tank no longer level - uh oh

[reef tank 2.0]

me, overreact??? never :D

that's what I like to hear. I gotta figure out what is failing. would it be possible that "winter" is causing the change? That's a big change, so I don't think that's the issue. It could be the stand, but there is no way I can tell if it's failing. I will continue to monitor.

I am certainly thinking the stand is the issue. I did not build this stand. it came with the tank from SC Aquariums. 3/4" ply construction.

 

[reef tank 2.0]

The tank is spanning across these two joists right here

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I agree with @Gtinnel in that if the tank is leaning forward, the residue line on the front panel would be LOWER than the current water level, not higher.

This is contradictory to what the level bubble seems to indicate.

Is it possible that the water level in the tank is slightly lower than before? I know in my tank, I had to lower the height of the water in the overflow or the water would occasionally touch the bottom of the glass supports (euro braced)... the level in my overflow still changes slightly for various reasons but my emergency drainpipe is now low enough that the tank level itself doesn't rise like before.

(I hope I explained that sufficiently... I know what I wanted to convey but might not have actually done so.)

One last thing; while it's definitely concerning if the tank progressively becomes more unlevel (per the bubble), the amount it's off now is not anything I would worry about... ever.

 

[Viking_Reefing]

I wouldn’t be overly worried. It slightly tilting to one direction shouldn’t cause any issues on a properly constructed tank.
What’s definitely a worry is if there is warping (corners being different height). That puts a lot of strain on the construction and glass.

 

[reef tank 2.0]

Thank you all for responding, i really do appreciate it. I will definitely keep an eye on this. Hopefully it doesn't get any worse

 

[X-37B]

Put a level on the tank this morning. No change. I put a 1/4" shims under the level and it brought the bubble back to center.

You can see where the bubble currently resides as well as the water line residue where it was prior to noticing the change. This could have been happening over time, but i just noticed it

I belive the only way that can happen is this.
The plywood in the front has moved downward some how which is what happend on many Red Sea tanks causing a ruptured seam.
I would shim the stand back to level and keep an eye on it.
If it drops again its the above scenario.
Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Mickey]

I think you're worrying over nothing, as long as things are now stable and not changing. Tank is barely out of level.

I have a 65 gallon freshwater tank sitting on carpet that is leaning forward by 1/4 to 1/2" and also leaning to the left by the same amount. It's been that way for 10 years or more.

I also have a 6 ft reef tank (72"x30"x24") sitting on subflooring and the right front corner is lower than everything else by about 1/2" because the subflooring got wet (Gee I wonder how that happened? :rolleyes:) and the particle board is disintegrating. Again, it's been this way for many, many years with no issues. I believe it's the stand that as wracked and not the glass tank itself.

I'm not saying I don't worry about it occasionally, but nothing I can do short of moving everything and replacing the flooring, and at my age I just don't have the energy to do that. Both tanks has been up and running for 20 years and I'm hoping will last another 10 or 15 then my estate can decide what to do next. :smiling-face-with-halo:

 

[Ironwill723]

Put your level on the floor next to the tank. Is the floor sloping the same direction as the top of the tank? If yes then your floor joists may just be sagging ever so slightly from the weight of the tank over time.

 

[keelo]

This just happened to me my tank was level before filling with water and rocks and now the tank is full and I did a quick sanity check only to find out the tank shifted slightly.

 

[keelo]

The air bubble in the level is still within the two lines but perfectly centered and I’m loosing sleep lol