So, I'm thinking about scrapping the wood stand I built for my 210 because of a few complications and having a metal on made out of tube steel. However, before I do this, I need to get quotes. I'm just curious, what size tube do you think it would have to be made of to support a tank of this size?
Metal Stand
- Thread starter Jmart159
- Start date
Depends on what kind of deflection you are willing to deal with. 1.5" should be sufficient if you brace every 2' or so.
As Pharaoh said, the thickness of steel needed depends on the length of the longest unsupported span. Is the tank glass or acrylic?
The tank is glass. It is 7x2x2. I would like to keep it at 4 legs with 2 extra supports in front and 2 more in back totaling 8 legs.
There is a great thread on reefcentral regarding steel stands, I learned a lot reading through it, particularly from 'kcress'.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=21145322#post21145322
Key things to avoid;
-non-symmetry of uprights
-horizontal supports not lining up with verticals
-vertical supports welded to the sides of the top/base
So you're talking about eight legs in total? So across the front the widest span will be 28" (less the thickness of the steel used for the legs). I'm sure you'd get away with 1.5x1.5x1/8" RHS, but there would be no harm in going heavier. I'd certainly look at using gussets in the corners, and if you're using diagonal braces they are far more effective going corner to corner. The thing to remember with a glass tank is that glass doesn't flex. 0.25mm deflection in your stand is enough to transfer most of the load off the stand and onto the glass and silicone.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=21145322#post21145322
Key things to avoid;
-non-symmetry of uprights
-horizontal supports not lining up with verticals
-vertical supports welded to the sides of the top/base
So you're talking about eight legs in total? So across the front the widest span will be 28" (less the thickness of the steel used for the legs). I'm sure you'd get away with 1.5x1.5x1/8" RHS, but there would be no harm in going heavier. I'd certainly look at using gussets in the corners, and if you're using diagonal braces they are far more effective going corner to corner. The thing to remember with a glass tank is that glass doesn't flex. 0.25mm deflection in your stand is enough to transfer most of the load off the stand and onto the glass and silicone.