tank need to be 100% level?

[fontell]

so i got my 40 gal set up on a nice 3 cindir block high stand with a 3/4th inch birch plywood and it sits even but it seems like it leans twards me just a little bit i can see the water line on the side of the tank is alittle off its not 100% level but its like the front will be at the level with the trim and the back with have like about 3mm to reach the top think it would matter ? does it need to be 100%

[jcarr71]

I don't know why or how, but my 29g that sits on a dresser somehow is a little off level. I've never had issue because of it.

[Wild Turkey]

As close as humanely possible is what I recommend.

When the tank is uneven there is more weight pushing on the glass on one side, increasing the chance of a disaster.

Its more important with larger tanks because more weight is involved, but water does weigh quite a bit. Full, the 29 weighs over 300 pounds

I use shims to level out the stand first, break them off and they arent noticeable. A lot of people use foam

[Northernguy]

I agree with what Turk said!thumbs2:
Level tanks are also easier to look at!lol
I am a wee bit anal about that though!lol Its easiest to fix while doing a large water change.

[glarior]

I try to be as close as possible. My current rental place has tile and who ever installed it did a horrible job. Everything is uneven and I am talking about 1/2" from one side to the other on a 75g tank. I used shims to level the tank out and get it as close as possible. I also used a level and the tank is almost perfect with a slight lean towards the wall but you can't tell by the naked eye only with a level

[Red]

I agree, as close as possible, if not it puts stress on the glass and may crack it.

[rhonin]

You do want to get it as close to level as possible.
The bigger issue is that the tank sits flat, no gaps along the bottom.

Living in an apartment (built circa WWII) level does not exist.
I shimmed, etc... to get the stands as close to level as possible.
Made sure the surface the tank will sit on is flat.

Only one of mytanks is truely level, the rest are very close.
3mm is pretty good.

If you have a real concern, go with acrylic as it can stand the stress more so than glass.

thumbs2:

[Scrup]

I've spent hours trying to level my Mbuna tank (also on cinderblocks) and I managed to get it to 1/32" off, however my 225" is about 1/8" off side to side, neither have failed, but you really want to put the effort into making it level. Much better than putting the effort into cleaning it up. Your choice really.

A good way I use to level tanks is take the water down to about 1-2" and use a measuring device (yard stick, ruler, tape measure doesn't really matter as long as its clean, I have a yardstick I use just for this) And measure the water level at all 4 corners, from the glass on the bottom, not from the gravel or the trim, but from the glass. That will give you a real good idea of where you may need to shim. Just make sure that-

1- you are shimming the stand, not the tank

2- you do not have more than half the tank full at the time, or it can explode on ya.

HTH!

[lowlight]

My 55gal has a slite lean toward the front and a little high on the left side. Water level front to back about 1/8 of an inch difference and side to side about 1/16 of an inch. thats the best I could get it and it has been that way for years. I've even been through a few quakes with it that way and never any problems.

[Lady Hobbs]

A sheet of styrofoam under the tank will level it up nicely. I painted a sheet all the way around black on the edges and you don't even know it's there.