Please check my 180 gallon stand

[ibryson]

Please see the attached image. I built this stand for my 180 gallon aquarium and I'm a little concerned with the gap between the stand and tank. I've read that as long as all four corners are touching (which they are) then it should be fine but I wanted to get more opinions. It is approximately a 1/16 to 1/8 inch gap. Im concerned it will cause the glass to stress and crack. Also, any thoughts on putting foam between the tank and stand?

[Tinkanator2000]

I would just put a shim under the top part of your stand to raise that area.

[outy]

I would put water in the tank and see if it levels out before putting a possible uneeded shim in that could crack the glass.

If the other 3 sides are all flat, I would not mess with it.

When setting up a new tank I have always filled and had to re level stand anyway.

[danferd2002]

Which is warped the tank frame or the top of the stand?

[Lsufan]

U definitely want more then just the 4 corners in contact with the stand. U really want the entire bottom trim in contact with the stand. I may could live with 1/16” or less but if it is 1/8” I would fix it. It is usually the stand that is a issue but in your pic it looks like it may be the tank trim, but it could just be the pic. If a section of the trim isn’t in contact with the stand it could definitely cause stress on the glass.

[rc1626]

Originally Posted by danferd2002

Which is warped the tank frame or the top of the stand?

That is my question. If top of stand is level and straight fill about 1/2 way as suggested and see if it closes the gap.
What brand tank is that?

[ibryson]

Originally Posted by rc1626

That is my question. If top of stand is level and straight fill about 1/2 way as suggested and see if it closes the gap.
What brand tank is that?

Sorry guys, Ive been on vacation. Im sure its the stand that is unlevel but it is an Aqueon brand.

[PhishyRupert]

Aqueon claims only the 4 corners need to be in contact. I’ve seen photos with this on large tanks that have been fine but it would make me worry to much.

[outy]

Originally Posted by ibryson

Im sure its the stand that is unlevel but it is an Aqueon brand.

Please put a level on it and know not just be "sure"

Stands can be corrected. If it warped that easy, its not a good 180 stand.

Also putting weight on it may correct a tank or stand issue if small.

[JUNBUG361]

Looks like the lower frame is warped to me. Putting shims on that area correct the gap? Maybe I’m wrong

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Originally Posted by ibryson

Sorry guys, Ive been on vacation. Im sure its the stand that is unlevel but it is an Aqueon brand.

Contact Aqueon and ask!

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Originally Posted by Lsufan

It is usually the stand that is a issue but in your pic it looks like it may be the tank trim

I see what you mean in the photo but I'm assuming that's just the lens effect of strong light bleeding through a really narrow gap.

Regarding the comments to fill the tank and see if it goes away - personally, I don't think that's good practice. If filling it makes it go away, that basically means you're introducing stress into the structure to the point that it's deforming. And that can lead to disaster down the road. Having a tank level differently after filling because it's on carpet, or some other trivial issue, is one thing - but having the contact patch between the tank and stand change under stress means you're deforming something. If it's the wood in the stand that is deforming, it may not be an issue for the wood itself, but in order to cause that deformation you're basically using the tank to point load the stand until it moves, which means the tank is under stress it wasn't designed for. Yes, they may now fully touch when full, but that doesn't mean the weight is actually being distributed evenly, as it should be.

A tank and stand that are built straight and true should not change their relationship to each other when full vs empty and should sit correctly with no weight on the tank.