steel angle tank frame

morbid0000 · #1 12/19/2007, 04:58 PM

Has ayone made a glass tank with a steel angle iron frame?

Being a hobby welder/blacksmith with only questionable woodworking skills [and I abhor fiberglass work], I'm looking at constructing my large tank [96x30x48] with 1/4 thick stainless angle, pvc bottom/back, and glass sides. I'm wondering if anyone else had done this?

I did see one thread a while back where a guy had made a similar tank, but coundn't find the thread again.

M

sfsuphysics · #2 12/19/2007, 05:01 PM

Here's one off the top of my head, perhaps the one you're thinking of.

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1183020

rustybucket145 · #3 12/19/2007, 05:10 PM

Rust and Corrosion will be your #1 problem.

morbid0000 · #4 12/19/2007, 05:13 PM

304 series stainless steel, to reduce the rust and corrosion issues.

morbid0000 · #5 12/19/2007, 05:17 PM

sfsuphysics, that's the thread. Looks like he used 1/8 thick, but I'm paranoid, so was thinking 1/4. At current market prices, that means my frame wil cost $1400.... but it will take me only a day to assemble. Reading those 3+ month threads for woden tank builds made me dizzy. I don't have the patience for that.

rustybucket145 · #6 12/19/2007, 05:59 PM

DOH! Guess I should have read the whole post huh?

morbid0000 · #7 12/19/2007, 06:36 PM

rusty, that's ok, I posted about the stainless in reply because I thought I'd forgotten... seems I should have read what *I* posted.

tedu · #8 12/19/2007, 06:54 PM

At some point I think you'll hit a point of diminishing returns (from a $ perspective).

The PVC you want to use for the bottom and back panel won't be cheap either.

sfsuphysics · #9 12/19/2007, 07:11 PM

PVC won't be cheap? I thought it was a "starboard" type material... which isn't that pricy IIRC.

I do have some old angle iron downstairs that if I had time I might get an itchy finger and want to build a new tank myself, but then again I don't know anything about protection for it, I could powder coat it but don't know if that'd protect it at all or anything.

I agree on the plywood bit, I always have pie in the sky dreams about building a plywood tank but I don't think I'd have the patience to do that much work.

tedu · #10 12/19/2007, 07:23 PM

Well, original post said PVC.

Obviously Starboard (HDPE) != PVC
HDPE is definitely cheaper than PVC.

Haven't even started talking about the challenges of sealing glass to either material.

Fiziksgeek · #11 12/19/2007, 08:34 PM

What about building the frame from regular old common steel. Your looking about about 60' of 2 x 2 x 1/4 wall, should run about $150-$175. Sand blast it or hit it with a flap disc down to bare metal. Then you could paint it, epoxy it, even have it powder coated. Then lay the glass in with a nice cushion of silicone.

morbid0000 · #12 12/19/2007, 08:43 PM

Its not the cost that I'm fighting, just my blatant bias against building anything out of wood. Since I KNOW how strong a stainless frame will be, and I know that the position of the glass edge overlaps and silicon has been used in countless aquariums over the years, I'm buying piece of mid that I will NOT have if I'm the one gluing/screwing together a wood frame and coating it in epoxy. We each need to work with the talents we have, and woodworking is NOT mine... nor is patience.

A further concern is that this will be a basement tank, and while I can get a 4x8 of anything into my basement, it better not be more than 2" thick to go around a staircase bend. With Steel, Glass, PVC, and silicon costs, I'm still paying less than the quotes to have a tank custom assembled in my basement.

I did say PVC, which I suppose is open to change. I've seens a few large tanks use whole sheets of what they said was PVC for bottoms [won't crack if you drop a rock]. In all cases, the pcv and glass were abitted and silicone was applied. I'm still researching which material I'll end up using, but 4x8 sheets of 3/4 pvc are running about $500 and the hpde about $400.

M

Fiziksgeek · #13 12/19/2007, 08:51 PM

The problem for people building tanks with PVC bottoms is making the structural bond between the glass and PVC. Its usually done with UV curing glues, which are expensive themselves, but its the equipment for the curing that is the big problem. I wonder in this case, since the steel frame will be the main structural component, if a more standard silicone will be fine..hmmmm...something tells me no..but I've been wrong before!

liveforphysics · #14 12/20/2007, 07:26 PM

I replied to your PM

My 304 stainless steel frame shown in the link above has had countless amounts of saltwater dribbled onto it from reaching my arms in and out of the tank. Absolutely no visible rust or corosion anywhere on it, and I don't really give it any special treatment other than wiping off the visible saltcreep from dribbles whenever I'm in a cleaning mood.

I have been very pleased with how well it has held up.

Also, the house it was located in was recently flooded with sewer water from the major Seattle flooding we have been having. It got much of the house, but didn't touch my tank due to being in a raised area (thank God!)

So, after moving all the livestock and disconnecting a huge amount of plumbing, I began to move the tank. It actaully slipped and fell from about 12" up while setting it down to rest. It made a terrible sound when it hit, kinda like a sledgehammer hitting a rock. I thought the tank would be hurt, but it hit right on the corner and chipped the concrete and left no damage to the tank. That stainless steel is very strong stuff, and I'm very pleased with the durability of the tank.

Good Luck with your build!

-Luke

liveforphysics · #15 12/20/2007, 07:29 PM

Also, reguarding bonding the bottom of the tank. If you use the same polyurea special stuff that I used, it bonds to glass and PVC and wood with an amazing stregnth.

The downside would be the cost... $$$$

But, you would at least know that you could stab and hit and throw rocks on the bottom of your tank all day long and never have a problem. If you used plywood and this coating over PVC, it would provide an excellent seal, along with offsetting the cost of the coating from not needing to buy a PVC sheet.