[Doc7]

Being the anal type - -

I know that the corner is the worst part for a tank stand to have a gap. I loaded a 15 gallon tank onto my stand (which is for a 40 breeder) today, putting it in different configurations, just to check everything for level/planar before I have a friend over to help with the 40...and found that there is a small gap in one of the corners. I cannot fit a dime in without pushing so it is less than 1mm.

There's a picture on another person's thread over at the reef tank showing what I'm seeing : http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1448296

I know the corner is the bad place to have a gap but at the same time this seems like it is very small... Is this within tolerance or should I break out the sand paper? I'd probably load on the 40 to check all corners before doing anything.

Thank you...

Doc7

 

[Hoppy]

You could glue a piece of wood veneer, which is usually about .03 inch thick (less than a mm), in the corner, going past where the gap is. Then use a full sheet size sanding block to sand it down. That would be a lot quicker than trying to sand down the rest of the top. It doesn't have to be perfectly flat, but I think .030 inch is a bit more than I would like to see. Use a cushion under the tank and the rest of the "unflatness" shouldn't matter.

 

[Doc7]

Why ask and then worry for next month, year, decade? I'm going to hand sand it till I'm flush all over. Could take days to get it right but worth the peace of mind.

 

[Doc7]

Didn't see you reply - sounds like a good idea Hoppy! Thank you...

 

[Sharkfood]

You can put camper tape around the edges also.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ac...rod2-b2c4?counter=0&itemIdentifier=191113_0_0_

 

[Doc7]

Picked up a roll of veneer at the local DIY store and sure enough it seems like it will work perfectly.

Not to discuss my stature and build but I tried for about 20 minutes with different methods and decided there's no safe way for me to bring the 40 breeder from my bedroom to the stand without assistance, so looks like I'm out of commission until Friday night for continuing this project. Not worth unnecessary stress on seams to carry it awkwardly.'

edit : Turns out safety can be subjective and a rolling chair w/ up-down capabilities acts as a second pair of hands quite nicely.

 

[Doc7]

Well - - I think I've raised the bar for myself for future DIY builds and know the goal from the beginning.

It took me over 3 hours and the final iteration of work ended up essentially such that I could have boiled it down to two steps:

1) Lay down veneer over entire frame
2) Sand down high spots

I did it piecemeal, but by the end that's what I basically did. I have one 3" area near the center with a gap of around .03" and less than .024" (.6 mm) everywhere else (didn't see how much I have less than .012" etc) - using playing cards as feeler gauges calibrated with a digital Starrett caliper. You can tell it's not perfectly flush in areas by shining a flashlight underneath but that is the only way this can be detected (there's no other visual or physical cues), and also all the corners are flush.

There never was any "rock" from the beginning so I am skeptical of the advice people give others to see if the tank rocks from corner to corner - mine didn't budge a little bit but I still feel like it was way worse before now that I see what I think "good" is supposed to look like.

My other tank set-up on a commercial stand has much bigger and longer gaps then I now have on this one.



Bittersweet - another night where I feel like I discovered a problem and took a long time to correct it, delaying completion of the project ... But satisfied that I have made a much better project. It may have added nothing, or it may have added weeks/months/years/decades to the life of a tank which will be on the stand.

Actually a delay of two nights because I need to stain the parts I sanded and the veneer - but, come this weekend, a tank should be on the stand permanently and I'll be leveling the whole ordeal in my living room. Unless the sig other wants the tank against a different wall, and she'll be back from her trip before I can say "It's too late to move it!" :hihi::hihi:

 

[timelessr1]

Why not jsut get some hard insulation foam from Home Depot or Lowes and put that under the tank? the foam will compress where it needs to, allowing the entire tank to be supported and level. I persoanlly use 1/2 inch foam, i've seen them sell 1/4 foam put in big packs.

 

[kevmo911]

If it were me, I wouldn't have bothered doing anything. You said you put the 15g tank on top, but doesn't look like you filled it?

I would have bet that with weight on it, the stand would quickly settle, and the top surface would have compressed where necessary.

Still, nothing wrong with being a perfectionist and making absolutely sure that nothing goes wrong