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Innovative Marine Aquariums

Floor Out of Level


Bubba30

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I'm setting my tank up and my floor was over 1/2" out of level over the 54" stand. Pretty wonky. I just got out of the craw space after installing a jack stand to raise and support the joist. End result is still out of level 1/8" across my 28" tank. I'm wondering, how concerned I should be with this?

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For all intents and purposes, 1/8" over 4.5 feet is "level". I'd only be worried if it annoys you from a visual perspective.

 

You could shim the bottom of the stand to make up the difference.

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JavaJacketOC

I'm setting my tank up and my floor was over 1/2" out of level over the 54" stand. Pretty wonky. I just got out of the craw space after installing a jack stand to raise and support the joist. End result is still out of level 1/8" across my 28" tank. I'm wondering, how concerned I should be with this?

 

Are you able to use a shim or two in order to fill the 1/8" gap between the stand and the floor:

 

http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=247885-143-PP836-49L&langId=-1&storeId=10151&productId=3133325&catalogId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1

 

I would try and support it as best possible, all that weight could result in a cracked tank at some point.

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Does the tank have a rim? If so, I wouldn't worry about it. Just fill it above the bottom of the rim and you'll never notice it. If it's rimless and it's going to annoy you then shim the stand but shim the hell out of it. You don't want to put in one and call it good...you want to distribute the weight as much as possible so either use LOTS of shims or custom cut long ones for all 3 sides.

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I'm trying not to shim it too much; I had it shimmed prior to jacking the joist up and the air space looked ridiculous. The tank does have a nice 1/8" neoprene mat under it and it is 3/8" glass on a 22 gallon so I don't think it will crack; famous last words?

 

 

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Does the tank have a rim? If so, I wouldn't worry about it. Just fill it above the bottom of the rim and you'll never notice it. If it's rimless and it's going to annoy you then shim the stand but shim the hell out of it. You don't want to put in one and call it good...you want to distribute the weight as much as possible so either use LOTS of shims or custom cut long ones for all 3 sides.

It is rimless. The overflow spans the tank too. I'm mostly worried only 3/4 of the overflow will be functioning if it is off level and aesthetically that would be annoying. I'm planning on pushing decent gph so it should be up the teeth a bit.

 

Full length shims would be awesome but I'm not sure I could cut anything that thin accurately in my table saw.

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Yeah, shimming that is never going to look good so I would leave it as is and put the Vortech on the low side and let it rock the surface. :lol:

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That stand won't support that tank. You need a real stand made to put a tank on. I wouldn't shim the tank, as that puts a lot of stress on it. Shim between the stand and the floor if you have to.

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That stand won't support that tank. You need a real stand made to put a tank on. I wouldn't shim the tank, as that puts a lot of stress on it. Shim between the stand and the floor if you have to.

 

The metal itself will support the tank no problem. My concern is the wood and the support underneath it. If properly braced I wouldn't worry about it.

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I had this welded out of 12 gauge 3/4" square tube; this is what it looks like under the 3/4" walnut top. It is also tied into the wall behind it with 6" structural screws at two points.

 

I filled the tank on it and there was no bow at all in the top so all the weight is over the legs. I tied it into the wall for lateral stability.

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attachicon.gifimage.jpeg

 

I had this welded out of 12 gauge 3/4" square tube; this is what it looks like under the 3/4" walnut top. It is also tied into the wall behind it with 6" structural screws at two points.

 

I filled the tank on it and there was no bow at all in the top so all the weight is over the legs. I tied it into the wall for lateral stability.

 

 

Based off the support under the walnut I'd say you are good.

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If you wanted to be anal about it, you could take the top to someone with a wide belt sander and taper down an eighth of an inch but as long as you're up in the teeth I wouldn't worry about it.

 

How did you finish the walnut?

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I used satin polycrylic; 6 coats on the top and sides.

Not sure how much of a wood guy you are, but be aware that walnut lightens as it ages. When exposed to sun, it bleaches almost to the color of the sapwood. They think it's from UV but not positive. I'm not sure how much UV there is in LED lights but just be aware that you may end up with a lighter island around the tank from light spillage.

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Not sure how much of a wood guy you are, but be aware that walnut lightens as it ages. When exposed to sun, it bleaches almost to the color of the sapwood. They think it's from UV but not positive. I'm not sure how much UV there is in LED lights but just be aware that you may end up with a lighter island around the tank from light spillage.

 

Interesting. Does it do so when coated in polycrylic? Because polycrylic is supposed to protect the material underneath from fading and damage from the environment.

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I know that poly would certainly yellow from uv and water based products are preferred because they do not. My uncle does custom cabinetry I will ask him what he thinks about it. It would probably be UVB specifically which I don't think is a wavelength my Radion is capable of producing.

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I'm setting my tank up and my floor was over 1/2" out of level over the 54" stand. Pretty wonky. I just got out of the craw space after installing a jack stand to raise and support the joist. End result is still out of level 1/8" across my 28" tank. I'm wondering, how concerned I should be with this?

 

Only 1/8"? That's not too bad. You can either shim the stand, or shim the tank depending on how big it is.

 

The apartment I live in is slanted toward a center point, and Its almost 5/8" over the 2ft of the stand. We put some shims under the stand to level everything out. We used extra pieces of oak flooring that my inlaws had lying around.

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Interesting. Does it do so when coated in polycrylic? Because polycrylic is supposed to protect the material underneath from fading and damage from the environment.

I've heard that nothing will protect it from fading. If you're going to use it outside, you need to dye/stain it to keep the color. I've personally never seen much walnut used outside but use a ton of it in furniture and veneer work. I've also run across it as sill plates on stone foundations in 150 year old houses.

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