180g level problem....help

[Parikh1234]

So i filled my 180 up and I noticed the tank for some reason is very slight off level. The left over flow fills up first and the right one (looking at the back of the tank) fills up slowly. Should I be concerned about this? I put a level on the top of the tank and it is a hair off. The whole system has not been started up yet but I noticed when filling the tank that the left one only fills up. Any help would be appreciated. It would be a nightmare to have to take all the water and sand out of the tank.

 

[reefnetworth]

yes, it can cause stress cracks when full of heated water. the left one fills up is more than a hair. i would say about a 1/4" off. the best solution is Lowes or Home Depot. lumber dept. has "shims" under $2.00. drive them in slowly from the center to the outsides. should take about 7-10 pcs. check it from left to right, frint to back. the leve should be in the middle when done. REEF-ON!!!

 

[Parikh1234]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7460822#post7460822 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nano4brains
yes, it can cause stress cracks when full of heated water. the left one fills up is more than a hair. i would say about a 1/4" off. the best solution is Lowes or Home Depot. lumber dept. has "shims" under $2.00. drive them in slowly from the center to the outsides. should take about 7-10 pcs. check it from left to right, frint to back. the leve should be in the middle when done. REEF-ON!!!

how would I drive the shims under the tank, it must weight over 1000 lbs. Any ideas?

 

[sparks56]

as long youre only1/4 bubble off, i wouldnt worry, so long as they both are full & flowing when running

 

[Parikh1234]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7460916#post7460916 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sparks56
as long youre only1/4 bubble off, i wouldnt worry, so long as they both are full & flowing when running

Yeah its about 1/4 bubble. I havent turned it on yet, but it should run. Ideally I would like to try the shimmy idea, but I have no clue how to get them under the tank...there isnt even room for a piece of paper

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

you'd be suprised ....is it on carpet or hard surface?

 

[Parikh1234]

ok I measured the waterline. The water on the right side (looking at the tank) is about 1/2 inch higher than the water on the left side.

 

[Parikh1234]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7461088#post7461088 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by E-A-G-L-E-S
you'd be suprised ....is it on carpet or hard surface?

hard 1 inch plywood

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

you should still be able to hammer them in....might want to use a little vaseline on tips and a rubber mallet or cloth covered hammer for your floor's protection

 

[Parikh1234]

I cant get to the side of the tank (its built into the wall). Do you think 2 on the front and back should do it. Ill put them directly opposite each other. So 4 total. What do you think? Will they compress when I put in the live rock and such? Will the tank need to be re-leveled every now and then?

 

[Parikh1234]

also the tank is on a custom built platform. Should I put the shimmys between the tank and the plywood?

 

[Dale Carlisle]

Hi Parikh,
I think the suggestion is to put the shims under the stand (correct me if I'm wrong). Placing shims directly under a filled large tank is very risky and much more likely to cause a stress fracture. Shimming under the stand still allows the weigh of the tank to be distributed across the whole bottom plane.
In the long run it may be worthwhile to drain and relevel the tank. You shouldn't need to remove the sand and the water can be captured in rubbermaid tubs or clean garbage cans and reused. There is a thread on this process in the DIY forum under methods for capturing fish.

Good luck.

 

[Parikh1234]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7461324#post7461324 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dale Carlisle
Hi Parikh,
I think the suggestion is to put the shims under the stand (correct me if I'm wrong). Placing shims directly under a filled large tank is very risky and much more likely to cause a stress fracture. Shimming under the stand still allows the weigh of the tank to be distributed across the whole bottom plane.
In the long run it may be worthwhile to drain and relevel the tank. You shouldn't need to remove the sand and the water can be captured in rubbermaid tubs or clean garbage cans and reused. There is a thread on this process in the DIY forum under methods for capturing fish.

Good luck.

There is no stand. It is framed and sheetrocked (the tank is built into the wall). There are currently no fish in the tank. Only saltwater and about 120 lbs of sand. The stand seems to be level. I dont know if the tank is not level (its an AGA). Its so confusing how the tank got to be off level. The carpenter made sure 50 times the base was level.

 

[CaveManNOhio]

I would tare it down and goto Home Depot or Lowes and get you a sheet of the Insulation board, Pink or Blue your choice. Put that between the plywood and tank. It will act as a self leveler. This should do the trick for you. Sucks to have to tare down, but sucks more when come home to a flood and have lost every thing. IMO