Best way to shim an uneven tank

[khilgers]

I got my new 75 gallon up on my stand and noticed that one corner is a little uneven. I was wondering what is the best way to shim the tank so it doesn't rock on the stand. I've been told that it is a bad idea to use wood shims because that will cause stress on other parts of the tank. I was thinking of putting down some "sill seal" which is used for construction purposes. It's basically a 1/8" think foam, would this be a better way than using shims. And if not do you have any sugestions?

 

[pyro]

Hmmm, I'm using wood shims on my 30g. I think they are ok to use as long as they are under your stand. I think you want to avoid using wood shims directly underneith your tank.
Not sure though, maybe somebody else has some advice...

 

[jacksdad]

styrofoam works. Use it on the corners and center (front and back), it will squish down and level the tank.

 

[khilgers]

Originally posted by jacksdad
styrofoam works. Use it on the corners and center (front and back), it will squish down and level the tank.
I also have a couple sheets of 1/2" styrofoam, but I'm afraid that it will not squish down far enough. I built the stand myself and put the trim so it comes right up to the top of the bottom trim....if that makes sense. I'm just worried about the foam not compressing enough and being able to see the bottom trim on the tank.

 

[jacksdad]

The only time I used styrofoam was on a 60 gal and when I took the tank down it was maybe an 1/8" thick where the tank was sitting on it, so it does compress quite a bit. Having said that I would hate for it not to work after you have 75 gallons of water sitting on top of it.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Bob

 

[scubadoo]

I'd fix the stand...but I used to be a capenter. IMO, important to have a flat level surface for the tank to sit on. Sounds like you are looking to shim the tank on top of the stand...not shim the stand. Not sure how uneven it is. A tank that is not level increases the risk of a leak developing s it places more stress on the seams.

 

[scubadoo]

Take the molding off.....level the top even if you have to add additional plywood, etc. Compensate for the increased height with wider molding. Mkes sure whatever you have added is solid and suppoted. Assuming you have a deep substrate you would not be hiding anything...just maybe one inch of sand. If I could see the stand I could tell you exactly how to do it.

 

[acrylic51]

You eliminate where the problem actually is.... Is the problem with the stand not being level or is the floor in which the stand is sitting on unlevel?????
It is possible depending how much the stand is off to shim it with shims, really need to know how far off you are???? 1/32", 1/16" 1/4" 1/2" really depends.... If your going to shim the stand I would advise on using solid wood instead of the cheap shims you get at Lowes or HD.. They will compress faster than solid hard wood such as Oak....
The use of styrofoam is also a good idea and you could possibly get the tank a little closer with that as well
Once you get the tank level with styrofoam underneath it I would leave the level on top of the tank and slowly fill the tank checking the levelness of the tank... if it starts to wonder again, I would stop filling and drain it down and readjust my shim work.... HTH

 

[khilgers]

Scubadoo:
Taking off the molding is not an option. The Stand is already stained and finished. It would be more trouble than it is worth to adjust the molding now.
acrylic51:
I was going to use the cheap shims from HD, but there are the other ones that are made of a plastic composite. Would these be a better choice. Since most likely they would not compress as far as the softer cheap ones. As for using solid wood I would have to find a way to taper the shim from about 1/8" to 0". All in all it is just the back right corner that is off. I was going to try using the "sill seal" and just overcomensate the height of it to make up for the amount it will compress once the tank is full.
For the most part the tank is perfectly level. I just need to fill in the area in the back right corner where the top of the stand is a little low. Which causes the tank to "rock" on top of the stand instead of laying nice and flat.

 

[acrylic51]

Yeah the plastic ones would definitely be a better choice... I was out a 1/16" in the center of the stand and took solid Oak stock and just planed it down till I got the thickness... Alot of work for a little adjustment, but I'm anal about those little things!!!!!!