How to ensure that tank trim lays perfectly flat

[zanemoseley]

ok well my tank is due to arrive thursday, I made my oak stand with a 2X4 frame and a 2X6 frame on the bottom, on top of the portion of the 2X4 frame where the tank will sit I put a 8/16" sheet of plywood, I want to make sure the tank trim sits completely flat on the stand and has no gaps or anything, tomorrow I'm gonna borrow a LARGE level like 3-4' long to try to check it its flat and level. the level is about 2" wide and i'm gonna sit the level on the part of the top where the trim will sit and look at the level from the side to see if there are any gaps between the plywood and level

 

[dad]

So what is the question?

 

[squidd]

It's best to make sure your stand is "perfectly"level front to back as well as left to right...
You also may want to lay down a thin layer 1/4" of a "high density" foam rubber pad to "absorb and spread" any imperfections/sags/bumps on the stand that may cause pressure points and stress on the tank bottom...

 

[dive1]

I would suggest getting the stand as level as you can in all directions before putting tank on stand. Then put some water in tank to about 1in above the bottom molding. Now you can look at all four corners and see how level the tank really is. You can use door shims from lowes or home depote to help fine tune how level the tank is..The best level I have found is the tank itself and since there is only about 1-2in of water in tank it will be easy to level.

 

[zanemoseley]

well here's part of the problem, I made the stand with chair molding around the top and it makes a lip about 1.5" above where the tank will sit to cover up the trim so I won't be able to see the bottom of the trim when I put it on the stand

 

[zanemoseley]

Ok I checked the flattness of the part of the top where the trim will sit and there is a sag in the center of the front and back, I bought some wood filler to build up that area so the trim will sit flat, I'm also gonna use the high density foam, what should I look for at lowe's when looking for the HD foam?

 

[sebae0]

all tanks are made to "flex" somewhat, so if you got the stand pretty close to level front to back and side to side i wouldn't worry.
how big is the tank? have you ever seen a tank on a angle iron stand? all the weight is supported on the 4 corners and there is a gap in the middle lifting up where you can push a piece of airline tubing between it. if your within the bubble on the level don't worry.

 

[zanemoseley]

its gonna be a 75 oceanic show series tank, I think i'm over worrying about it, the stand is almost perfectly level, the flatness of the top is a hair off but again I think I'm worrying too much, plus I'm planning on using some high density foam to distribute the weight well

 

[dad]

I just made a stand for a 200g. I know what you are going through. The tank is MUCH stronger than you think.
Just fill it with tap water before salt water. Any doughts will then disapear,

 

[jonthefb]

good luck...sounds like fun!
jon

 

[thomas712]

Originally posted by Squidd
It's best to make sure your stand is "perfectly"level front to back as well as left to right...
Actually the glass tank can handle being a little off kilter front to back or side to side. The stress is when it is off corner to corner diagonally, though I couldn't agree more with making sure it is level all the way around.
Thomas

 

[scottnj]

Thomas,
Ya know that makes perfect sense.
And I did the same thing when building my stand, why oh why can't floors be prefectly level lol. I opted not to put plywood under the tank though and set the tank direcly on the 2X4 beams. So far so good. ;-)
-Scott

 

[zanemoseley]

I'm about done with the wood filler which has made some improvements, I'm gonna also use some high density foam on the tanks trim, do you guys have any suggestions on how to tell if my front two corners are sitting flush with the stand after I put the tank on since I can't see the two front corners due to the front and two sides of the stand having molding comming up about 1.5" above where the trim sits

 

[squidd]

The level, taken front to back and side to side (or diagonal) will "square up" the bottom of the tank.
Your bigger concern as "DAD" had suggested will be at the "top" of the tank...
When you first fill it, use fresh water, to make sure the tank fills evenly and that there are no leaks...
If the bottom is level and flat there won't be any "stress" on the tank and the "top" level of water should be fine as well.
On a "flat bottom" full glass tank I would use a sheet of polystyrene foam...on a tank with bottom trim 3/8" hdf "weather stripping" would suffice to equalize pressure points on a well leveled stand.

 

[zanemoseley]

thanks for the advice guys, I'm just gonna level the tank and then put the tank on thursday and check the level again, I'm gonna use weather stripping around the bottom trim and fill with fresh water, if everything goes well hopefully the top will be level and I'll be ready to go