Leveling / Slight Wobble

[tdubrow]

In the process of setting up a 125 gallon aquarium. Its a AGA 125 RR 72 x 18 and its on a Marineland Prestige Stand. Its all on a hardwood floor which was slightly off so I used composite shims to level the stand. Everything is completely level and sturdy.

So now I finished all the plumbing and went to do a freshwater test to make sure there are no leaks. Once the tank is full, there is a very slight wobble if I shake the tank. For example, when I put my hands around the top of the tank and move them back and forth gently you can feel the tank and water moving slightly, other than that it seems sturdy enough and is level.

The only thing I can think of is that the Prestige Style stand is a very high and narrow stand. Could this maybe just be the result of that? It might be completely fine but I just want to make sure before I move forward. Anyone ever use one of these stands for a 125?

Anyone live in the Jackson NJ areas thats good with this type of stuff? Lol!

Thanks.

 

[MadReefer]

Can you tell is the stand or tank wobbling? I would be more concerned if its the tank rather than the stand.

 

[thirty5]

When you mean wobble, do you mean just movement? If the stand did not move before you added the water to the tank then it should be level or at least shimmed so there is no movement.

For example my 28 nano is level and no wobbling in the stand, But when it is full and I clean it the whole unit will move a bit and water moves. I think that you may need to explain a little further.

 

[mnat]

If it is the stand, I would us these things, it is what I have used.

http://www.zorotools.com/g/00069518...kw={keyword}&gclid=CK6o7Y6Vt6wCFUKo4AoddW8mIQ

 

[tdubrow]

When you mean wobble, do you mean just movement? If the stand did not move before you added the water to the tank then it should be level or at least shimmed so there is no movement.

For example my 28 nano is level and no wobbling in the stand, But when it is full and I clean it the whole unit will move a bit and water moves. I think that you may need to explain a little further.

Yeah I guess wobble is not the correct word. More like just movement I guess. Draining the tank now to see if it does the same thing empty.

 

[thirty5]

Yeah I guess wobble is not the correct word. More like just movement I guess. Draining the tank now to see if it does the same thing empty.

The inertia of the water in the tank is going to magnify the movement, so without water, i am betting that you will not see any more movement.

The weight will actually make the tank move more. How much movement are we talking about here? How much pressure is needed to cause the movement? How long does it last, does it keep moving back and forth??

 

[mnat]

Also forgot, take a level when the tank is empty and full and put it on the front, back and side of the tank to see if there is any areas that are not level.

 

[tdubrow]

All empty and took all the shims out. Im at a complete loss. Just cant get his thing leveled right. Maybe it has something to do with the way the stand is curved in in front?

 

[TanksNStuff]

Is the tank moving, but not the stand? Or is the stand and tank moving as one?

If the stand and tank move together, then there is either an issue with the way you are shimming it or the stand could be warped.

 

[curt]

The bottom of the tank is flat so it must sat on a flat surface. Is it? were in Jackson are you? I'm in Howell.

 

[redfishbluefish]

I am not familiar with this stand, but if it is made with some type of sheet material….plywood or MDO or something similar…then the shimming has to be every couple inches. You can’t just shim the corners or one or two spots. As an example, if one corner has to be raised. Then you have to shim from that corner all the way towards the other corner, every couple inches, supporting the entire edge of the stand.

Now if the stand has an internal frame, then you only need to shim the “leg” portion(s) of the stand.

I hope that makes sense.

And, as others have stated, a full tank is easily “jostled” by slightly nudging it or simply jumping up and down (if it is on a beamed floor).

 

[TanksNStuff]

That's exactly what I was thinking Paul. I was trying to find out if it was the stand just not shimmed "evenly".

 

[tdubrow]

I put shims right next to each other across the whole tank. I'm going to give it another shot tonight. I think one of the problems is that I leveled the tank/stand together with the level on top of the tank frame. The frame might not be totally even and if I level to that, the stand might be off but the tank will seem level. I'm going to level the stand first, and go from there.

The hardest part is the fact that I have to level it front to back (floor is slopes forward a little) and side to side (floor is slopes to the left a little). This is so annoying because I'm not a novice by any means (been doing this for 15years) but never ran into this problem. I have everything plumbed and ready to go this is the only thing stopping me grrr!

 

[mnat]

It is always the little things that get in the way. In my old apartment, the tank and stand looked great until I filled it with water and then I realized how sloped back to front it was. I shimmed it on up but it messed up my plans around the tank and had to change it around.

 

[tdubrow]

The bottom of the tank is flat so it must sat on a flat surface. Is it? were in Jackson are you? I'm in Howell.

I'm on Leesville Rd. pretty much where Cassville Rd.(CR571/528) and Leesville Rd. meet.

 

[tdubrow]

It is always the little things that get in the way. In my old apartment, the tank and stand looked great until I filled it with water and then I realized how sloped back to front it was. I shimmed it on up but it messed up my plans around the tank and had to change it around.

You got that right.

Oh, and Just want to thank everone for the responses. You guys are very helpful.

 

[tdubrow]

Well its definitely the tank frame that is off. Looks like the floor is not as bad as I thought. Only a little over 1/16" off left to right so I didnt bother shimming it. Don't think that will make much difference. If I did things right the first time I wouldnt have made myself crazy.

Now on to another problem lol. I have a herbie style overflow on my 90 gallon which works flawlessly. Now I'm trying to incorporate this on the 125 gallon with 2 overflows. Did some research and it seems the best way to plumb is to tie both overflows together and use one gatevalve. Well this is what I did by using two 90 degree elbows which go into a 1 1/4" gatevalve. (drains are both 1" btw). Well now it seems that the mag 12 is way too powerful. Pretty much have to close it off completely. Guessing its because of the two 90 degree elbows which are restricting the gph. Anyone have any ideas? Guess I can always use a mag 9.5 but not sure if I should maybe plumb the whole thing differently.

 

[MadReefer]

If you use flex hose you would avoid the 90 degree bend and maybe get more flow? I am not an expert just throwing ideas out.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Now on to another problem lol. I have a herbie style overflow on my 90 gallon which works flawlessly. Now I'm trying to incorporate this on the 125 gallon with 2 overflows. Did some research and it seems the best way to plumb is to tie both overflows together and use one gatevalve. Well this is what I did by using two 90 degree elbows which go into a 1 1/4" gatevalve. (drains are both 1" btw). Well now it seems that the mag 12 is way too powerful. Pretty much have to close it off completely. Guessing its because of the two 90 degree elbows which are restricting the gph. Anyone have any ideas? Guess I can always use a mag 9.5 but not sure if I should maybe plumb the whole thing differently.

You effectively have a single 1 ¼ inch drain with a bunch of fittings that add additional frictional lost…..you are nowhere close to the flow you need. You might want to see THIS.



I would suggest two individual 1 ½ drain lines which should be able to handle ca 1500 gph…..otherwise, maybe a MAG 5 or at best a MAG 7 on that 1 ¼ inch setup you are considering.

 

[tdubrow]

You effectively have a single 1 ¼ inch drain with a bunch of fittings that add additional frictional lost…..you are nowhere close to the flow you need. You might want to see THIS.



I would suggest two individual 1 ½ drain lines which should be able to handle ca 1500 gph…..otherwise, maybe a MAG 5 or at best a MAG 7 on that 1 ¼ inch setup you are considering.

Well I'm only looking to get 300-500gph through sump. Going to try a Mag 9.5 and dial it back a little. If that doesnt work I guess I will have to use the 2 drains seperately and not tie them together with elbows.