Another stand question

[David Mc]

I built a stand for my glass 240 and , even though I was careful about checking for straightness, there is about a .030 inch gap, right in the middle, between the the top rail and the tank bottom. The is both the front, back and one side. All four corners and the right side appear to have solid contact.

Could have the tank changed shape from improper (twenty year) storage?
Should I try and shim?

I already added all my rock (a lot!) and about 70-80 gallons of water.
I resealed the tank so I was using a light to check for leaks when I noticed the gaps.

 

[redfishbluefish]

I don't like seeing any gap between the tank frame and stand. And no one will be able to give you a definitive answer.

You did not mention how the stand was built....is it the oh-so-popular dimensional lumber stand. If so, did you use a piece of 3/4 plywood on the top of the stand. Dimensional lumber in not the straightest stuff going and the plywood top helps to "level" out these imperfections. I wouldn't be happy until that tank was sitting flush on all edges against that stand.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Do you have a picture of it? 2x4" and 2x6" construction?

 

[David Mc]

Solid wood (mostly cypress) with no metal fasteners. Jointed and planed myself. I used a 6ft level as a straight edge when I checked the stand. I know it's not a real straight edge. I do have one of those but it's only 24 inches.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I don't like seeing any gap between the tank frame and stand. And no one will be able to give you a definitive answer.

You did not mention how the stand was built....is it the oh-so-popular dimensional lumber stand. If so, did you use a piece of 3/4 plywood on the top of the stand. Dimensional lumber in not the straightest stuff going and the plywood top helps to "level" out these imperfections. I wouldn't be happy until that tank was sitting flush on all edges against that stand.

I've read that with "rimmed" glass tanks, as opposed to acrylic tanks, that as long as the tank sits flat on all corners (coplanar) and all four corners are on the same plane, equal in height and are level to each other, your good.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Solid wood (mostly cypress) with no metal fasteners. Jointed and planed myself. I used a 6ft level as a straight edge when I checked the stand. I know it's not a real straight edge. I do have one of those but it's only 24 inches.

What is connecting the vertical supports to each other? Flat 2x4? I would be more concerned with racking. Tank flexing left, right, back and forth.

 

[Flippers4pups]

This is the "rocket engineers" design from long ago. I build my stands to this design.

Many people that DIY stands say that this overkill, but i disagree and many other stand builders use it with great success.

This design accounts for the racking issues and if built correctly, address the "coplanar" issues.

 

[David Mc]

The vertical are in a 3/4" deep rabbet top and bottom. Glued in behind each piece of those is another matching 3/4" piece that is flat on the horizontal members. The two long top horizontal pieces are tied together with two 1"x4" dovetailed to prevent them from spreading.

 

[David Mc]

I've done the 2x4"s before. Not needed. The original stand was less sturdy than this one and held the aquarium fine for many years. I would have reused it if it wasn't so low.
Now, here's and example of a minimal stand:

 

[Flippers4pups]

As long as your coplanar, your good then.

Happy reefing!