JosiahBass Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 Hello, I bought a cabinet to use as a 75 gallon tank stand, After I bought it I come to find it has a 1/8 of an inch sag in the middle. I know the cabinet needs to be completely flat how do I accomplish it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 send us a picture so we can see what you're working with. It may just require shims Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamS Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 Now that is a lot of fun. You could try shims to level it out, but with a bow in the middle that is going to be tricky. If it was a 40 breeder I would say don’t worry about it as it’s only 1/8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosiahBass Posted May 15 Author Share Posted May 15 On 5/15/2024 at 12:53 PM, AdamS said: Now that is a lot of fun. You could try shims to level it out, but with a bow in the middle that is going to be tricky. If it was a 40 breeder I would say don’t worry about it as it’s only 1/8 On 5/15/2024 at 12:52 PM, Tony s said: send us a picture so we can see what you're working with. It may just require shims Ok, I'am just going do the shims. From the research I've been doing I believe it to be my best option. Thank you both for your help, 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyxxl Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 Is this real wood furniture or particle board? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamS Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 I’d love to see how you shim it and what it looks like once you have it all set. Could help others in the future as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosiahBass Posted May 15 Author Share Posted May 15 On 5/15/2024 at 2:09 PM, johnnyxxl said: Is this real wood furniture or particle board? Yes, it is real maple. I don't think I could ever trust a particleboard stand for a 75 gallon. On 5/15/2024 at 2:47 PM, AdamS said: I’d love to see how you shim it and what it looks like once you have it all set. Could help others in the future as well. I will, Its probably going to be about two weeks before I put the tank on the stand(therefore putting the shims in). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cotasm Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 Sorry to piggyback on the OP, but I, too, am looking for advice on this topic... My son's tank isn't level due to the solid wood furniture it's on having a slight forward lean. I've been wanting to do something about this. I thought about shims, but I was worried that putting shims under just the front of the tank would put additional stress on the rest of the tank (and the thought of a tank failure terrifies me). I remember when I was considering a Waterbox tank for my next tank that they come with a foam pad to help with leveling (I'll attach a pic below). To me (maybe I'm wrong), this seems like a better option to maintain a more even structural weight distribution, but I don't know if that's something that can be bought on its own. Thoughts? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sacah Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 @cotasm in your case I'd shim the furniture front legs to level the table. @JosiahBass as others have said, would be good to get a photo to know what you're working with. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamS Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 How big is the tank? If it is only 1/8” in just one direction I wouldn’t worry about it. I called aqueon to ask about this when I setup my tanks and that’s what I was told. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosiahBass Posted May 16 Author Share Posted May 16 On 5/15/2024 at 9:13 PM, AdamS said: How big is the tank? If it is only 1/8” in just one direction I wouldn’t worry about it. I called aqueon to ask about this when I setup my tanks and that’s what I was told. It's a 75, I called Aqueon, I got a little ticked off when they said they couldn't help me at all or tell me anything for insurance reasons. Apparently they can't help you if you don't use on of there stands.😒 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 not level to a minor degree is not a huge deal, however the surface the tank sits on needs to be flat. you can shim up the base to get it more level. big dip or sag on the top that the tank will sit on, for me is a deal killer. i would not use a stand where the top surface the tank sits on is not flat. a few thousands one way or the other isnt huge, but an 1/8" dip in the middle, imo the tank will eventually fail due to that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cotasm Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 On 5/15/2024 at 9:17 PM, JosiahBass said: I got a little ticked off when they said they couldn't help me at all or tell me anything for insurance reasons. Apparently they can't help you if you don't use on of there stands.😒 Wow! I can understand liability concerns to a certain degree (I suppose how they advise you matters), but not offering any general advice—other than trying to make you regret not buying another of their products—seems like poor customer care that would result in fewer repeat customers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOtrees Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 Without pics @JosiahBass it's hard to know what the best solution will be. Not every cabinet is made to support a fish tank, but if it's built well/strong enough, there is usually a way. What's the height of the gap under the bottom of the cabinet, ie how much height do you need to get blocks and shims in, to make the top level? I'm going to assume the ends of the cabinet have legs, and the middle doesn't, and that's why it's sagging in the middle. If this is the case, will lifting the middle bottom at front and back (blocks and/or shims) fix the issue and un-bow the top deck? My concern is if it was well built, that shouldn't happen. Is the wood warping (eg it would sag regardless of weight)? Is it braced well front to back? Another option is to not deal with the bow or sag in the cabinet, but top it with a suitable piece of plywood (say 3/4 or 7/8 thick), and only level/shim that. It can be painted or stained to look good and match the cabinet. But if the cabinet below the deck isn't strong, you'd just be adding pressure where it's already weak (eg the shims at the middle of the deck would push down on the cabinet in the middle, and if it's sagging because it lacks support there already...). @cotasm your issue is different from what this thread is discussing. The tank in your photo is rimless, and they have different needs than rimmed tanks, like the 75 that @JosiahBass is talking about. For a rimless tank, just supporting the perimeter or outside of the tank isn't sufficient (as it is with a rimmed tank). You also need to ensure there are no high spots or pressure points anywhere under the bottom pane. That's why they come with the mat, it's not to make it level, but to make it flat or even. Eg if you have a tiny pebble under any part of the rimless tank, without a mat you're in big trouble. The mat gives relief from that issue. Level is not the same as flat. Either tank (with rim or rimless) can be out of level by a bit without too much issue. This would result in water being higher on one side than the other, or same front to back. Eg the waterline at top wouldn't be exactly parallel to the top of the tank. If the base is properly supported, this isn't a huge issue. But it's an eyesore, IMO. If you can hide the waterline behind the upper frame, that works. If frameless, no fix. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 FWIW, just about every aquarium (and aquarium rack, for that matter) that I've ever had has not been exactly level. Most have been off by more than 1/8" - the 55 gallon in my living room is probably close to 1" higher on the left side of the tank than it is on the right. The floor slopes. What's important (as others have mentioned) is that the surface is flat. It can be pretty unlevel and still be safe, as long as the surface is flat. I'd use shims as suggested (plastic ones - the wood ones inevitably get wet from tank spills) and make sure the stand is properly supported and that the bowing doesn't get any worse. Theoretically, since the 4 corners of the tank are supported, the bow in the middle shouldn't matter. Especially if shimmed. You just want to make the sure the stand isn't bowing more over time, as it could eventually cause issues. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmark285 Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 (edited) On 5/15/2024 at 12:39 PM, JosiahBass said: After I bought it I come to find it has a 1/8 of an inch sag in the middle You can use some Bondo. If you have a 4" level, put some clear package tape on the level. Put tape down along the edge where the aquarium will sit. Move the tank and put some Bondo in the gap. Clamp down the level and let the Bondo cure. Right as the Bondo starts to set up, cut the Bondo edge with a razor knife then pull up the tape. this should give you a clean edge. Edited May 16 by madmark285 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 On 5/16/2024 at 12:28 PM, madmark285 said: You can use some Bondo That may be a great idea. would never have thought of that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodjobchamp Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 i have noticed all my tanks are a bit slanted aswell but they are just 10g and 20g is it a big concern? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 On 5/16/2024 at 4:32 PM, goodjobchamp said: i have noticed all my tanks are a bit slanted aswell but they are just 10g and 20g is it a big concern? no, they can lean a little bit. the big thing we are concerned with is they sit on a flat surface. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 On 5/16/2024 at 5:32 PM, goodjobchamp said: i have noticed all my tanks are a bit slanted aswell but they are just 10g and 20g is it a big concern? structurally it's good. but it depends how that water line looks, if it starts to be annoying. but then you'd have to redo them all and get them level.... Nope, definitely good 🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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