Steel stand

[DZs]

I'm going to have a friend weld me up a steel stand, then I'll skin it with wood by using magnets. To protect the steel, it'll either be powdercoated (depending on Phil's quote) or I'll use POR 15 that I've used on cars etc. For on top of the sump wood floor, I'm thinking of either an acrylic or coated aluminum drip catch pan.

Anyone have any other ideas we need to think of for this stand? Once this tank is up. That's it, I can not change anything with after thoughts of shoulda's.....

 

[Bamm Bamm]

You can paint the stand with truck bed liner...Extremally durable.. and you can buy small cans at the autopart store and well Walmart used to even sell it..

 

[DZs]

I would use that Dan... But I do not like the texture or the rubbery feel. Slick and shiny for easy cleaning.

 

[DZs]

This is the design we will be making, but with added bottom rails for sump and minus the panel tabs.

 

[DZs]

I was up late last night laying out the plans and cuts. Today we will be buying the steel to get this puppy going. Wish I knew how to use a software program. Would had been much easier. LOL

 

[Bamm Bamm]

HEY let me know how much that steel costs you I gotta buy some for my new trailer and I'm trying to guesstimate what it's gonna cost..

 

[Jacob D]

Holy moly... Donna, you made a paper model! That might be more work than the actual stand itself

 

[Bamm Bamm]

Yeah Donna is getting crazy with this build!!

 

[JoshuaG]

Modesto steel has the best price I have found and holy moly you could park a truck on that stand!

If it's not too late, it would be much easier to do something like this. Just as strong and you don't have to use as much steel. Heck, the stands built by the big aquarium makers don't even use the racking support pieces.

Here is what A.G.E puts their tanks on.

 

[vulteiv1]

Wow donna that thing is a monster. I agree with Josh, I don't think you need anything that heavy duty. Save that money for the corals.

 

[DZs]

The stand above is with 2" tubing, over built perhaps. It was for his over 200 Lemar.

Awesome... Holds a truck. :lolspin:
We were just talking the other day how it's like one of my little cars sitting in the house.
Water weight 1800lb, 3/4"glass starphire eurobraced tank, sand, rocks.... This thing will weigh more then it! :eek1:

Honestly, I would take the first picture over the A.G.A's or add the corner braces like the first pic on the AGAs. I know they've been around for awhile. But there's just no way, at least for myself... that I will have an unbraced, anti-racking stand with that kind of weight on it. Once it get's pushed along with in tank water force... would I feel safe. Unless we have one hell of an earthquake.

Braces, only an additional..... $35.00
Peace of mind..... Priceless


PS.
Oceanic 90 Bowfront, Oceanic's stand. I can take my hand and move my tank on top. That it scares me to death. I know wood vs steel, apples to oranges. But it's another well known Maker... And who knows... maybe it's due to sitting on carpet on cement slab along with total height being 5ft tall. or maybe it's getting old.... All I know, is that I would love to have a worry free set up. Without Dennis cashing in on my life policy at an early age.

 

[DZs]

edit double post

 

[kcress]

DZs asked me to explain rack bracing so I've edited the response I gave her earlier. This it.

The idea behind the bracing is to resist the stand folding up if a large side load is put on it while it's supporting a lot of weight. This load would be, pretty much, unexpected so thinking there won't be one is like thinking you'll never be in a wreck because you drive safely. Someone could simply trip, faint, stumble, or slip and fall against the tank. In some states an earthquake is a high possibility. You might be leaning on the tank to service it, or standing on something and fall on it.

As a stand starts to disfigure to one side the imbalance is rapidly reinforced by the weight of the tank. Thus the tank starts driving the collapse itself. Because of this rapid transition the collapse is nearly instantaneous in our human time frame.

The bracing then, is to resist any external side load just enough to prevent the tank from this self sustaining process. For most tanks that means 'bracing' on the bottom AND the top. However, in most cases this is only needed on one face of the stand. Say, the back. Then the same could be said for a side except our stands are so long that one end won't help stiffen the stand if it's pushed backwards on the other end. Hence, you should do both ends.

That would be the bottom and top corners on the back of each side.

And the bottom and top corners of the back face on both ends.

These additions will make it very hard for something to push a tank to a point where its own weight starts contributing to a collapse.

Those you see that are only the bottom or only the top are better than nothing but not as good as they could be.

If you happen to use flags in every outside corner then you can use them for attaching the stand's skin, which, can actually be a huge problem in some cases. Drilling holes in thin tubing seriously reduces the tubing's strength, but holes don't impact flag type braces.

 

[DZs]

HEY let me know how much that steel costs you I gotta buy some for my new trailer and I'm trying to guesstimate what it's gonna cost..

1.5", 1/8" thick, I paid $47.00 ($2.35)per 20ft of tubing. 20% more if you buy per ft.
The other place I was quoted, they went by weight and it was doubled that price.

 

[JoshuaG]

Donna, have you heard of stands like A.G.E's collapsing? I've looked quite a bit and haven't found any examples but it sounds pretty crazy, especially on a tank under 200g.

 

[DZs]

We started on the stand yesterday. Here she is so far.

 

[Bamm Bamm]

sweet.. Donna did you get the steel in Stockton at crap i forgot the name of the place it's on charter/hwy4

I think Im actually going to be able to get all my steel free=) buddies an iron worker says his boss will let us have what we need more than likely..

 

[DZs]

Freeeee is always a sweet deal Dan
I got the steel here in Lodi since it was right around the corner from the shop. Finished her up last night and now it's in my livingroom. It's sooo shiney that I kinda of just want to hit it with some scotch-bright and clear coat it. :lol:

 

[Bamm Bamm]

It looks good and IMO overbuilt is always better you see how I build stuff..
yeah FREE rules... Now if I get just get the parts to fix my new dirtbike that I cracked the transmission case on yesterday for free that would rule...

 

[Bamm Bamm]

I might have a take a trip to the steel store today.. Picked up a nice Lincoln Welder yesterday then met up with my Snap On tools guy and bought a hella nice auto adjusting helmet.. Im itching to finish my trailer that stand looks so awesome!!!