Can you re-level a full 230 gallon glass tank on a wood stand?

richw · 02/01/2008, 07:56 PM

I recently discovered that over the past 7 years, the wooden floor under my tank has settled on one side by about 1/2 and inch. (The settlement is not even, the front of the tank on the lower side is about 1/8 higher than the back.)

I understand that over the long term, this is not a good thing in that it will put an unreasonable strain on the seams of the tank.

I am committed to doing something to fix the problem if necessary -- I donâ€™t want 250+ gallons running through my house.

One option is to completely drain the tank and re-level it. An empty tank would be easier to move and the movement would put little strain on the glass. For obvious reasons, I would rather not disrupt every thing in the tank to do this.

Another option is to partially drain the tank -- say 50% -- jack it up (using a car jack and some 2x4s, or something else) and raise the tank to level it? Even partially drained, will the tank will weigh in excess of 1000 pounds.

Here are my questions:

Would option 2 put an unreasonable strain on the stand?

Once moved, would I have to support the stand at its mid points or would it eventually buckle in the middle if both of the sides are higher? (If it did buckle, I am sure this would not be good for the tank.)

Would raising a partially full tank (assuming I could pull it off) create an unacceptable strain on the tank during the move?

Since the settlement is rather insignificant, do I even need to do anything.

Would doing something be worse than doing nothing?

Should I try to raise the floor under the tank -- it is an unfinished room in the basement -- to try to correct the probem. (I had the floor supported with 2x4's before I put the tank in. I think the settlement is a combination of the floor itself and stand compressing slightly. I'm not an engineer so don't quote me on that.)

I am prepared to hire a carpenter to help me with any of the options.

I would appreciate any input.

ManotheSea · 02/01/2008, 08:42 PM

Sounds like a judgment call for you. I once used a car jack to raise the side of a house from a window sill in the basement. This was done to level the floors of a 100 year old house with seriously sloping floors. I had to jack the house up several inches. It seemed like a mile at the time while holding my breath and hoping the jack wouldnt blow out. Another time I used a car jack to level a stand with 200 gal of seperate full tanks on it. So Im sure that a car jack will do the work easily for you. As to what approach to take, thats where your judgment call comes in.

Personally I think I would be inclined try to level the tank using a car jack on the stand and plastic shims. Anything you do including doing nothing has some risk of failure involved. Weigh out the odds as best you can and make your move.

Agu · 02/01/2008, 10:02 PM

I wouldn't trust 2X4's to support a 230 gallon tank.

If you level the tank the floor could still settle more and you'll have the same problem again. There are jacks made for supporting floors from in the basement. You install them using a pin and a screw adjustment. You need to snug them up then use the screw adjustment to slowly adjust the floor back to level.

They're not expensive and it's an easy DIY project, just don't get in a hurry to get back to level.

02/01/2008, 07:56 PM	#1
richw Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Cherry Hill, NJ Posts: 627	Can you re-level a full 230 gallon glass tank on a wood stand? I recently discovered that over the past 7 years, the wooden floor under my tank has settled on one side by about 1/2 and inch. (The settlement is not even, the front of the tank on the lower side is about 1/8 higher than the back.) I understand that over the long term, this is not a good thing in that it will put an unreasonable strain on the seams of the tank. I am committed to doing something to fix the problem if necessary -- I donâ€™t want 250+ gallons running through my house. One option is to completely drain the tank and re-level it. An empty tank would be easier to move and the movement would put little strain on the glass. For obvious reasons, I would rather not disrupt every thing in the tank to do this. Another option is to partially drain the tank -- say 50% -- jack it up (using a car jack and some 2x4s, or something else) and raise the tank to level it? Even partially drained, will the tank will weigh in excess of 1000 pounds. Here are my questions: Would option 2 put an unreasonable strain on the stand? Once moved, would I have to support the stand at its mid points or would it eventually buckle in the middle if both of the sides are higher? (If it did buckle, I am sure this would not be good for the tank.) Would raising a partially full tank (assuming I could pull it off) create an unacceptable strain on the tank during the move? Since the settlement is rather insignificant, do I even need to do anything. Would doing something be worse than doing nothing? Should I try to raise the floor under the tank -- it is an unfinished room in the basement -- to try to correct the probem. (I had the floor supported with 2x4's before I put the tank in. I think the settlement is a combination of the floor itself and stand compressing slightly. I'm not an engineer so don't quote me on that.) I am prepared to hire a carpenter to help me with any of the options. I would appreciate any input.

02/01/2008, 10:02 PM	#3
Agu Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Sarasota, Florida Posts: 30,279	I wouldn't trust 2X4's to support a 230 gallon tank. If you level the tank the floor could still settle more and you'll have the same problem again. There are jacks made for supporting floors from in the basement. You install them using a pin and a screw adjustment. You need to snug them up then use the screw adjustment to slowly adjust the floor back to level. They're not expensive and it's an easy DIY project, just don't get in a hurry to get back to level. __________________ Less technology , more biology . Current Tank Info: 30 gallon half cube and 5.5, both reef tanks

02/01/2008, 08:42 PM	#2
ManotheSea Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: FL Posts: 414	Sounds like a judgment call for you. I once used a car jack to raise the side of a house from a window sill in the basement. This was done to level the floors of a 100 year old house with seriously sloping floors. I had to jack the house up several inches. It seemed like a mile at the time while holding my breath and hoping the jack wouldnt blow out. Another time I used a car jack to level a stand with 200 gal of seperate full tanks on it. So Im sure that a car jack will do the work easily for you. As to what approach to take, thats where your judgment call comes in. Personally I think I would be inclined try to level the tank using a car jack on the stand and plastic shims. Anything you do including doing nothing has some risk of failure involved. Weigh out the odds as best you can and make your move.