level tank

[jc]

I set up a new tank but it is not level. It is on the stand and it has nothing in it. It is sitting on carpet but is about 5" from the wall so it should not be on the tack strip. The bubble on the level is about 1/8" across the line. What can I do to level the tank? Does it have to be perfectly level?

[hammondegge]

shim under the stand but not between the tank and stand. level is best.
did you put foam between the tank and stand? if not, that alone may take care of the deflection.

[jc]

where do i get the foam? What is it called?

[captexas]

Yeah, shim it now while you have a chance. You can buy a pack of wood shims at Home Depot or Lowes for a buck or so. Having the tank level keeps the pressure balanced on all sides of the tank.

[Darth-Tater]

It's called foam. :o You can pick it up anywhere. Walmart, Target, Garden Ridge etc


DT

[hammondegge]

where do i get the foam? What is it called?

i use the 4'x8' pink insulating panels that you can get at home depot. you will have a lot left over but it is cheap and distributes the weight really well. just cut it with a utility knife to fit inside the top of your stand. exactly the same or slightly larger than the foot print of your tank. this will remove any possibility of stress fractures.

[jc]

Home depot is becoming a second home to me. Thx for the help guys.

[matt]

You still need to level the tank before you put the foam under it by shimmng under the stand; it might sit sort of level on the foam empty, but when you fill it up it will probably go back to the way it was. One thing that has not been mentioned is that many small levels are notoriously inaccurate; bummer! You either need to borrow a nice big one or do the best you can with the one you have, fill the tank almost to the top with tap water, and check again. Another little problem is that the trim on the top is not always flush with the top of the glass; so the best way to check the tank is to put the level inside the tank on the glass bottom and look at the bubble through the tank wall. Usually IME you have to fill up the tank with tap water to check it, then empty it, shim, repeat, to get it really right. The good metal levels will sit on the bottom of the tank even with water in it, but usually you can tell pretty well with the tank almost filled just by looking at the water line.