Steel stand Project - need advice

[hostage46]

Hey folks,

I need to move my 3 year old 60 gallon cube to a new room. In the process I've decided to upgrade the stand to steel and increase the internal volume. Reefer/CAD enabled buddy whipped up an initial drawing, he used 2 in steel, which may be overkill.

I have a few simple structural questions:
-Where can I determine the correct steel for the tank?
-What about powder coating? is it worth it?
-I got an an initial quote for this to fabricate, including materials for nearly $500 (not powder coated)

Dan in Dallas

[DomC]

I would just build it out of wood. You could get away with 3/4" plywood. Most stand people on here with there 4x4 is way over kill. But if you go with steel option I would get it powder coated.

[hostage46]

Thanks for the feedback Dom, but I'm going with steel for a variety of reasons.

[fishgate]

How mechanically inclined are you? You could buy a welder (mig) and the materials for $500. Then you'd have the welder for other projects. That's the route I would take.

[smb2415]

I would highly recommend powder coat. for your size tank .125"x1"x1" square tube steel will be more than sufficient. I have a 550g built on 2". there is another option though.... checkout 8020.net Their product allows for no welding metal frame, level and square, and you could paint it in epoxy or possibly powder coat the finished assembled project. You will save time and considerable money going this route. Personally I am not a fan or wooden stands for any aquarium.

[hostage46]

Option A: plans to a fab shop. Initial quote came from this, but I think there was a middle man who added cost

Option B: Another buddy has a welder and I think he can do this

[hostage46]

Ah yes 8020 that's a great idea!

[Gorgok]

60 cube sounds like its a solid glass bottom with no trim. If that is the case you will need to fill the top ring with more supports than just the perimeter. Also it would be better if the tank actually sat on the ring, instead of in the hole the ring surrounds, depending on what material you use for sheeting and where you place cross members. Obviously if you place cross members out of angle iron or something directly under each vertical pane of glass its the safe effect as having it sitting on the ring.

2" square 1/4" thick is massive for a tank that size though.

Are you planning on relying on the sheeting to keep it from racking? Or add some gussets to the back corners and be safer?

[hostage46]

Tank is 3 years old and sits on a wooden top. Same approach for the upgrade. It's an FG bottom.

Talked to a few folks, 1.5 square tubing is more suitable, brings the cost down. We'll add a but of bracing for the top.

[tankfull]

2x on 8020 stuff.

[Menace2Sobriety]

Why powder coat? What's all the hype about it?

Menace

[smb2415]

Originally Posted by Menace2Sobriety

Why powder coat? What's all the hype about it?

Menace

Powder coat if done correctly is a thermally applied paint which creates a 'shell' that protects the steel from corrosion. This shell is also sturdy if not abused (no hammer or sharp impacts). By being done well I mean that the steel corners must all be rounded, no sharp or pointed edges as these create weak spots. The steel should also be completely closed/sealed - no open tube ends, gaps in welds, or drill holes. Open areas will allow moisture in and thus defeat the purpose. Powder coat also looks finished, it can be gloss, flat, etc and could be a piece of furniture.

[smb2415]

1.5" is still waay overbuilt. remember you are dispersing all the weight over the entire top frame, not all the weight in 1" as most of the engineering specs are written. I'd recommend 1" with .120 wall or if you want extra security opt for 1.25" with .120 wall

[SGT_York]

3x1 1/8" steel will suffice and is cheaper than 2x2. But for this small sized tank 1.25 would work.

The powder coating is optional, just a normal paint job will work for many years. If you powder coat it the stand will last longer than your lifespan. As most of us don't keep our tanks for more than a decade without changing them it's not that big of an issue.

[acidblondie]

If the metal is properly prepped a good 2 part urethane will do. Where I work (on a $7 million paint system) an iron phosphate conversion coating would get about 500-600 hours in a salt spray test. When we switched to a titanium based conversion coating our salt spray resistance jumped to over 1000 hours with a single coat of powder. I did a zinc-rich primer covered with a blue metal flake color coat and a clear top coat, all powder over the titanium conversion coating. I would expect to get 3000 hours on a salt spray test with that. Enough for a couple of lifetimes.

[smb2415]

Originally Posted by acidblondie

If the metal is properly prepped a good 2 part urethane will do. Where I work (on a $7 million paint system) an iron phosphate conversion coating would get about 500-600 hours in a salt spray test. When we switched to a titanium based conversion coating our salt spray resistance jumped to over 1000 hours with a single coat of powder. I did a zinc-rich primer covered with a blue metal flake color coat and a clear top coat, all powder over the titanium conversion coating. I would expect to get 3000 hours on a salt spray test with that. Enough for a couple of lifetimes.

Jeez, wish I had an affordable option for a finish job like that!!

[uncleof6]

Your design, if I see it correctly, is not safe. It will rely solely on the plywood top to support the tank. The perimeter of the tank needs to sit squarely on the top rim of the stand.

When considering load, although a fish tank of any size is a small load, think of the plywood as a sheet of paper, because that is how it is going to behave under load. Also consider the steel as spaghetti noodles, as that is how it will behave. The only support the tank is going to have is the vertical members of the stand. Make sure the tank sits on top of the support. Although vertical memeber numbers can be decreased by using larger/rectangular horizontal members, you cannot float the tank on the plywood. Bad idea.

[hostage46]

Thanks guys.

Top is NOT plywood. It will be solid block, butcher block, like you would see on a counter top. Adding a horizontal support the top where the wood will sit to prevent any flex

Found a fabricator, for $100 he'll powder coat.. I hate painting. Build thread to follow

Dan in Dallas