110 Gal Not Sitting Flat

My new build is a Perfecto 110 Gal. tall with stand. The stand was assembled when I bought it but on close inspection, I noticed those goofy little twist connectors that hold everything together were mostly cracked (I really hate those things). I reinforced the inside of the cabinet in the corners with 2x2 (glued and screwed) to give extra stability so I wouldn't have to rely on those cheaply made pot metal twist connectors. I then removed the top glued the perimeter and the dowels, and screwed the perimeter of the top to the inner 2x2's for added strength. while the glue holding the top was still drying, I set my tank on and filled it to keep the weight bearing down so the top would conform to the tank while drying. Sounds like a great concept, but there is a space where the tank and stand are not touching. I slid a piece of paper in to check for contact between the tank and stand and it is making contact on the entire front and sides, the back is contacting about 3/4 of the length. Where the back is not contacting is about the thickness of two pieces of paper but either it's touching or it isn't. This stand is made of very soft plywood, probably pine, so I had hoped it would settle with the tank weight. Does anyone have any insight on this? The way I see it I only have two options, either let the tank sit a little longer (I only filled it yesterday) and hope it settles, or drain the tank and somehow work on getting that surface flat. I attached some pics of the band on the front and back (ignore the dust, I was doing some sanding) hoping to see the gap but it's not noticeable. I can't take the thing back because I bought the tank/stand together and have since drilled the tank and stand for an internal overflow and I have also reinforced the stand so warranty is out of the question. Maybe I am overreacting and this is fine, but I would like to get peace of mind from some of you seasoned aquarists.

 

It's a Perfecto, so who even knows if the tank was built crooked or the stand is crooked.
You may be able to shim the corner between the stand and the floor with a small piece of cardboard, etc to get better tank to stand contact.

 

Is the top of the tank level front and back side to side ? If it is the width of two pieces of paper isnt that big of a deal . I have a 105g Oceanic tank that had about the same width as your space and I found that the wood settled with the weight . May have been built with a warped board . As long as the tank is level and secure I think it should be fine .Im no pro on this or anything just my 2c . If its a 1/8 of an inch or more I might be worried but two pieces of paper is nothing to worry about . Good luck with this and hope it works out for you .

 

The stand is perfectly level both ways. Other than the little bit of a gap between the tank and stand everything is sitting perfectly.

 

Funny you should say that. When I installed my internal overflow I noticed the tank was out of square. You would expect to find a little more quality control in such an item. By the time I had noticed this I had already taken it to the glass shop to have drilled. I have never owned a Perfecto before so I assumed it was OK. It seemed to be very popular in stores. Oh well, live and learn. Too late to turn back on this one now. I'll have to live with the flaws.

 

In my opinion I think it will be fine then . If it was me I would carry on with it and just watch for the next few weeks to make sure it stays level front to back and side to side . If you notice a huge change then I would worry and might change the stand or fix it somehow . Good luck with it again and let us know how it turns out .:2thumbsup

 

You might want to "up" your coverage on water damage on your home owner's insurance policy...

 

As you can see from the pictures I am also framing my basement at the same time so at one point I thought about building the tank in the wall but I like the stand that came with it so I am going to try and make it work. The stand is plywood, which is a lot better than most of the MDF you see around. My Red Sea Max stand is MDF and I broke a couple of those twist connectors when I assembled it but I didn't worry too much because it is only 34 Gal. I was going to start a post for the build on this 110 Gal but you get so caught up in doing the work you don't think about it until after the fact. I guess it's as good at time as any to start. I do have my 50 Gal DIY sump build with a massive Aqua Euro USA 250 skimmer as well as a compartment for a fuge, I have a Mag 12 return pump, I also bought a SCWD but I don't think I am going to use it on the return because of flow restriction. I did see a cool design for a closed loop using a separate pump and a SCWD, maybe I'll go for that.

 

I know what you're saying, when I finally get it going I don't want to be wondering if or when it's going to fail. I think I will drain it and put a sheet of thin poly foam underneath to even out the stresses on the tank bottom. That should do it I hope (I'll keep my fingers crossed).

 

That's a very nice set-up..
I also added a couple layers of soft stuff under my tank. It never hurts..

And The stand can never be to strong..

Good Luck, Larry