Whitelightning's 196 gal to 300 gal dream tank upgrade

[whitelightning77]

So I guess this is happening whether I'm ready or not. This build is currently very much in process, so it won't be one of those quick threads with a bunch of pics and it's over. So please be patient with me. I'll have more details shortly.

My current tank...

 

[whitelightning77]

New to me tank...84x36x24. Low iron, pvc bottom, synergy ghost overflow

 

[whitelightning77]

I ended up getting the sand with the tank as well. Sand isn't cheap so it's going to be reused. I built a diy screen washing station. After its all rinsed I plan to run all of the sand in a trough with a skimmer and powerhead and monitor the p04.

 

[whitelightning77]

Almost finished...

 

[BadCrab]

7 x 3 x 2? What an awesome footprint! You're going to have the opportunity for a unique hardscape being limited by max height. I'll be watching this with excitement!

 

[whitelightning77]

7 x 3 x 2? What an awesome footprint! You're going to have the opportunity for a unique hardscape being limited by max height. I'll be watching this with excitement!

My current tank is 25" tall so I'm used to the height, and actually prefer it.

 

[BadCrab]

As a maintenance guy, the lagoon tanks were always a pleasure to work in - shouldn't require any comically elongated tools. Being able to grab something off the sandbed with your fingers is an advantage often overlooked, too.

 

[whitelightning77]

As a maintenance guy, the lagoon tanks were always a pleasure to work in - shouldn't require any comically elongated tools. Being able to grab something off the sandbed with your fingers is an advantage often overlooked, too.

My man! You know it. Lol

 

[whitelightning77]

Do you guys think or recommend I put a sheet of foam under the tank? I've know it's not acrylic but I'm getting mixed opinions from different sources.

 

[whitelightning77]

Well, she's in....

 

[whitelightning77]

I'm having an issue with leveling the tank. The right side sits level on the stand but the left sits in the air up to 1/2" in some areas. I find it hard to believe that my stand is so uneven even with a 3/4" plywood topper. I took time to level everything and checked it multiple times with a 6ft level and had a max of 1/16 to 1/8" variance.

When raising the tank slightly I can see the pvc bottom slightly bowed in the middle and I'm thinking if thats what is causing the tank to sit unlevel. I even put a rubber 1/2" horse underlayment, similar to a horse mat under the tank and it still has the same problem.

I'm planning to raise it a little higher today enough to put my level on the stand again to check once again, and to place a straight edge on the bottom of the tank to check evenness of the bottom pvc.

Mind you I'm doing this alone, with a 600+lbs tank. I'm starting to get a grasp on how the Egyptians built and moved those pyramids. its amazing what you can do with an airbag, a wooden dowel and some 1x2s.

 

[whitelightning77]

Well, I've been having a hard time leveling this tank on the stand. You would think it would be the tank plywood top to be the issue but I did my best to make the top as level as possible. The left side of the tank sits flush but the right side sits almost 1/2" off the stand.

I raised the tank off the stand and noticed some bowing of the pvc bottom in the middle. So I placed a rubber mat under but that didn't help much at all. The tank still was raised on the right. Last light I raised it even hight and placed the level under. The stand is def pretty level and the pvc bottom is pretty bowed.

Anyone have any experience with this? Am I om just leveling the stand and filling with water? Maybe the weight of the water will flatten out the bottom? I've read threads where tanks with pvc bottoms bow when not filled and why they need to be placed on stands with plywood top

s.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Any updates?