×
Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

Slanted Floor

More
16 Dec 2011 19:57 #1 by Xaribdis (Lorcan O' Brien)
I'm just setting up my 5footer, but checked the floor in my apartment and it's slightly slanted. From one side of the tank to the other i reckon there will be about a 2cm slope. Will this put too much pressure on that sides glass or stand or will it make little difference?
Is there anything that could be done? Would putting the stand on aeroboard/polystyrene help even the pressure? There is already a lair of camping mat foam between the stand and tank.
Thanks in advance,
LoB

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
17 Dec 2011 00:15 #2 by ghart (Greg Hart)
Replied by ghart (Greg Hart) on topic Re: Slanted Floor
LoB,
You should check with the likes of Seahorse on this one. They build tanks and should be able to advise. A 5ft tank could hold up to 500 ltrs of water.The thickness of the glass would be a factor.
I have a 5ft tank due in January I must get my spirit level out to check on my planned floor position.
You would assume that putting a counter balance under the cabinet to balance it like a unlevel table would work once the tank is on at least an inch of polystyerne that would level it out.
You need to be caucious here and not end up cracking the tank base. Do seek advise from the tank builder before doing anything like filling the tank with water.
B & Q have one 1nch polystyerne sheets but you have to buy a pack as they are not sold individually.
I hope it works out for you.
Do keep the forum informed on how you get on .

Regards
Greg

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
17 Dec 2011 01:11 #3 by dyco619 (steve carmody)
my tank is 450 liters and its about 2cm of a slope on it, which unless the water level drops below the level of the hood you wouldnt even notice,
you could try putting a sheet of polystyrene between the tank and the cabinet if you want but i dont think its really necessary,
2cm is not gonna make much of a difference, i wouldnt worry about it if i were you.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • Valerie (Valerie)
  • Valerie (Valerie)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
17 Dec 2011 07:18 #4 by Valerie (Valerie)
Replied by Valerie (Valerie) on topic Re: Slanted Floor
Indeed, you can level your cabinet by putting a solid bit of wood under the feet of the tank to make up for the level (do not level just the tank though,this would put stress on the glass).

Good you realised that before setting up the tank ... I hadn't until I had filled my 1st tank ... doh !... :crazy:

Valerie

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
17 Dec 2011 14:03 #5 by BillG (Bill Gray)
Replied by BillG (Bill Gray) on topic Re: Slanted Floor
Hi LoB,

I have this problem myself with the location for a new 180l I am setting up after Christmas. I know the floor was sloping in the area where the tank will go. Rather than placing a solid piece of wood under one end of the stand, I plan to build a custom stand and scribe the plinth of the stand to the floor. Good reason for doing this, most tank stands rely on chipboard panels to bear the weight of the tank. Perfectly ok when the weight is applied as a vertical load, but any offset in this loading can make them collapse like a house of cards. Sounds dramatic I know but I used to work making cabinets and have seen the results of people loading them incorrectly.
Unless it’s a rock solid stand, I would not recommend just levelling with support under one end of the stand only. The best option given the weight of the tank is to make a plinth frame and scribe it to the floor to level it. Then place the tank stand on the plinth. It is easy enough to do with some basic DIY skills.
If you need to match the colour of the stand, simply get a panel of similar material from and of the large hardware stores and you can face the plinth with it :)

Cheers,

Bill.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
18 Dec 2011 18:20 - 18 Dec 2011 18:21 #6 by joey (joe watson)
Replied by joey (joe watson) on topic Re: Slanted Floor


most tank stands rely on chipboard panels to bear the weight of the tank.


yup, and mine split even though it was on a solid concrete and perfectly level floor. so i built a new one. now i will never trust the crappy stands that come out the factory with the tanks

on topic: aeroboard/polystyrene sould suffice, and it'll help spread the weight of the tank too so there are no pressure points/risk of cracking the tank

Location: Portlaoise, Midlands
Last edit: 18 Dec 2011 18:21 by joey (joe watson).

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
19 Dec 2011 13:45 #7 by derek (Derek Doyle)

Good reason for doing this, most tank stands rely on chipboard panels to bear the weight of the tank. Perfectly ok when the weight is applied as a vertical load, but any offset in this loading can make them collapse like a house of cards.


bill, thats very interesting and makes sense and would have to say that I've never really trusted the chipboard stands esp. with the bigger tanks. so i imagine it is important to ensure the unit is as level as possible.

30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish

Please Log in to join the conversation.

Time to create page: 0.047 seconds
Powered by Kunena Forum