Structural Issue! Help!

[Qays]

hey everyone, i was just doing maintenance and i noticed something.

on one side of the tank, the foam supporting the tank had a really small gap (as if it wasnt supporting the tank as much on that side) compared to the other.

So i brought out the trusty leveling thing and realized that the desk (which is quite big) has a slight tilt. So there is the tiniest gap on one side of the tank, enough to move the foam a up and down a little, but not a lot.
What should i do!?! are there structural issues here? Its very slight, the tank is 11gallons and has braces. It is supported by polystyrene foam only (no plastic going around the sides of the bottom.

Please help asap!!! Should i be moving the tank asap?

 

[WILDER]

Need to get it sorted fast, Try and shove some cardboard under the desk feet see if that makes a difference, if not its a case of stripping the tank down to you get an even level with the desk.

 

[Qays]

Need to get it sorted fast, Try and shove some cardboard under the desk feet see if that makes a difference, if not its a case of stripping the tank down to you get an even level with the desk.

hi, the space must be like .5 of a mm

Will this actually make a difference?

Thankyou so much for the fast reply!

Also, i dont mind stripping the tank down, but where will my fish go?

 

[WILDER]

Do you have any plastic boxes I used them before now just run filter and heater in there with the fish.

 

[Qays]

Do you have any plastic boxes I used them before now just run filter and heater in there with the fish.

ok, thanks, how long can i keep the fish living in a plastic box for ?

I have a 4litre plastic box, could i use that ? I have a 50watt heater too

 

[WILDER]

A few hours it's more of the plastic container not having a lid, so someone would need to keep an eye on the fish so they don't jump out.

 

[Tolak]

For an 11 gallon tank I wouldn't worry. I have seen standard 10 gallon tanks in some of the most unbelievably poorly supported situations do fine for years.

 

[Qays]

it has a lid

 

[WILDER]

Just shove some carboard underneath to see if that gets rid of the tilt.
You would need to run an airstone if you put the lid on.

 

[Qays]

hi tolak, are you sure? you can move the foam on one side with your finger just slightly due to the tiny gap, seems to be more pressure on the other side, it doesnt seem to be a big problem, just got me worried. lol

i think the desk wood is slightly tilded, so i couldnt do it with the cardboard idea.

 

[WILDER]

Talak is very experienced he has loads of tanks lol.
Never had this problem myself, but pressure on oneside of the tank could make it crack.

 

[Qays]

it doesnt seem to be significant, there is still support on the dodgy side.

If tolak has seen worse conditions go on for years, i think it should be ok, Its been like this for a year so far.

I will relocate it given the chance though, as i dont want water everywhere!
Anything else i need to know?
If not, Thankyou both very much for taking the time out to reply!!!

 

[Tolak]

In theory a tank should be totally and evenly supported. If you want to take it far enough, no tank is totally evenly supported. You are going to find some insignificantly small gap, or out of levelness.

I have tanks that are unsupported for a couple of inches around the perimeter. I don't worry about it until it gets past the 2" range. I test around a tank with a matchbook cover, anything over a 2" unsupported gap gets a little shim. I have tanks that have had an inch of unsupported gap for years, 10's, 20's, 29's, you name it.

As far as unsupported 10 gallons, one local breeder has a row of 10's on a rack, on end. They are supported by 2" rectangular steel, across the short dimension of the tank. These tanks have been supported by 4 2" contact points for years. He has somewhere around fifteen 10 gallons, a couple of 15's, and a couple of 20's supported this way. I wouldn't, and don't take it this far, as I regularly lean on my tanks while doing maintenance. This guy has an auto water changes set up, real low maintenance setup.