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Aqueon 75g tank wobbles


PlaneFishGuy
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I am setting up my Aqueon 75g tank. Its framed and center braced. The floor, stand, and top of the tank are level. That being said the rear right corner and front left corners have a gap when sitting on a level surface. I can push down on rear right and front left comes up. I have the tank sitting on 1/8 thick yoga mat as a precaution. My stand is 2x4 construction and supports the bottom frame all the way around. 

It looks to me as if the bottom frame wasn't applied evenly, or less silcon in the corners allow the frame to be pressed on tighter in the two high corners- Im not sure how the frames are attached.  

Other forums seem to have split consensus on whether this is an issue or not. Some folks say it works itself out when you fill it - other folks say its a disaster waiting to happen. I painted the back of the tank before noticing the issue so I may be past the point of return. 

I'm worried about the structural integrity, but its also a cosmetic annoyance because I have perfect reveal all the way around on the trim of the stand, but one side looks out of square because the one corner of the tank. 

I wanted to get the thoughts from the CO-OP community. 

Edited by PlaneFishGuy
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@Pepere the stand is square and level all the way around - for more clarity it the last 5" or so of the of the corners go from zero gap to about an 1/8in gap. Its almost like the frame of the tank was pressed on tighter into the silicon that the rest of the tank. 

The tank is sitting level all the way around when checked on the top of the tank. One thing I have not checked yet and will do when I get home is measure the distance between the top frame and bottom frame and see if that is even all the way around - I think that would confirm if they pressed the frame to tight at the corners.  

Edited by PlaneFishGuy
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If you are sure the resting surface is level (floor/table/stand etc), I would contact Aqueon directly at 1-888-255-4527. If the tank is defective I don't think a painted back would matter, I wouldn't even mention it since the tank hasn't even been filled. 

Also, I don't think you are supposed to use a mat under rimmed tanks when they are filled. Good luck 👍

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Thanks everyone for the great input. So I finally heard from Aqeon. According to them as long as the stand is square and level front to back, side to side, and diagonally the tank will settle level to the stand within 1-2 days of filling. That being said when I get home this evening I am going to triple check everything just to make sure Im not missing something obvious- Im not completely comfortable I will just exchange with PETCO and they can deal with the paint. 

Ill post an update once I get a path forward. 

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@lefty o I was actually kicking that idea around - I have a garage I can use and shim up the stand to account for the garage floor slope. Im hoping after looking at it again tonight I see something obvious and that I'm posting a "hey sorry for wasting everyone's time, I'm just a bad carpenter" update.   

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On 3/22/2023 at 7:39 AM, PlaneFishGuy said:

I am setting up my Aqueon 75g tank. Its framed and center braced. The floor, stand, and top of the tank are level. That being said the rear right corner and front left corners have a gap when sitting on a level surface. I can push down on rear right and front left comes up. I have the tank sitting on 1/8 thick yoga mat as a precaution. My stand is 2x4 construction and supports the bottom frame all the way around. 

It looks to me as if the bottom frame wasn't applied evenly, or less silcon in the corners allow the frame to be pressed on tighter in the two high corners- Im not sure how the frames are attached.  

This is how I setup my tanks, especially bigger ones with more load.

A.  Level the stand itself and put the tank on the stand. It'll move on you, but you should be able to use something on the stand itself that is true to verify level.  (Ex. bottom face of the top of the stand if there is any overhang as well as the vertical supports)

B.  Once you get the pad on the stand and the tank on the stand check the outer edges of the tank.  If you're confident the stand is level and there isn't any twisting, then proceed.

C.  Fill the tank 25% with water and verify everything.  this gives the tank enough weight to settle and you can get an idea of how the floor and stand is receiving the load.  If you need to drain the tank, make adjustments.

D.  Fill is to 50% and verify everything again.  If you need to drain the tank, make adjustments.

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I just got my 75 filled and running.  Substrate is in there because I wanted to see if I needed more (dry) and then I filled it with water.  I didn't notice until I had it full with water that I had an equipment issue with one of the HoBs.  Then I noticed the stand wasn't straight to the wall and I needed slightly more clearance on the left side.  Today my goal is to move the substrate, drain it completely, and then proceed with final fixes.  I've got a lot of shims on the legs (6 legs on the stand) and just doing any final verification on the tank setup before I proceed to cycle everything. 

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Because of the concern you have with the tank itself, I would opt to contact the store and exchange it (huge bummer about the paint, but just remove it in that case) or contact aqueon and verify with them if there is any issue.  They do have a pretty easy to reach support phone line and pretty helpful techs on hand.

On 3/22/2023 at 7:39 AM, PlaneFishGuy said:

I'm worried about the structural integrity, but its also a cosmetic annoyance because I have perfect reveal all the way around on the trim of the stand, but one side looks out of square because the one corner of the tank. 

Can you provide some photos of what you're seeing?

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On 3/22/2023 at 10:00 AM, MattyM said:

If you are sure the resting surface is level (floor/table/stand etc), I would contact Aqueon directly at 1-888-255-4527. If the tank is defective I don't think a painted back would matter, I wouldn't even mention it since the tank hasn't even been filled. 

Also, I don't think you are supposed to use a mat under rimmed tanks when they are filled. Good luck 👍

ORD 😞 I was trying to 🏆 this one! 

I use a yoga mat on my rimmed tanks just to protect the stand from splashes and drips.  It's not thick enough to cause any issues (3mm thick or so) and it does help the tank to "stick" so to speak.  Given the waves I experienced when the ground started shaking on us a few years back....  It's just part of my process now for most setups. 

The issue / concern of using a pad on rimmed tanks is just making certain nothing is thick enough to compress and then add pressure to that bottom glass panel.  The analogy I would use is taking a 10G tank and setting it up on a hand towel to protect the table surface.

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The risk is that if the frame around the bottom is not level or if the glass panel in the frame is not level you can create a stress fracture when you fill the tank and eventually the bottom can catastrophically fail. Aqueon warranty is only valid on an approved stand and only covers tank damage (a small amount); if your tank ruptures then it will dump 75 gallons on the floor. If your floor is a cement block in the basement not a huge deal; if it is a finished wood floor on the third floor you can do more than $50,000 in damage. Having said all of this it might as aqueon state just settle and all is fine. I actually had a home made tank on a wood stand that wobble back and forth (stand wobbled not the aquarium) and it never broke in 10 years i owned it (it was purchased used from someone who was going into the army who purchased it from someone who whatever so who knows how old it was). However, i did have a brand new 40B from aqueon that split after 14 months down the bottom and caused $20,000 in damage (home owners covered it but still....); generally speaking i've been unhappy with aqueon aquariums but having said that unless you buy custom made aquariums (or make your own) they probably all come from the same factories though in truth the larger ones seem better made or at least better job with silicon - or did the last time i checked. Having said all of this - good luck !

 

Edited by anewbie
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