Lets see those steel stands!

[Fitz19d]

Originally Posted by ReefRealEstate

2"x2"x 1/4" I'm guessing this will do it. The guy laughed at me when I asked if the stand was strong enough.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/pi...ictureid=74528

Glass is 3/4" all round - Starphire glass on front and left side. 1 Piece euro brace on top....I love her....

I would maybe put some kind of seal around back and right sides to prevent moisute building up in the space between glass and wall.

[reefanatik]

Needing some help please. I am going to build a steel stand in the next week or two. My tank will be a custom planet aquariums 48x36x24 180g tank. So my question is what size steel do I need for the top if I want an open front with no center support. I will put a support on the back but I want it all open for maintenance up front. Downloading sketch up at the moment. I will get it sketched up in a few to show the final design. Thank u in advance for any help.

[reefanatik]

Here is the sketup i came up with. It will have 4 gussets on all sides to help when i go to skin it and to help with added support.

[57buick]

Last 8ft tank I built the steel stand, this time I designed and building a stand out of aluminum extrusion for my new 8 foot 400g tank. And a canopy to match. Very modern design and will have finished cherry wood panels to fit into the sections not on the outside of the stand.

The legs look big but they are actually just 3"x3" also aluminum extrusion has those slots on the inside of the beams so you can add accessories and make custom mounts etc at any time in the future

[57buick]

Again, it's overbuilt I know but I just like having a safety factor built into it, and my sump is in the garage and its plumbed under the house and comes through the floor with the 3 inch bulkhead for drain and a 1.5" bulkhead for returns to split off from

[Sphack]

Originally Posted by 57buick

Last 8ft tank I built the steel stand, this time I designed and building a stand out of aluminum extrusion for my new 8 foot 400g tank. And a canopy to match. Very modern design and will have finished cherry wood panels to fit into the sections not on the outside of the stand.



The legs look big but they are actually just 3"x3" also aluminum extrusion has those slots on the inside of the beams so you can add accessories and make custom mounts etc at any time in the future

Where are you getting the extruded aluminum? I like this idea and might try it as well.

[57buick]

Originally Posted by Sphack

Where are you getting the extruded aluminum? I like this idea and might try it as well.

I used the MAy-CAD software from MAYTEC INC. you can download the software and use it yourself, it's free.

My stand is using 80mm by 80mm legs which is equal to about 3 inches. And the stand is costing me $2700 but that is the same or cheaper than the nice wood stands I was quoted. Not comparable to a cheap pine stand from petco but a real wood stand and canopy would cost $3k

In my case my 8ft tank is going to be viewable from both sides peninsula style so a typical wood stand is not made to be seen from both sides

[57buick]

Originally Posted by Sphack

Where are you getting the extruded aluminum? I like this idea and might try it as well.

A lot of people call this 80\20 but that is a brand name. There are lots of companies selling and making extruded aluminum, search ebay for 80\20 for an idea or google it for others.

[57buick]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWCeJ5yv9LM

I think red sea aquarium stands are made of the same stuff, Except I am paying a little more for beams that are smooth on the outside with no slots showing for a seamless look

[Johnnydaz143]

How much would a stand like this cost to fabricate

[57buick]

Originally Posted by Johnnydaz143

How much would a stand like this cost to fabricate

My stand design in the picture cost about $2700,

the quote I got from a large aquarium maker for a nice wood stand was $3300

[reefanatik]

No reply so I will try again. Does anyone know if I go with 2x3 on top can I go witout center brace on front?

[Meshmez]

hey all, im thinking of making a steel stand for my 60" x 24" x 24" 150 gallon tank. attached is what im thinking of doing. its 72"L x 30"W x 36"T planning on 2" x 2" x 1/8" tubing. 1/4" thick 4" x 4" triangle gussets. im also planning on bolting 1/4" plywood to the outside, through the holes in the gussets for additional strength. does this seem acceptable? or do i need center posts? any other changes?

[fabjr]

Use 316 alloy stainless steel. It is the highly corrosion|rust resistant version of stainless steel. My stand is made of TIG welded 2" square tubing. I don't remember the wall thickness, but is is surprisingly thin.
Stand is 96"x 42" with 8 legs and horizontal members all around and top and bottom. The bottom has feet for leveling the stand. The bottom horizontal frame members are above the ground by an inch or so to provide a "toekick."

[Meshmez]

Originally Posted by fabjr

Use 316 alloy stainless steel. It is the highly corrosion|rust resistant version of stainless steel. My stand is made of TIG welded 2" square tubing. I don't remember the wall thickness, but is is surprisingly thin.
Stand is 96"x 42" with 8 legs and horizontal members all around and top and bottom. The bottom has feet for leveling the stand. The bottom horizontal frame members are above the ground by an inch or so to provide a "toekick."

unfortunately, i dont have access to a tig welder, only mig.

[GiulianoM]

I'm contemplating a build for a 600 Gallon acrylic tank, with the tank dimensions being 96" x 48" x 30" (L, W, H).

I took an initial stab at a design in Sketchup, using 2" 11ga square steel tubing (.120 wall).

The stand dimensions are planned at 96x48x36.



Thoughts?

[aryth]

Great thread!
If anyone is looking for featured, yet rather simple calculator for metal beams (could not find one here, had to go to Google - ridiculous, I know). Here is one that answered most of my questions on deflection of beams of different sizes for a particular stand construction.


http://webstructural.com/steel-beam-how-to.html

http://webstructural.com/beam-designer.html

[reefanatik]

Top frame out of 2x3 11 guage.... Done


Legs out of 2x2....... Done



And Dad smiling cause the hard part is done.



Now gota finish a few more welds, install gussets, and grind welds smooth.

[reefanatik]

Now time to get it powder coated red

[reefanatik]

[reefanatik]

[57buick]

I ended up designing an extruded aluminum frame with adjustable level feet all around. I like the slots so I can always add custom mounts and brackets in the future. This time around though its plumbing down into the floor through large bulkheads to the garage sump.

But I can still use the stand for a sump later if I move. Also in the pics you can see the matching canopy frame coming together. Im gonna have steel brackets hidden inside the frame for magnets in the wood panels to stick to.

[lagatbezan]

okay need some advice from all you experts please
will be getting my new tank within a few week and would like suggestions on a stand build and size of tubing to use. the tank is a 300g acrylic 96*24*30(height) and I would like the stand to be about 42" high.
I got this picture from another member who had posted his stand here so I would like to know what size tubing and gauge I would need to use to make a similar one. any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance.

[Reef or Die]

Originally Posted by reefanatik

Quick question
If I built a stand like this pictured with 1.5 inch steel and made it longer than my actual tank , would it be safe. My tank is 36 inches and I'm thinking of building the stand Like 44 inches to accomadate a bigger sump

Thx

[BFG]

57Buick , are you going to cover the frame ? What will you be using ?