Thoughts on leveling tank stand on tile floor

[DesertReefT4r]

I need to come up with a good way to level out my stand. Problem is my floor is tile and the tiles are not level from one to the next. This causes the stand to tip from side to side like a teeter totter. I was thinking on using a padding as a base for the stand. Yoga mat seems to me like a good idea. Need some help and opinions.

 

[billdogg]

Shims, either traditional cedar or composite, are really the only options you have.

Shim as needed then trim them off even with the stand.

 

[GoNoles]

Maybe some interlocking exercise flooring...https://www.amazon.com/ProSource-In...id=1520284278&sr=8-5&keywords=workout+matting

 

[Scrubber_steve]

I would consider placing a styrofoam sheet on the tiles, then a plyboard on top of that, and then the tank stand on top of the plyboard.

 

[RCS82]

Shims, either traditional cedar or composite, are really the only options you have.

Shim as needed then trim them off even with the stand.

This.
Shim around the perimeter of the stand as needed.

 

[DesertReefT4r]

Maybe some interlocking exercise flooring...https://www.amazon.com/ProSource-In...id=1520284278&sr=8-5&keywords=workout+matting

Exactly the concept i was thinking. It would self level and provide a buffer between the stand and floor.

 

[Lsufan]

Imo placing any kind of foam or Matt under the stand will just make it harder to level. I would do as billdog suggested & just use shims. When u level a stand always get the 4 corners first until u get the stand level. Then once it’s level come back & place shims as far apart as needed. The tile not being level really shouldn’t affect leveling the stand.

 

[lionfish300]

Shims, either traditional cedar or composite, are really the only options you have.

Shim as needed then trim them off even with the stand.

This is the only way

 

[tkeracer619]

Shims, either traditional cedar or composite, are really the only options you have.

Shim as needed then trim them off even with the stand.

^ this.

 

[DesertReefT4r]

Ok shimming it is.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Imo placing any kind of foam or Matt under the stand will just make it harder to level.

Of course i would disagree.

On an uneven tiled floor, each individual tile may be unlevel, and at a different height to the others. The thin foam sheet will be pressure pushed into this uneveness of the tiles.
The plywood on top of the foam would evenly distribute the weight of the aquarium evenly over the entirity of the foam sheet.
The combination of the foam & plywood sheets would act as one large level flat tile

 

[Scrubber_steve]

 

[mako61]

I used composite shims on my tile. Worked pretty good. I recommend filling your tank part way and retest. Mine changed a little. I used fresh water so I could refill as needed.

 

[DesertReefT4r]

That was my thoughts as well on how it woukd work.

 

[Kevin Guthrie]

Assuming your tile is laid on cement slab. But if the tile is laid on plywood then the plywood can easily bend, cracking the tile.

 

[Smokey Stover]

That was my thoughts as well on how it woukd work.

The foam/plywood will smooth over the irregular bumps/dips in the tiles, But if the floor is not level then the stand and tank will still not be level. Go with the shims, Or pour a leveling concrete pad over the tiles and add trim around the base of the stand to hide it. JMO.

 

[Lsufan]

That was my thoughts as well on how it woukd work.[/QUOTE

U don’t need a flat surface to shim from. U have to find the high spot regardless & shim up to that. If u put a mat or plywood down under the stand u still have to shim to get it level. It just seems like a waist of time being u can just shim from the tile.

By placing something under the stand it can also give a little once u get the tank full. U may get the stand shimmed level but once u add all the wieght the matt & ply can compress & u end up out of level once it is full.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

If u put a mat or plywood down under the stand u still have to shim to get it level. It just seems like a waist of time being u can just shim from the tile.

Not necessarily. A plywood board the appropiate size could be laid on the tiles & a check done with a spirit level to see if the floor level it is out, or not.

You're assuming the floor will be unlevel.

The best way to level the tank, on a floor with uneven tiling, may ultimately be determined by the stand footprint than anything else.
Does the stand have 4, or 6 small footprints touching the tiles.

If it has eight small footprints, that would be a nightmare to shim.
If it is a cabinet where the entire circumpherence is touching the floor then foam & ply is the way to go IMO.

 

[DesertReefT4r]

Floor is level, tile laid on concrete slab/foundation. Tiles are just not level to each other. I totall agree with were twinfallz is coming from. My thought process was exactly the same. I need to think it over more and decide what I will do. Stand is a Marineland cabinet style with the circumference contacting the floor.

 

[davocean]

Foam padding will not do much if anything, and agree, may make it harder, shims as Billdogg mentioned are best.