Small gap between one corner of stand and tank.

[radav88]

I just received my first big custom aquarium. I bought a steel stand from the builder as well. The aquarium builder provided a finished plywood sheet that sits on top of the stand. The aquarium itself also has a pvc sheet attached to the bottom of the glass tank and it is a eurobraced tank. I got the stand with the plywood sheet level before the tank arrived. Put the tank on the stand and made sure everything still was level. Then I did a visual inspection and found the slightest gap between the pvc bottom and the plywood top sheet in one corner.

They suggested that I give it a couple days to see if the wood conforms to the weight of the tank and the gap goes away. If the gap persists they suggested I will need to put a neoprene mat between the wood and the tank bottom. I guess my question is how could I still have a gap with the presence of a plywood sheet and a pvc mat when the steel stand itself was level?

 

[vtecintegra]

Can't tell what's causing the gap. Photo is fuzzy when blown up. Looks like the thickness of the pvc is thinner toward the edge.

 

[Gtinnel]

Obviously either the tank or the plywood sheet isn't perfectly flat.

 

[Rick's Reviews]

I think you need to recheck your stand top/ plywood before filling aquarium, wood is forgiving in the way it can expand and shrink also pvc can bend given the right pressure.. however GLASS is not as forgiving meaning you need to ensure your glass bottom sits on an even surface! try a simple coin on its edge/ to roll test the surface of your stand (a level with bubble is not ideal as this is for STRAIGHT edge)
I would definitely check your stand first

 

[radav88]

Thank you for your responses. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking something obvious. I fiddled with the leveling feet on the stand a lot to make sure everything was level. I guess my plan now is to get the tank off the stand (That will be a whole other issue since I had to use movers to move the thing on there in the first place.) go back over the top and double check the level of the stand. If I left everything as is and just put the neoprene mat in place that should fix the issue correct?

 

[vtecintegra]

I'm curious. How big is this tank? Is the pvc bonded to the glass? It's hard to get a perspective with just a photo of the corner.

I would want to look at the bottom glass. I had a tank made and the bottom pane was twisted. It was a 1/4" off on one end. If it was a 30 gallon I'd put a mat and be done with it. If it's up around 180 gallons a mat is more iffy.

 

[fishface NJ]

The brown area (wood?) is not the same thickness on the right side...thinner on the right

 

[flagg37]

Has it been filled with water?

 

[radav88]

I'm curious. How big is this tank? Is the pvc bonded to the glass? It's hard to get a perspective with just a photo of the corner.

I would want to look at the bottom glass. I had a tank made and the bottom pane was twisted. It was a 1/4" off on one end. If it was a 30 gallon I'd put a mat and be done with it. If it's up around 180 gallons a mat is more iffy.

The tank is 150 gallon 48" x 30" x 24" with the pvc sheet bonded to the bottom. It is tough to tell what is going on at the bottom since the silicone and pvc are all black. I'll get a few more pictures and add a tape measure to the shot tomorrow morning.

The tank is just sitting empty for now while I work out this gap issue.

 

[radav88]

Hopefully these give a better idea. The gap is only small enough I can fit a credit card in between it anything thicker and it won't slide in. All 3 other sides of the tank are perfectly flush with the plywood. Upon closer examination it does appear that the pvc and the plywood do get a tiny bit thinner at this point (I'm going to do some more extensive measuring when I get home from work) so I feel like if I take the tank off and put the quarter inch neoprene mat down that should solve the problem as long as I'm 1000% sure that I've gotten the stand as level as possible correct?

 

[787will]

It'll be the plywood. put the neoprene mat and you won't have any issues.

 

[nereefpat]

Since it's a rimless/frameless tank, the bottom panel needs to be supported everywhere. I agree with adding some foam. Your tank builder is correct here.

When I build things, it all is perfectly level/square/etc in theory...but in reality, things are never perfect.

 

[flagg37]

I would try and turn the tank 90 degrees and see if the gap is this in the same spot. If it is, then you know the tank is fine but something under it is not flat. Conversely, if the gap move to the new corner then the tank has the bow. You should be able to slide and turn the tank with only one person.

 

[vtecintegra]

I measured the plywood on my screen and it looks to be about 4mm thinner at the corner. My guess is was over sanded on the corner which can happen when using a power sander. Nice looking tank.

With the bonded pvc and eurobrace on the bottom I wouldn't be worried. I've seen Red Sea tanks where the side panels look like they are hanging off the edge unsupported. I don't think the mat is going to do much on the corner other than mask the gap. I would be 50/50 on using a mat. If it was just the glass, I would use one. I get treadmill mats off of amazon for my tanks. You can get a one piece mat that will cover the size of the tank for a reasonable amount. The tricky part is trimming it to size.

 

[brandon429]

In a carpet room, ouch

even when gap is fixed a minimum 16 gallons is going on the floor one day in quarter gallon increments

that’s all our cumulative contributions to floor reefing we all have done it. let’s swap that room for vinyl laminate

how we have all got 16 gallons roughly, or more over time:

- mis siphoning
-various tank jets such as skim flows or hose disconnects or a jet of water shoots out the side for some reason
-malfeasance of the water holding bucket in some way
-fish bag and stock transfers
-kid factors, water =floor= certain

 

[radav88]

Thanks to everyone again for all the advice. I think I'm going to go with the mat like the builder recommends.

In a carpet room, ouch

Yeah I know not the best. It is however in a basement and on a concrete slab. Long story short we have put vinyl flooring down in the rest of our house and we wanted to keep the carpet in the basement so we have a carpeted floor to play with our dog on when it's too cold outside in the winter.

 

[brandon429]

I thought I would post an unhelpful assessment thank you for not getting mad really that's a beautiful setup in all. Im watching what others say about the gap in case I get a large tank one day to see how to handle that surprise.