My tank/stand are not completely flush, recipe for disaster?

[Vayurules]

My 20 isn't *perfectly* mounted on its stand , and I've had no problems. The corner hang off by about an 1/8 of an inch , but it's a Bowfront stand .



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[Vicdad999999]

lol, glass does not bend. and while alot here have no problems with uneven tanks I do. This doesnt take into effect where you have the tank if its an a load bearing wall, or if theres bounce in your floor as people walk past. Any tank not level is a recipe for disaster in my eyes. If your gonna waste the time and investment in a tank why not waste the few minutes to level it.

[amagad]

I've been reading more online and it seems like shimming the tank to the table is also a no no. There seems to be a lot of debate on using foam underneath as it doesn't really help the issue, only hide it which makes sense. I'm at the point now of scrapping the whole idea of having a fish tank, I have a 2 year old and her safety if my primary concern. There seems to be no real solution to this other than to be a carpenter and completely sand the table top down to perfection.

[Vicdad999999]

you dont need to be a carpenter to do this, im 42, with no schooling. all it takes is a level. edited, i graduated 6th grade , so some schooling


this is one of my shimmying its on a 125 , and kids go past it all the time. hoping the link works

[weedkiller]

Originally Posted by amagad I've been reading more online and it seems like shimming the tank to the table is also a no no. There seems to be a lot of debate on using foam underneath as it doesn't really help the issue, only hide it which makes sense. I'm at the point now of scrapping the whole idea of having a fish tank, I have a 2 year old and her safety if my primary concern. There seems to be no real solution to this other than to be a carpenter and completely sand the table top down to perfection.

you don't need to scrap the idea, you need patience..
spend half a day filling and empting till you get it right if you need too as once its done it is done, I would shim the corners of the cabinet to compensate for twist... only 4 corners and only one would need a shim probably

[amagad]

Thanks for the quick responses. It's not the stand itself that needs shimming from stand to floor, its from tank bottom to stand. I've already shimmed the stand => floor. Seems like when the stand was built, they didn't perfectly level the stands table top.

[Vicdad999999]

can you exchange it or return for a new one?

[amagad]

I'm waiting for the receipt from petsmart corporate office. Is this a good excuse to go with an acrylic tank? Or will I experience the same paranoia?

[lohachata]

vic....education has nothing to do with ones abilities as a human being...you are doing just fine..i only finished the 9th grade....education is great ; but it should never detract from who one is...

and how about this for a fella with only a 2nd grade education.....Moony Warther..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYYFNff5e20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8Hqx8Tq5uI

[Fishnut2]

Amagad,
The pressure crack happened in the evening. But it sounded like a gunshot. I was 2 rooms away and it was still quite loud. The crack didn't shatter, so the tank was still in one piece. I'm not sure what you read online, or where. But the coin shim and the styro both work. I've kept over 50 tanks most of my life (43 years in fish) and I've worked wholesale, retail, and commercial breeders. Pressure cracks are rare to begin with, and I've never seen it happen on a shimmed tank.
Acrylic tanks can pressure crack too. They need to be shimmed too.

[amagad]

Originally Posted by Fishnut2 Amagad, The pressure crack happened in the evening. But it sounded like a gunshot. I was 2 rooms away and it was still quite loud. The crack didn't shatter, so the tank was still in one piece. I'm not sure what you read online, or where. But the coin shim and the styro both work. I've kept over 50 tanks most of my life (43 years in fish) and I've worked wholesale, retail, and commercial breeders. Pressure cracks are rare to begin with, and I've never seen it happen on a shimmed tank. Acrylic tanks can pressure crack too. They need to be shimmed too.

Thanks fishnut,


I went to pets art to pick up a smaller tank with stand and it seems more flush but of course, about 1mm gap of edges. I spoke to Marineland tech support and they said if I got their stand, gaps are not an issue.

By the way, My new tank is the Marineland 20g frameless. Do frameless tanks require foam on the bottoms?

[Fishnut2]

I prefer the styrofoam for bigger setups. There are times I've had over 100 tanks, and styrofoam makes it quicker for 2 and 3 tier racks. For one 20 gallon tank...I'd use the coins to shim it. One thing I'm not sure if I mentioned. I use the pink or blue styrofoam sheets (for shipping fish as well). The white styrofoam is made of the compressed balls of styrofoam, and will be all over when you cut it.