Aquarium stand advice

[fjk]

hi

- you might want to seal up the ends of the tubing, both for aesthetics
and to prevent moisture/etc from getting in there.

- your design shows the stretchers/etc of the lower frame directly
on the floor. if the floor has any bumps/etc in it, this will make
the whole thing unstable. move the stretchers up a few inches
and make it so that just the ends of the legs are on the floor.

- probably also want to put levelers on the bottoms of the legs
(or at least rubber feet).

- i'd design the plywood box with some ventilation in it

frank

[Engloid]

If it were me, I'd use 3/4-1" tube. I'd not count on any wood for strength. I'd build the steel frame strong enough to hold up.

Don't forget to leave room for any filters that may hang off the back of the tank, and/or hoses that may need to go through the top surface, to the sump.

[dedfish]

I plan on plugging any open ends with silicone. Also I'll install some sort of leveling feet.

Engloid: I'm planning on using 1 1/2 square tube.

[Engloid]

I plan on plugging any open ends with silicone. Also I'll install some sort of leveling feet.

Engloid: I'm planning on using 1 1/2 square tube.

I don't think you'll need any sort of diagonals then, provided the welds are sound.

[AJNicholson13]

Yea...I'll be putting on several coats of paint. I've also considered powder coating it.

Powdercoating is great I did my wheels on my car and I live in Ohio where winters are really rough on paint. My wheels are still going strong 3 yerars later.

[dedfish]

All done welding...only finish work left to do.

[kahlin]

Acrylic or glass. For glass you'll need support around the perimeter of the tank. For acrylic you'll need a flat surface across the complete footprint of the bottom of the tank. No humps, so ensure it is level. I'd put one more crossmember at the middle from front to back, (if it's acrylic) so there would be any change of sagging/cracking. If glass, good to go. Level it good before filling with water.

Saltwater tank- give it a good prime & paint. Skimmers, sumps, refugiums are big evaporaton sources.

Good luck, post pic's

[Jim-TX]

Nice job on the stand dedfish. I'm partial to powder coating for a couple of reasons. One, it's better. Two, this time of the year it's hard to paint unless you have a good heated place. I don't. My powder coater is only one mile from my shop so that makes it easy.