Author Topic: I have just noticed something worrying!! (Read 7943 times) 20 replies

Mervyn · « **on:** January 01, 2013, 03:15:30 PM »

Hi,
I have just noticed a possible problem with my tank...It is a Rio 180 with a dedicated cabinet. For a change I was sitting on my sofa, which is at the side of the tank.

When I looked sideways on, I noticed that the tank did not appear level. Now before I placed the tank in its position it certainly was level, so I can only assume, that as it is placed close to the wall, that maybe the back end of the tank cabinet is resting on the carpet where it attaches to the gripper.

I have put a level on it and it seems between 1/8" and 1/4" out from back to front with the front being slightly lower than the back.

Taking into account that the water finds the correct level is this going to be a danger of my front glass failing? or should it be ok?

I do not relish completely emptying the tank!!

Just to add that the tank has been in this position since Oct 25th 2012.

Chucklett · « **Reply #1 on:** January 01, 2013, 07:18:51 PM »

Hi Mervyn,

Hmmmm, really you could do with a scientific-someone to answer your question! SteveS has the mind for this kind of thing.

My floor was so uneven at my old flat that my dad had to put extra wood under the front feet. But this was more from an aesthetic point of view - otherwise I would have been able to see the water line at the front glass. Also the fish would have had a deep end and a shallow end

I did not think about water pressure against the glass had it been left uneven. I could be wrong, but I wouldnt have thought thats an issue.

Personally, I would be more inclined to be thinking about the cabinet being uneven on the floor - if the back edge is perched on the carpet grippers.......

Hopefully theres nothing to worry about - just dont go sitting on the sofa again!

Mervyn · « **Reply #2 on:** January 02, 2013, 06:09:14 AM »

Hi chucklett,

The cabinet is rock solid, and the tank is sitting perfectly on the cabinet. I am not much good at maths and physics (it is such a long time since used

) but I should imagine that the extra "load" on the front glass along the 101 cm length would be quite small ( I hope).

As I myself have a dodgy ticker, it would involve me getting my sons here, which will not be easy to get them here together, and emptying the tank, and then getting them to move it and adjusting if need be.

Unless there is an immediate danger I think I am inclined to leave it.

And you are right......I will now only sit in my comfy armchair. :-D

Helen · « **Reply #3 on:** January 02, 2013, 01:48:35 PM »

Hi Mervyn,

I may be a bit paranoid because my first tank cracked when I filled it completely, but I would be concerned about a visible 'slant' on the tank. I have used ceramic tiles under the cabinet to get my tank level. I have a 240l tank and over the 1.2m front I can still see perhaps a 1mm difference in levels. I think this is fine, and it only shows if I get the water level exactly right, but it still makes me a little nervous!

By the way, it was the base of my tank that cracked not the sides. And we never worked out why - the manufacturer replaced the tank without question, and didn't give us any feedback as to why it might have cracked, so we came to the conclusion that I was just unlucky and managed to get the rare tank that had a fault in the glass.

I can't remember from your other posts whether you have a cabinet from the tank manufacturer or not. I do, and I suspect that my being a bit anal in following the set-up instructions exactly actually paid off when getting the tank replaced.

Mervyn · « **Reply #4 on:** January 02, 2013, 03:05:12 PM »

Hi Helen,
Yes I bought the Rio 180 complete....I did ensure that it was level when I put it together in the middle of the floor

But did not re do it when I placed it where I wanted it. It is rock solid on the cabinet (as far as that is concerned) I have a feeling that if I moved it an inch or two from the wall, and therefore away from where the carpet gripper would be, everything would be fine.

What I am concerned about is how much water and even substrate I would have to remove for my sons, if I could get them agree a time to meet, to be able to slide/lift the tank a couple of inches forward.

Chucklett · « **Reply #5 on:** January 02, 2013, 06:10:05 PM »

One thing I am sure about, Mervyn, is that you must not try to move the tank with anything in it. It must be completely emptied of all water, gravel, etc. You risk twisting the frame if theres anything in the tank which in turn risks the glass cracking when you refill it. (Im sure it was SteveS who told me this the first time I had to move my tank. He stressed that the tank must be kept on a solid flat surface AT ALL TIMES in order to avoid the frame buckling - even sliding the tank onto a hefty board was a big no-no)

If you really wanted to cut corners and leave some gravel/water in, you may get away with it if you move the cabinet with the tank still on it. However, I would then question whether you risk weakening the cabinet and/or the tank sliding off altogether. A 3ft tank isnt something you can easily catch if it starts to slide off!

To be honest, if you do decide to move the tank, why cut corners? You might as well go the whole hog and ensure you do it safely without any risks. And if it really comes to that, then I may be able to give you a few tips - Ive stripped my tanks down more times than Ive set them up LOL

But the big question remains - do you even have to move it?

Helen · « **Reply #6 on:** January 03, 2013, 01:29:15 PM »

I managed to move my 240l tank and cabinet without completely stripping it down. It was actually my husband and my Dad that moved it, while I watched in terror. I had to get the water level down to about 10cm depth, and removed the large chunk of bogwood and a small amount of gravel substrate. This was just enough to enable the cabinet to be lifted an inch or so and slowly moved (turned to sit against a perpendicular wall). A lot of care was taken to not tip the cabinet or move the tank in relation to the cabinet in anyway. As I have a drilled tank, the pipes go through the cabinet, and I was very worried about them being damaged. We managed the move with no visible movement between the tank and cabinet.

I did this in May and have noticed no adverse affects. If fact, my tank seemed to have benefit from the 70% water change and the reduction in direct sunlight in the new location.

So I would say it is possible to move your tank sucessfullywithout completely emptying it, but I certainly wouldn't like to do it again. The fish seemed completely unphased, but I was incredibly stressed out by the whole thing!

If your tank has been in that position since October, it may be ok. In which case, I'd echo Chucklett's question, does your tank really need moving? Personally I wouldn't be happy with that sort of level, but will accept that my experiences may have made me a bit paranoid. I'm afraid that I have no scientific evidence to back up any of my comments.

I think you also need to decide whether the level will bug you now that you've noticed it. I can't remember if you've already cycled and stocked your tank, but if not, you don't want to fill it with fish and then wish you'd moved it! It'll be a lot less stressful to do without fish.

If you do decide to move it, make sure you use the spirit level when it is in its final position - before you refill the tank!

Mervyn · « **Reply #7 on:** January 03, 2013, 01:43:17 PM »

Hi Helen,
Yes the tank is fully cycled and fully stocked. You are right, it will now bug me and worry me,although the wife keeps saying we are insured.

I have arranged with my son that when he spends a weekend here with his other half (rather than at hers) then I will do a massive water change and hope that we can move it ok. One advantage of the Juwel cabinet is that there are 8 "cups" that the cabinet sit on to spread the load.

My son managed to "slide" his Vision 180 on his own, but his is on a modern wooden floor. How well it will work on carpet is another matter. He is sensible though, and knows that it all has to "move together" else the tank could twist.

Mervyn · « **Reply #8 on:** January 04, 2013, 06:14:18 AM »

Hi,
Now, I have nearly got the sons to agree to co-ordinate a time to try and move this tank.

I am though, a bit concerned about removing 70% of the water to enable this....it is not the amount of water, but I am concerned whether the shock of such a big water change would be detrimental to the fish?

Any views please?

ColinB · « **Reply #9 on:** January 04, 2013, 07:39:35 AM »

Quote from: Mervyn on January 04, 2013, 06:14:18 AM

Hi,
Now, I have nearly got the sons to agree to co-ordinate a time to try and move this tank.

I am though, a bit concerned about removing 70% of the water to enable this....it is not the amount of water, but I am concerned whether the shock of such a big water change would be detrimental to the fish?

Any views please?

Put the tank water in buckets then put the same water back in. Just a thought.

Sue · « **Reply #10 on:** January 04, 2013, 09:36:39 AM »

As Colin says, fill as many buckets as you have with old water and put it back. I have a dustin for this purpose

Although if you have been doing regular water changes, 70% shouldn't harm the fish. Large water changes are only a problem with poorly maintained tanks where the tankwater is now somewhat different from the tapwater. If you have been doing regular water changes, the parameters should bevery much different.

Mervyn · « **Reply #11 on:** January 04, 2013, 10:47:55 AM »

Hi,
I have done it.....on my own

The wife came in as I was manhandling it and I got a right ticking off...What makes me angry is that the surround at the top of the Rio is not the same level all the war around, which I realised early on. So I was taking my levels from the bottom of the tank, the cabinet and the cross bar.

Now someone else may have taken their level from the top "surround" which could quite easily have been a disaster in the making. The "bubble" on the level is now between the lines with a slight bias toward the back of the tank and therefore allowing for the carpet depression.

I am pleased with myself although the wife is still angry with me......it is amazing though what the GTN will do to make it all ok.

Helen · « **Reply #12 on:** January 04, 2013, 12:59:18 PM »

Eek Mervyn.

That was brave moving it on your own!

Having had a tank crack, I wasn't worried about the effects on the house of damaging the tank (even though I discovered that our laminate floor sloped towards the middle of the room!). I was more worried about what would happen to the inhabitants if the tank got damaged by moving it.

Could the discrepancies in the levels be corrected by filling the tank? I assume that to measure the levels on the bottom of the tank that it would need to be completely empty. I think I might have misunderstood your comment! Sorry.

Mervyn · « **Reply #13 on:** January 04, 2013, 01:59:57 PM »

Hi Helen,
After moving it forward about 2 1/2 inches it is now level

. It is the top right hand bit of wooden? surround that is out, and I knew that all along. But that made it a little difficult to check for level.

To test for level, I checked inside the tank (above the waterline) , the crossbar, the bottom surround on all sides and the cabinet. All are now level, including the waterline at the max/min marks on the glass on the side, and everything is now level, apart from the top right hand side wooden surround which is out of level in that length/corner. Interestingly that is the corner where the internal pump was situated so that may have something to do with it.

Nonetheless the tank and cabinet are all now perfectly level.

A bit confusing trying to put it into words....much easier if you could see exactly what I mean.

Not to worry as I am now a happy bunny

Apart from the fact that my wife has now named the two week old platy.............now wait for it....................she has named her.......................WANDA!!!!

ColinB · « **Reply #14 on:** January 04, 2013, 03:02:18 PM »

Good news indeed - I bet you feel a lot happier now.

I didn't think it was allowed to call a fish Wanda - I'm sure there's a law against it!

My two platies are called Crumble and Biscuit. (Unfortunately Rhubarb, Custard and Fudge all fell to Capillaria worms.

)

Mervyn · « **Reply #15 on:** January 04, 2013, 03:05:58 PM »

Chucklett · « **Reply #16 on:** January 04, 2013, 10:55:56 PM »

Oh my. A fish called Wanda.

I just so relate to your wifes sense of humour. Ha Ha - love it

Glad you've managed to sort your tank out Mervyn. At least now you can sit back (on your sofa if you wish!) and enjoy the fish without worrying about it

Nat · « **Reply #17 on:** January 06, 2013, 11:21:15 PM »

Quote from: Mervyn on January 01, 2013, 03:15:30 PM

I have put a level on it and it seems between 1/8" and 1/4" out from back to front with the front being slightly lower than the back.

Taking into account that the water finds the correct level is this going to be a danger of my front glass failing? or should it be ok?

Hello All,

I'm new to this forum, although not new to keeping fish and most of my online fish browsing is reading, rather than responding. It's not that I'm shy, but I actually know very little about fish.

Anyway, as a civil engineer I'm more of an equipment person and this thread appears to be lacking a science response, so here goes.

The pressure on the sides of an aquarium are the same in all directions at any given depth and that pressure is measured by the weight of water from that depth to the surface. So, the greatest pressure is at the lowest point in the aquarium and least pressure is at the top surface.

With a tilt in the tank of 1/4" from back to front the increased pressure on the front glass would be the weight of a 1/8" depth of water. A negligable amount when you consider that most people don't bother measuring the depth of water when they change water, etc.

Regards
Nat

Chucklett · « **Reply #18 on:** January 06, 2013, 11:51:46 PM »

Hey Nat, great to have you on board!

You're right, this thread was sure lacking scientific knowledge. SteveS is good with that sort of stuff, but he seems to be a bit elusive at the moment (hope he's OK).

Im completely hopeless with science and my brain just cant understand the "waffle" (pardon the expression, but thats how it sounds to me!) so may I warn you in advance that you will get extremely frustrated with me if you ever try to get me to understand something scientific.

Having said that, Im quite proud that I got the jist of what you were saying. No, I didnt fully understand the science behind it, but I got the jist

SteveS · « **Reply #19 on:** January 07, 2013, 12:41:37 PM »

Quote from: Chucklett on January 06, 2013, 11:51:46 PM

You're right, this thread was sure lacking scientific knowledge. SteveS is good with that sort of stuff, but he seems to be a bit elusive at the moment (hope he's OK).

Hey Chuckles! As you may know from some of my earlier posts to the new forum, I have been suffering from poor health for a while; Nothing serious, but quite debilitating. I have been lurking but not finding much to incite me to reply. Although I was itching to get involved in your lighting thread; I had to keep reminding myself of what happened the last time

I Have Just Noticed Something Worrying!!

I Have Just Noticed Something Worrying!!

Author Topic: I have just noticed something worrying!! (Read 7943 times) 20 replies

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