support all the way.

 

[smallblock]

its according to how the ply is attached, it it nailed from the bottom or sitting on the frame and nailed it it is the latter it will be ok, the first you may have problems in the future

 

[rbredding]

Sree;525266 wrote: on a related topic,,when I shim the four corners, wouldn't this take away the support from the bottom plywood where the sump is sitting? I have a 40g acrylic sump and I would think this would need solid support all the way.

it would depend on how your stand is constructed..

theoretically, in order to support the stand with shims, you should fill all voids to avoid pressure points and uneven loading at the base of the stand.