Floor not level

[Uptowngirl]

I just got a new to me 90 gallon tank-big upgrade from my bio cube.
I’m on the second floor of my apartment building. I am going to have the tank up against a wall but still slightly worried about the weight. It should be fine, right? I have anxiety so I worry a lot about this.
Also we got the tank and put it where it’s gonna go. Apparently our floors are not level. I put a little water in the tank to make it easier to see. How do I fix this issue so that the stand and tank will be more level?

 

[Aardvark1134]

A 90 gallon tank will often be ok if put at 90 degrees to the floor joists and close to the support wall. But it's right at that line where you sometimes need floor reinforcement. A very unlevel floor could mean a weak floor but not always. I recommend having someone check your floor before putting it on a 2nd level floor that is already unlevel under normal weight.

 

[Peter K]

Shims, shims, and more shims. It's worth taking the time now to make sure it's level.

I wouldn't be too worried about the weight if it's a relatively modern building - we had a 90 on a second floor for 2 years with no issues. If you can, put it up against a load-bearing wall and perpendicular to the joists.

 

[Uptowngirl]

Just re-planned our tank position. Now it will be against an exterior wall and most likely perpendicular to the floor joists (not 100% sure which way they go). The best news is that this is way more level, the bubble is actually between the lines. Yay! We will move the tank and stand tomorrow and double check the level and see if we still need shims

 

[Mastiffsrule]

So, where’s you build thread or at least pix of your new tank?

 

[Aardvark1134]

a strong high quality stud finder can probably detect your floor joists. I have hard wood floors and they can still detect where my joists are by adjusting the sensor on it.

 

[Nathan Milender]

I just got a new to me 90 gallon tank-big upgrade from my bio cube.
I’m on the second floor of my apartment building. I am going to have the tank up against a wall but still slightly worried about the weight. It should be fine, right? I have anxiety so I worry a lot about this.
Also we got the tank and put it where it’s gonna go. Apparently our floors are not level. I put a little water in the tank to make it easier to see. How do I fix this issue so that the stand and tank will be more level?

Floors can be uneven from front to back near walls and the longer from side to side them more likely to be uneven. Set it up in stages with the longest level you have. Try to eyeball the low spot and start your shim there. Fill up the sump, re-check, give it some time to settle the keep filling any re-checking. I find that soft areas will settle overnight. Once there is water in the tank you can use that as your level (on the long side). If that looks good and you have even flow into your overflow you should be good.

 

[Uptowngirl]

So, where’s you build thread or at least pix of your new tank?

Pics and thread to come! First I’m just making sure it’s gonna be safe, then I’ll start filling it. Everything happened so fast due to an awesome Craigslist deal lol I didn’t have much time to plan and prepare

 

[Uptowngirl]

a strong high quality stud finder can probably detect your floor joists. I have hard wood floors and they can still detect where my joists are by adjusting the sensor on it.

I will try that too! I have carpet and a cheap stud finder so not sure. I was about to pull up some carpet and the pad and see if I can see where they nailed the subfloor to the joists but not sure if I want to go through all that

 

[Uptowngirl]

Shims, shims, and more shims. It's worth taking the time now to make sure it's level.

I wouldn't be too worried about the weight if it's a relatively modern building - we had a 90 on a second floor for 2 years with no issues. If you can, put it up against a load-bearing wall and perpendicular to the joists.

Good to know that you had no problems in that time. We will be here for just under a year so it won’t be too long

 

[Uptowngirl]

Floors can be uneven from front to back near walls and the longer from side to side them more likely to be uneven. Set it up in stages with the longest level you have. Try to eyeball the low spot and start your shim there. Fill up the sump, re-check, give it some time to settle the keep filling any re-checking. I find that soft areas will settle overnight. Once there is water in the tank you can use that as your level (on the long side). If that looks good and you have even flow into your overflow you should be good.

Thank you for this! As of right now it appears that the whole floor is just slanted but overall pretty even without any weak spots. But it’s kind of hard to tell without water in the tank and only having a small level

 

[Jekyl]

How many floors above you? Apartments are built to support a lot of weight due to liability and building code.

 

[Uptowngirl]

How many floors above you? Apartments are built to support a lot of weight due to liability and building code.

None, we are the second and top floor

 

[Uptowngirl]

I’m thinking we will still have to add shims. In the lines but just barely. Also dumb question, where do you guys buy shims? Or do you buy wood and make them? What should I look for?

 

[David Waters]

Lowes or home depot has wood shims and also plastic shims

 

[JoshH]

Composite (Plastic) shims are usually preferred as they will not crush under the weight of the tank. You can as mentioned above purchase them at most big box stores such as Lowes or Home depot

 

[BeejReef]

That's not very far off level at all. When placing them under the stand, remember to support the full length of it. Don't just wedge a shim or two under the two corners that are lower. Once you have them at the height you want, try to support the full span of the stand. Is it a carpeted surface or smooth? If it's fluffy carpet, they'll probably sink into it and not be noticable. If it's a hard surface, it can be a little ugly. Grab some trim or quarter-round while you're at the hardware store and trim the base of your stand to hide it.

Better yet, have a glass of wine and tell Downtown Man to do it!

 

[Uptowngirl]

That's not very far off level at all. When placing them under the stand, remember to support the full length of it. Don't just wedge a shim or two under the two corners that are lower. Once you have them at the height you want, try to support the full span of the stand. Is it a carpeted surface or smooth? If it's fluffy carpet, they'll probably sink into it and not be noticable. If it's a hard surface, it can be a little ugly. Grab some trim or quarter-round while you're at the hardware store and trim the base of your stand to hide it.

Better yet, have a glass of wine and tell Downtown Man to do it!

Trust me, wine was a part of it anyway lol

 

[Uptowngirl]

My boyfriend helped out today while I was at worked and put the sims under the tank to level it. It is more level now, but the shins are stacked and only under three main parts of the stand. Is this okay? I was thinking stacking them was bad because they could slide out and that they needed to be spread apart more

 

[BZOFIQ]

This is no good. It applies all the pressure into these few points where the shims are. The idea is to have the weight spread evenly across the whole footprint.