I was thinking about having a stand made out of tube steel for my new 7 footer instead of building on out of wood but I'm unsure of how to tell the welder how to build it. I was just curious as to what size tube steel I would need and what the general plan might look like as far as the number of cross beams and legs go. The tank is 7x2x2. Which, I believe is 209 gallons. Any help would be great. Thanks everyone.
Metal Stands
- Thread starter Jmart159
- Start date
This is where I based my build, only less tall and stainless steel. I also added central connecting beam on the base in the center so it will not sag or "widen" more. Mine are not circular beams as they are more difficult to weld and don't have much counter-flexing. Credits to www.reefaddicts.com.
Take a look at my 360 stand. I'm using 2X2" Tubular steal. Also there's another few pictures of my 125 stand. You can see this metal stands are very strong! I had the 125 built with the least amount of metal possible and it's still over built!
The 360 stand has 5 cross pieces that go from the front to the back right under the tank (can not see because it's under the fish tank). I did this to support the base of the acrylic fish tank. The bottom of the 360 does not have any cross braces, I did this to get the sump on the floor, as low as possible.
The 125 stand has no cross braces under the tank because the 125 is glass and doesn't need the support.
Hopefully you get some good ideas for your stand.
The 360 stand has 5 cross pieces that go from the front to the back right under the tank (can not see because it's under the fish tank). I did this to support the base of the acrylic fish tank. The bottom of the 360 does not have any cross braces, I did this to get the sump on the floor, as low as possible.
The 125 stand has no cross braces under the tank because the 125 is glass and doesn't need the support.
Hopefully you get some good ideas for your stand.
Thanks. This looks like it may be the better way to go. Now, I just need to call the welders and get an estimate.
Be sure they understand the importance of the surface being almost perfectly planar. I would even have them spell it out in the bid that it must be within 1/8" or even 1/16" tolerance. If the surface is not perfectly flat, it could cause stress on your tank that could eventually lead to failure. I've seen guys post up horror stories about this, so just be sure to communicate your expectations up front.
Good Luck!
Good Luck!