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We are beginners but have ended up buying a fairly large (4 foot) fish tank and have some questions about setting it up.

we are worried about making sure it is level, as a lot of videos say this is very critical and we could get leaks if we don't get it right. the tank has built-in foam on the bottom but seems very thin, and also you can see the gaps between the foam and the cabinet.

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Is this normal/will solve itself once there is water in the (200 liter) tank? Or do we need extra foam to be safe? We also noticed that the water doesn't seem completely level when we put about 2cm of water in the tank, so we used a kit from aldi underneath the cabinet that we believe makes it more level. Is doing it like shown in the photo acceptable or is there more to making sure our cabinet is stable?

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The other concern is position as we've heard again and again that you don't want direct sunlight on your tank or could end up with algae problems. We're limited in where we can place this size of tank, and have a lot of windows and light in our house. We thought that in the corner although next to a window that has shutters and a glass door that has curtains would be OK, but really want to get it right before filling the tank and making it hard to move anywhere else. will this position be meeting the requirement of "no direct sunlight" enough, or are we likely to have problems? enter image description here

thanks so much in advance for your patience and attention!

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    is the furniture made for your tank and does it transfer the weight evenly to the floor.can the floor suport the weight of the tank whitout any deformation.
    – trond hansen
    Jul 30 '18 at 4:25
  • @trondhansen thanks for your reply! the cabinet is made for the tank. I am not sure how we can get an answer to whether the floor will support the weight of the tank without deformation and whether it distributes the weight equally to the floor? any advice on how to test this?
    – lee
    Jul 30 '18 at 4:46
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    if it is made for your tank it will give the right weight distribution,and if the floorboards are of good quality it should handle the weight,if you need to level the setup be sure to distribute the weght evenly.i hope an answer will include how this is done properly.
    – trond hansen
    Jul 30 '18 at 7:08
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4 feet long is very likely named (in US )) a 55 gallon ( nominally 48" X 12" X 20" ) , very common size. I have 3 aquariums that I specifically put in front of south windows to maximize light for plants. Algae is generally not a problem in a planted tank because the plants absorb nutrients better than the algae. I have no experience for tanks without plants. Artificial will also encourage algae growth. The thin layer of foam is good to accommodate small variations in the stand surface; I have been doing it for years but I never saw a tank that came with foam. Level floor is good but not critical, I have a 75 that is 1/2" deeper at one end because of the concrete floor. However , for your frameless style tank , I think it would look best if level. Good Luck !

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