Leeatl Posted November 3, 2023 Share Posted November 3, 2023 I have an acrylic tank and stand that I just finished polishing up and setting up. My question is, one corner and a little of the front of the stand don't touch the floor. I know the floor is fine so I think the stand may be warped some. Does anyone have any experience with a problem like this? Oh, just to clarify the stand is made of acrylic too.TIA, Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted November 3, 2023 Share Posted November 3, 2023 If you can post photos there are engineers and craftsman on the forum that could really assist it better if they could see it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeatl Posted November 3, 2023 Author Share Posted November 3, 2023 Ok, thanks. It is too dark in room now, but I will get pics tomorrow and post. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeatl Posted November 3, 2023 Author Share Posted November 3, 2023 Ok I got some pics this am. The part between the pieces of card stock are what is not touching the floor. It goes under from about 3 inches to about 6 inches. It did settle some more over night so maybe it will eventually sit right? It is a second hand tank and I don't know what it was sitting on before. Maybe the bottom is bowed out a little and will settle back down? I didn't see this till after I filled it or I would have checked the bottom good. I may have to drain it and do just that. Thanks for the help, Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeatl Posted November 4, 2023 Author Share Posted November 4, 2023 No one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 i myself would not be overly concerned with that. as long as the surface the tanks sits on is flat, and somewhat level, its all good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galabar Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 I'm trying hard to visualize the issue. Are you saying that there is up to 6 inches between the bottom of the stand and the floor where you have the paper placed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 (edited) On 11/3/2023 at 8:20 AM, Leeatl said: Ok I got some pics this am. The part between the pieces of card stock are what is not touching the floor. It goes under from about 3 inches to about 6 inches. It did settle some more over night so maybe it will eventually sit right? It is a second hand tank and I don't know what it was sitting on before. Maybe the bottom is bowed out a little and will settle back down? I didn't see this till after I filled it or I would have checked the bottom good. I may have to drain it and do just that. Thanks for the help, Ken The acrylic in that stand seems to be non-structural. It isn't something more than a cover and so it's really tough to judge what I'm seeing. Essentially, can you share the model number or take some photos internally of the stand to show the structure a bit better? Edited November 4, 2023 by nabokovfan87 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmark285 Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 Building something perfectly flat is difficult, this is why we use legs on furniture. With a load on it, your floor may not be perfectly flat. I would have attached felt strips to the bottom of the stand. I do this on my framed aquariums and some type of pad is required on frameless aquariums ie: you can't assume the stand is perfectly flat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeatl Posted November 4, 2023 Author Share Posted November 4, 2023 On 11/3/2023 at 10:57 PM, Galabar said: I'm trying hard to visualize the issue. Are you saying that there is up to 6 inches between the bottom of the stand and the floor where you have the paper placed? The gap is barely high enough to get the cardstock in. I mean the cardstock goes in under the stand from 3 to 6 inches along the gap. Hope that makes more sense. I will get some pics of the inside, but the entire stand is acrylic. The acrylic itself is the stand, not just a skin. Thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeatl Posted November 4, 2023 Author Share Posted November 4, 2023 (edited) Here are some pics of the inside of the stand. I outlined the vertical supports and the red x is the clear acrylic back of the stand and the red o is the wall behind so you can see the shape better. The second pic is the side of the front opening. There is an upright like that on both sides of the opening. Edited November 4, 2023 by Leeatl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galabar Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 On 11/4/2023 at 6:33 AM, Leeatl said: The gap is barely high enough to get the cardstock in. I mean the cardstock goes in under the stand from 3 to 6 inches along the gap. Hope that makes more sense. I will get some pics of the inside, but the entire stand is acrylic. The acrylic itself is the stand, not just a skin. Thanks all. Yes, thank you. That seems much better than the way I interpreted it. I'm guessing it is fine. The important part is how the tank is supported on the top of the stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 On 11/4/2023 at 7:46 AM, Leeatl said: This is where you're going to have the structural support. The "beams" so to speak that go in the corners or that are placed in this direction. (front to back) Checking how those spots on the stand are loaded, using a level there would give you an idea of how "true" the stand is and if it's leaning front to back or bowed. "Flat" is a very broad term and there is a cost associated with how flat, flat needs to be. I can pretty much say that the acrylic if stored correctly and all of those things will be more flat by tolerance than something like the hardwood floor would be. You also have some cushion and a little bit of movement on the wood floor, which is likely where you're seeing a little bit of the gaps. Someone mentioned felt or rubber pads on the bottom side of the stand, that's very similar to how you dampen the load on a rimless tank and would work too. Check those spots and go from there. Usually 1/16" of movement is fine, 1/8" is about the point where you might be able to adjust things better and anything larger gaps would seriously be at risk of breaking over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeatl Posted November 4, 2023 Author Share Posted November 4, 2023 So, nabokovfan87, you are saying that 1/16 or less is ok? I also found that one corner of the tank is just off the stand on one corner just enough to get a piece of paper in about an inch. I don't think that will be a problem, but would like opinions on that too. And when I say a corner, this is a hex tank so there are 6 corners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted November 5, 2023 Share Posted November 5, 2023 On 11/4/2023 at 4:25 PM, Leeatl said: So, nabokovfan87, you are saying that 1/16 or less is ok? In terms of a gap/flatness it's pretty common. On 11/4/2023 at 4:25 PM, Leeatl said: I also found that one corner of the tank is just off the stand on one corner just enough to get a piece of paper in about an inch. I don't think that will be a problem, but would like opinions on that too. And when I say a corner, this is a hex tank so there are 6 corners. What a lot of people do is stack pieces of paper to measure the gap. Honestly, get the level out, follow the structure and check how level/flat things are. Under load it will shift and move. Under load you have to check it again, then fill the tank a little more and check it again. I've never seen a full acrylic stand before. Is this something you built yourself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt B Posted November 5, 2023 Share Posted November 5, 2023 Can you post a full front picture of the entire setup? I think I've seen something like this years ago. 🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeatl Posted November 5, 2023 Author Share Posted November 5, 2023 This is the best pic I can get of the whole setup. The slick black acrylic doesn't show much detail. The front was open and I used a black acrylic sheet and plastic screws and made a door for it. It is a manufactured stand, I couldn't make that if my life depended on it...lol I used a level and the top and bottom of the stand are flat as far as I can tell so I guess it is the floor. I am going to get some shims and put them just snug where needed and call it a day. I feel like it will be fine. If anyone has anymore comments I welcome them and thanks to all that have replied so far. Ken 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt B Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 That is a cool looking tank! The one I saw years ago was similar, but was rectangular. It was on a carpeted floor, so there would really be no gaps. My guess, it will be fine. I wonder if the acrylic material is a little flexible? 🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeatl Posted November 6, 2023 Author Share Posted November 6, 2023 Maybe a little flexible but probably not much. I got some shims from Home Depot this afternoon and put them under to where they just stopped and cut them off and put back under in 5 places. I think that will do the trick. I will just keep an eye on the level of the tank and stand. Here is another acrylic tank and stand that had an acrylic canopy I had this past summer. I decided I didn't like it after all and sold it. It just had two hollow columns of acrylic holding it up. It had an acrylic base and top that were clear. It is still going strong and I hear from the buyer all the time so I guess that is a good sign. Sometimes I am overly paranoid. I have a 40 and a custom 5 foot 75 gallon acrylic tanks, but I built stands for them. They would hold a car and have foam board on top to even them out. Again thanks to all. I think I will sleep better tonight....lol 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tolstoy21 Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 (edited) Little late with a reply, but I would make sure the top of the stand where the tank sits is flat. Also check it for level, and if needed, put a shim under the areas on the bottom of the base that don't touch the floor . . . Ah ok, I see you are one step ahead of me! On 11/5/2023 at 8:49 PM, Leeatl said: Maybe a little flexible but probably not much. I got some shims from Home Depot this afternoon and put them under to where they just stopped and cut them off and put back under in 5 places. I think that will do the trick. I do that on my stands, as I have an old house that is waaaaaay out of level, and not always in the same direction. Shims haven't failed me yet. My focus is that my tanks be level front-to-back, side-to-side, and across the diagonals, and that they are sitting on a flat, level surface. If accomplishing this means packing shims underneath a corner of the stand or two, so be it. It works. Edited November 6, 2023 by tolstoy21 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now