Tank Level Floor Is Not Help

[mkroher]

Originally Posted by johnr2604
http:///forum/post/3161315
Have you ever tried to lay 3/8" of concrete to existing concrete? It would have busted up the minute he tried to put the tank on it. The shims will be the best option. If you want to hide them then drop the trim on the stand down some.
I didn't say 3/8". I would frame a box with 2x6". The tank would be much higher, but I think tanks should be higher anyways, I'm sure we all dislike bending over just to look in our tanks.

 

[scopus tang]

Originally Posted by Deon NYC
http:///forum/post/3161359
if u need to put 3/8 slab on top of the floor u could predrill 1/2 in holes about 4in apart in a grid for and add short stubs of re-bar sticking up the 3/8 out of the floor then use chicken wire inbetween the rebar then por your slab with a
4000 or 6000 grade mix. or u can dig up the floor and re poor that section.
the wood u are using is one way to go but it is a water condition u are usin. if the wood was to get wet overtime it may crack or even rot. your tank will be with you for a long time and i dont think u would want to deal with the headake of tring to save a unlevel tank 5-10 years down the line. the 2weekend of work u are going around just might cost u years of planing and the love of you tank.
sory for sounding like that but i dont wanna sugar coat it.
If you use 3/8" tall stubs for a 3/8 inch floor, than the stubs will be showing at the top of the concrete and you will have rust issues. Beside which I agree with the statement that 1/4 inch to 3/8 thick to nothing slab of concrete sitting on top of an existing concrete floor is going to simply crumble over time. I would use the long pressure treated shims cut from 2x4 if you have that option. If you don't, I would go buy the hard plastic shims form home depot and shim it with those; then you don't have to worry about them rotting out. I would use more rather than less shims along the entire length of the bottom, in order to minimize the number of stress points. Be carefull if you are shimming the tank when it is full of water (which I definitely don't recommend) - doing so can stress and break the tank.

 

[casper1875]

I'm taking it down. I'm just not sure how to go about it. I'll have to buy some huge trash cans to hold all the water. How long can the water sit? When I mix my water I always have a heater and powerhead and let it run for 2 days.
I took all the water out of the overflows and some from the tank to fill the sump and have a small powerhead in there to keep the water moving. I have a Koralia-4 in the aquarium now that I can put into the 55 gallon trash can. I guess I can just keep moving them around.
I'm going to use my brothers digital level this time to be sure everythig is level. I'd rather be set back this way then to find all that water on the floor and my fish and coral dead. Looks like it will be after Christmas before I have anything swimming in the tank. I've waited this long I guess a few more weeks won't kill me.

 

[cydab]

Like i have mentioned on your other thread build a concrete slab, make it slightly larger then the dimensions of the stand like the weight of the tank is not on the edges of the slab Make it level like this you don't have to worry about it settling, it a heavy tank the water by it self weighs at least 1,440 lbs.

 

[242bats]

i've read this thread twice and i think i may have missed something. it looks like the tank is level in the pics but the water is not. doesn't make sense. are the levels still showing the tank is good now that the water is in?

 

[242bats]

have you ever checked the level on the top of the trim versus the level on the actual bottom of the tank. if your tank trim is uneven it would give you a false reading on your level. scary thought. this could affect my tank too. i never thought to check.

 

[casper1875]

Yes it is on here twice, I'm sorry about that. I wanted some quick responce to my issue at that time. I was really upset. I've been working on this for so long and I finally thought I was ready to get it running.
I took all the water out last night and now I need to keep the water moving. I guess I could take one of the powerheads out of my 75. That would give me 3. How often do I need to mix the water?
My husband said he'ld help me with it tonight after work. I got my brothers digital level and it shows that it's .2 off. I had the front of the tank spot on,
but the back right was off and the water was not going out the overflow at the same time as the left.

 

[reddhead]

Along with my saltwater tanks I also have a 125gal freshwater tank. Where it sits the floor is unlevel. It was visably noticable. I did nothing to correct the problem for about 2 years and thank GOD everything was ok. I had laminate installed about 2 years ago and a substance was put over the concrete floor to level it out some. There is still a light slop but not as bad. So in all my tank has been on an unlevel floor for 4 years and has been ok...

 

[casper1875]

I am checking on renting a cement grinder. My husband keeps telling me it will be alright. The original stand the tank sat on was put together with very thin wood. When Robert built this stand he used 2X4's. It would hold an elephant.
TJ brought home some aluminum shims that are used on Mack trucks. I really want to set this up, but don't want it crashing on the floor.
My 75 sits on one of those pre-fab stands and when the tube came off the pump, the stand was soaked. One side started to disincarnate. That tank is now off about a 1/4" and I really want to get my fish and coral out of there.

 

[casper1875]

I'm renting the grinder on Saturday. We tried the shims, but the stand had too many gaps. I really want it done right, so I'm going to learn how to run a new machine.
I'm also going to make sure that the stand is level.