Loaches Online Forum

Our tank was leaning on one side. We emptied it almost completely, and moved it (FOUR INCHES. FOUR!). A heck of a job!!
I'm pretty much just asking for prayers / good thoughts / positive vibes for all the fishes in the tank. Fatso is still recovering from her ordeal, so I really wish we had not moved the tank tonight, but it was getting scary how much the tank was tilting. Funny thing is...it's STILL not level. It's still not level the same way! I"m guessing the tank is actually crooked...or the stand. It's just a "TeenY" bit, but it gets more obvious as time goes by, so that makes me think that it's the flooring it's on! Scary> We've got them set up on the second floor..
One good thing, I found two khulies! Didn't know how many (if any) we had left. They're both HUGE. It was a lovely site to see them out after the move.

I would be seriously concerned, if I was you. Leaning even by a tiny bit puts a lot of extra stress on the side it is leaning towards and can cause the entire tank to collapse/explode. When I set up my tanks, I use a level and adjust the tanks the entire time to make sure they are absolutely level. I start by making sure the stand is level, then the tank empty is level on the stand and then I check as I fill it. I am paranoid about a tank coming apart. Is the stand leaning? iN any case the extra stress on the tank could cause it to fail. If you can find out if the tank or the stand is at fault, then you might want to see if you can return them for a replacement.

A 55 gallons weighs at least 440 pounds. Can you put it downstairs? It may be causing a problem with the floor. In some of the older posts, you'll see where other members of LOL have braced the floors of the their houses when they have big tanks. If I remember correctly it was for tanks much bigger/heavier than a 55. But many people are very careful to put the tank straddling studs in the flood.

If you need to replac ethe tank, keep the filters running, so you don't lose the cycle. Put the fish in a big rubbermaid container until you can get the new tank established.

When I moved my 29 gallon, I found 8 horsefaces I hadn't seen in months. THey were all under the sand. I thought they had all died. That was pretty cool.

NOW i'm freaked out. We can't put it downstairs, the temperature down there is uncontrollable. My husband used the level the way you suggested, in the beginning, on both tank and stand. Both were good.
Last night we moved that tank back and forth a few times. There was always a slight shift. One side or the other. This house is old and (truthfully) built like garbage. We don't own it.
I know a 55 gallon is extremely heavy. Water is VERY heavy on its own. WITHOUT the tank and the stand! Together.....
Not a new tank. Got second hand in the summer time.
I'd knock the water down to half but how can I filter it that way? We *DID* speak on the possibility that it might just not be doable here. At least we both realize that possibility. I will talk to him tonight about it, again. This is just one of those things that you can't "Wait and See" for very long, I'm getting that. I was worried about breaking through the floor......now I"m terrified it will fail!!!!!!
Ugh......

It is not the tank. It's the HOUSE. Well that's a LITTLE better, because using the levels & knowing this, we can provide lift on the correct side and even it out. I guess I should have been the one paying attention last night. The entire house slants!! (NOT a shocker).
Well hey at least we got the stud straddling right...fat lot of good that does in a crooked house. =/

I was afraid your floor was going, so at least that isn't the problem. (We had a friend who was bathing upstairs, and during a party, the tub came through the ceiling right into the party. Luckily no one was hurt.) See if someone on here can help figure out how to lvel the tank.

I guess I should stop bathing in the tank, just in case...

I'm sure your fish would be quite interested in you bathing in their tank.

You think the barbels tickle on your FINGERS?

You can try a board under the stand to even out the flooring, if the house is old it maybe shifting and causing uneven flooring. We have to use pieces of boards under the legs of our furnitur to keep things level. Hope this helps.

Thanks!! That is what we're considering. I appreciate it: )

I would put some stiff boarding down to spread the load form the tank. This should prevent any further load indiced movement in the floor/house. Try some ply