Reefer 250 Not Level

MikeO5422 · Nov 26, 2017

Hello all,

I just noticed my reefer 250 is not completely level from front to back. It has been setup for about 2 months. It sits on carpet over concrete and is about 1/8inch lower on the front. When I put a level on it the bubble is just barely over one of the lines. It is about 4.5 inches from the wall.

I don't really care about aesthetics at this point as its not noticeable to me.....just want to know if I should be concerned from a safety standpoint.

Thanks!

Cory · Nov 26, 2017

That' not a huge worry imo

MikeO5422 · Dec 3, 2017

I came across a post (on another forum) from someone who said everyone hes talked to with a reefer has said their tank leans forward between 1/4 to 1/8 inches. Anyone else got a reefer 250 with the same issue?

robbie8691 · Dec 3, 2017

Same here my reefer 250 leans forward a tiny bit to on a level floor idk why

roberthu526 · Dec 3, 2017

This is why I prefer to build my own stand. It can be difficult to line up a pre built stand to your current floor. Stuffing at the bottom can cause other issues.

naturalEhy · Feb 18, 2018

Mine leans forward about 1/8 - 1/4 of an inch too. I wonder how risky that is...

Dom · Feb 18, 2018

Personally, I wouldn't worry. I mean, the tank could have been perfectly level when you set up. But now after being under the weight of the tank for two months, things settle.

Freddy0144 · Feb 18, 2018

my 225 is not level front to back or left to right it is not an issue tank has been running for months and was water tested for months before becoming a reef tank.

brad shawn · Jun 19, 2019

MikeO5422 said:
I came across a post (on another forum) from someone who said everyone hes talked to with a reefer has said their tank leans forward between 1/4 to 1/8 inches. Anyone else got a reefer 250 with the same issue?

Yes just got mine set up and I’m dealing with the same issue. This is across a 2 foot level. Out front to back. I’m afraid to shim their cabinet actually have a thread going on this same topic. Just came across yours so figured I’d add my experience

MikeO5422 · Jun 19, 2019

Mine has been running fine since I posted. Red Sea said it was fine as well. A little off seems to be okay. But heck if I just set it up I would obsess over it being level

AwildcatsZ · Aug 30, 2019

I'm glad I came across this post. I am in the exact same boat. I have a RSR 250 that has been running for just over a month now. It leans about 1/4" towards the front. Side to side is perfectly level.

@MikeO5422 you said Red Sea themselves said it was ok?

I feel like I've been losing sleep because I keep waiting to hear it crash...

brad shawn · Aug 30, 2019

AwildcatsZ said:
I'm glad I came across this post. I am in the exact same boat. I have a RSR 250 that has been running for just over a month now. It leans about 1/4" towards the front. Side to side is perfectly level.

@MikeO5422 you said Red Sea themselves said it was ok?

I feel like I've been losing sleep because I keep waiting to hear it crash...

Mine was doing the same leaning forward. I got composite shims from Home Depot and shimmed all the feet and one long cedar shim for the one foot in the center of the stand kinda went by feel on that one. Im sure it would have been fine but like you I was losing sleep so I drained it and shimmed it and I feel so much better. It’s been 3 months and all is good thank god.

MikeO5422 · Aug 30, 2019

I did contact red sea support with pictures and they said it was fine as long as it was not getting worse. I monitored it obsessively for a few months and it has not changed. I still get paranoid about it....but its been good. Now that I mention it...I am going to go measure ...phew, no change.

Cali-Saltwater-1st-Timer · Nov 14, 2019

brad shawn said:
Mine was doing the same leaning forward. I got composite shims from Home Depot and shimmed all the feet and one long cedar shim for the one foot in the center of the stand kinda went by feel on that one. Im sure it would have been fine but like you I was losing sleep so I drained it and shimmed it and I feel so much better. It’s been 3 months and all is good thank god.

Did you drain it entirely? I'm going through the same issues with my Reefer 350. Tank was level until recently, now it leans forward slightly (bubble on level is touching the line). Not sure what changed. Problem is now my tank is fully stocked with fish and coral so I can only drain it so much.

brad shawn · Nov 14, 2019

Cali-Saltwater-1st-Timer said:
Did you drain it entirely? I'm going through the same issues with my Reefer 350. Tank was level until recently, now it leans forward slightly (bubble on level is touching the line). Not sure what changed. Problem is now my tank is fully stocked with fish and coral so I can only drain it so much.

I did this all during initial setup so there was no water in the tank. Since filling it it has settled a bit and it’s leaning forward a a bit but it’s been around 4 months and it’s still upright so I’m going with it. I’d imagine it would be hard to shim whilst being full. Honestly peace of mind is huge so if you can drain as much as possible I’d go for it.

GregDaKeg · Nov 15, 2019

MikeO5422 said:
I came across a post (on another forum) from someone who said everyone hes talked to with a reefer has said their tank leans forward between 1/4 to 1/8 inches. Anyone else got a reefer 250 with the same issue?

Me. Level when I set it up on concrete slab wood floor. Now a few months later about 1/2" leaning forward