[AquaticLife] I really messed up this time!
How unlevel is it? Can you take pics from front and side to show it? Do you have hardwood floors, tile, carpeting, other?
If it’s only a little unlevel, it won’t cause any danger but might not be as aesthetically pleasing. Usually, filling the water until the water line is hidden by the top tank frame solves minor leveling aesthetic issues. If the unevenness is to the point where it’s creating new stress points on the stand, then that could be a problem.
A 29G will weigh around 250 pounds so emptying 1/2 or even up to 2/3’s of the water will at least make it a little easier and less stressful to the stand while you try and remedy the situation… and it won’t be too bad for the fish. Just come up with your plan first so you don’t have the filter running dry or turned off for too long. You have an hour or so that the filter can be turned off before you start to see problems.
Be very careful when trying to level it as pushing or pulling on part of the stand could cause a stressor that the stand was not designed to handle and could result in a collapse… presuming it’s not built to the standards of my DIY stand. I’ve seen computer desks made of particle board that collapsed when people were trying to push it or pull it to a new location with all the computer components, books, etc., still on the desk. I’m sure that tank stand was engineered to be stronger than a computer desk but it’s still not engineered or designed to be moved around with a fully loaded tank on it.
I’ve seen your type of stand before and the particle board is a very rigid material so if you have to shim the front or one side, as long as you use enough shims, one every 6″ or so, it should handle that. Once the front or side is raised until the tank is level, you will also want to run one or two stringers (or wooden dowels would also work) under the full length of the stand and slide them to the thinnest part of the gap. Increase the thickness of the stringers (or wooden dowels) until the gap under the base of the stand has these added supports every 6″ or so. These stringers should fit snug and will help keep the raised middle section of the base from ever sagging very much, if any, into the newly created gap caused by the shims. After sliding the stringers/dowels into place, you can then use blade to cut the excess sticking out from under the stand and then use a marks-a-lot or other marker to blacken the tips of the stringers/dowels so they do not show up.
I hope this helps. Pics of your situation would possibly give me more ideas.
Lenny Vasbinder Fish Blog - http://GoldLenny.blogspot.com (Links to any articles referenced in above reply are listed on the right side, alphabetically under Labels and also under Archives by Year, Month)
Category: Philippines Internet Koi Society
