Help with metal choices for stand

[JR719]

I posted in the large tank forum, but no help there. Hopefully there is a metal guru here.

I am going to have a friend weld a stand for my 300 glass (8' X 30" deep 25" tall). Before I go any further, I want to know what size square tubing would be best.

I originally thought about 2" with a wall thickness of 3/16". Now I'm leaning towards 1/4" wall thickness. Will the 1/4 be enough or do I need thicker?

[i dont eat fish]

Depends on the metal. Aluminum, mild steel, stainless? I don't know who, specifically, to ask about the strength of each type.

Prices will vary, mild is cheapest, followed by aluminum, followed by stainless.

Also depends on type of welder. Mig or stick will weld steel, tig welds aluminum and anything else including steels. I'd get this info first.

What you need next is a civil engineer. They have books about this type of stuff. Another factor will be the number of vertical supports and the space between them.

One recommendation, after all is said and done, have it powdercoated. Industrial powdercoating companies have finishes that are nearly indestructable, in any color you could want. This will make sure you don't have any chipping or eventual salt water induced corrosion.

And just an added note, my credentials are that I used to manufacture custom turbocharger kits with a few buddies of mine who are fabrication shop engineers/ CNC operators/ welders. We used to weld up aluminum, mild steel, and stainless pretty much daily.

[petedoc]

A picture of my 270 gal metal tank stand and tank It is made of 1.5" steel square tubing.

[JR719]

petedoc,

What is the wall thickness?

[Derek03]

I just built a stand for my 240, 8'x2'x2'. I used 1.5x3/16" mild steel. If you look for sidewinders 375gal build in the large tank section you can see how he build his stand. I built my stand very simular, minus the hood section. The stand is very sturdy

[petedoc]

I am pretty sure it is 3/16" A friend of mine built the stand and bought the steel at a local shop. Powder coating is definitely a good idea.

[JR719]

There is no place to powdercoat within 2 hours from me. I've been looking at having a truck bed liner place spray that on. I'm guessing that is a good coating???

[petedoc]

It will probably work just fine, may not look so nice, but it should protect the steel. May also be cheaper. We have a large jet boat building industry here and the local powder coating place had no idea how much to charge for the stand. They charge most whatever they want to the boat builders, they are large ticket items. We made a deal for 150$ I imagine you plan to cover the stand with a cabinet, so looks won't count for much.

[xcreonx]

I just recently built a new stand for my tank. One of my fellow grad students is a metals sculptor and helped me build it. It is 2" tubular steel, cut and ground for v-joints, arc welded ( gas metal arc ), polished and coated with primer and several coats of enamel. What you see in the photo is the white-colored steel primer.

The stand is 4' long, 2' wide and 3' high.

Now, it is only built for a custom 35gallon tank ( 24x18x18). It is intended to be oversized. Long story. However this could easily hold a 4foot 120g tank.

In fact, after completion, my classmate hoisted a ~2000lb kiln for smelting bronze he was building up on top of the stand to assure me it was strong. I had no doubts before, but after seeing this I was shocked.

I opted out of powder-coating, as it would have costs hundreds of dollars extra. This only cost me the steel, which was like $45 for 40feet. There shouldn't be any issues with the enamel coatings.

I am in the process of skinning it. I cut pieces of chinese birch, with a natural finish, to size and placed small magnets on the back of the pieces to hold against the stand. They easily pop off on all sides for complete access to the sump/skimmer/equipment. I will get some more photos once I finish it all.

Here's the stand with a coat of yellow enamel, so i don't miss any spots. The final (of 4 coats)is black.

And here's the raw steel (with a primed top):

[xcreonx]

Oh, and I don't know the wall thickness of the 2" steel we used.... I could find out though. My friend ordered it for me. I would guess 3/16". I'm pretty sure it wasn't 1/4".

[mike536]

3/16" is more than enough. I'm a welder with the military. I built a stand for my 75 out of 2" angle iron and I swear to God I can drive a tank over it!!!! Hope this helps.

[oosurfin]

this will help you

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1057167

[JR719]

If 3/16 wall will work without the worry of bending or sagging, it will save 80 cents a foot. My welder friend believes the 3/16" will work, I just want to be positive to avoid a disaster.

[petedoc]

From what my welder tells me, you won't have any problem with strength. My stand has cross braces every 12 inches spanning the top and bottom and back. I think it would hold a small D8 cat.