Emerald525 Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 So here's the deal. We are planning on breaking down our glass aquarium even though I prefer glass and it's a nice tank with canopy and stand it's just a little too tall for us short folks!(laugh). We have another 150 gallon acrylic same dims as the other reef 60 x 24 x 24 and we have decided we are going to start a new tank project because who doesn't like those.(clap)(clap) Any good tank stand builders out there? I have already asked Shane and Steve but apparently they have lives...DOH! Pm my thoughts was to pay for materials and do some trades. I've got a lot of nice chalices and zoas and other corals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 Kim, txt me an we'll talk.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassi Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 Ditch the canopy! Especially if you plan to use an ATI fixture I would suggest you stainless steel with salt proof epoxy coat, and doors just mounted with magnets or sliding hinges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassi Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 Check this out: http://reefbuilders.com/2010/11/01/steelaquariumstands/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowpunk Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 Check this out: http://reefbuilders.com/2010/11/01/steelaquariumstands/ that is very similar to what I am going to do for mine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassi Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 that is very similar to what I am going to do for mine... Really nice. I would do the same if I was gonna redo the stand or a new project. I'm looking forward to see it. When I had my custom kitchen built in Italy the architect used some sort of modular system. You buy the stainless steel or aluminum studs and you put them together with some angular joints made of strong rubber. I was wondering if there is something similar here and where to find it. This is something similar but with metal joints: http://www.item24.com/fileadmin/pdf/neuheiten/MB-novita-Profilati-St-0906-IT.pdf (sorry for the foreign language, but it is mostly images) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowpunk Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 I wouldn't trust that for a heavy tank but cool looking stuff. Not a clue where to find it though...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald525 Posted November 4, 2010 Author Share Posted November 4, 2010 Thanks for the input Alex. I never even thought about steel. I was thinking good old fashioned wood. I agree Alex I'm thinking of not having a canopy but the ATI would not go on the new tank. We're still going to keep it as an aggressive tank. Beth really likes the trigger fish and we love our queen angel. The ATI would go on the old tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 Why not make the new tank the reef tank and the old one the aggressive tank? Then you could redo the reef tank and fix any issues and what not and it will be a nice new tank :-P itll be purty lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald525 Posted November 4, 2010 Author Share Posted November 4, 2010 Why not make the new tank the reef tank and the old one the aggressive tank? Then you could redo the reef tank and fix any issues and what not and it will be a nice new tank :-P itll be purty lol Way ahead of you Mick. I thought about that too LOL and just use the old lighting on the current Reef tank. It's not a bad idea really. The problem is the tank will have to be cycled for a while and it will be a while before you can start putting sps in the tank and in the meantime I have a baby queen angel in a 14 gallon biocube along with 2 ocellaris and a formosa wrasse who would be there for a while to the tank was up and going and at this point all we have is the tank it's not drillled, it's not plumbed and no stand. How soon can you add sps to a new tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 Has anyone checked steel prices lately? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SALTY Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 I have always used Natural Woodcrafters to build my stands and hoods he dose some really nice work http://naturalwoodcrafters.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald525 Posted November 4, 2010 Author Share Posted November 4, 2010 I posted this on reefcentral. I'm liking the idea of a steel stand more and more but my concern was the look of steel. I really like the stand posted by Mcoomer with the oak skin. I love the fact that the steel gives you may more working area. One person even mentioned removable supports if needed for even more access. http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=588727&posted=1#post588727 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowpunk Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 removing supports is a bad idea and could be non workable. If you have it filled with water their will be tremendous pressure on these supports. I don't know if you would get it out under that pressure, and if you did you are just making the weight of everything shift and that could cause problems in the long run too. Steel is the better way to go though I agree. I'm thinking of using 2" angled steel to build mine for even more added space inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moovinfast Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 I would do a steel stand. And you can build a removable wood skin to fit around it. I wanted to do a steel stand on mine, but wood was cheaper and I wasn't allowed to spend more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassi Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 I've see one (I think on RC) made of steel where the whole sump was on a "drawer" bottom layer. Flexible spa tubes and you can slide out the whole thing for serious maintenance. If you don't like the look of steel you can always skin it as you do with wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald525 Posted November 4, 2010 Author Share Posted November 4, 2010 Yes, that's what I'm thinking steel stand with wood skin. I have no clue what that would cost anybody in the Portland area able to do this? Did I mention I have lots of nice frags? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 Yes' date=' that's what I'm thinking steel stand with wood skin. I have no clue what that would cost anybody in the Portland area able to do this? Did I mention I have lots of nice frags?[/quote'] I could do it however I think the cost would be prohibitive even if the labor was done on trade. Steel prices are pretty high. I can swing by my supplier and check a couple of prices though to get a better idea. Removable supports with either steel or wood are not a problem. Due to the shape of the tanks there is very little weight on anything other than the corners. I.E. The 4 corners hold the weight and the rest either keeps those corners upright or is there for mounting the skin. The exception is that an acrylic tank does require a little extra support in the bottom center where it has a tendacy to bow out a bit. 3/4" plywood with a cross support under it is enough for this though. (Next to the edges it can't bend without collapsing the tank itself so it doesn't matter there) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 Kim, if you do a swap, you shouldnt have any cycle at all, IE, swap everything from the reef tank to the new tank, then everything that was in the reef tank into the old tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 Kim' date=' if you do a swap, you shouldnt have any cycle at all, IE, swap everything from the reef tank to the new tank, then everything that was in the reef tank into the old tank.[/quote'] It will still cycle. It will just be a milder cycle than you would see with a new tank. Anything that disrupts the biological process (even just adding or removing a fish) causes a new tank cycle to begin even if we can't measure it. My tank is just finishing the initial cycle from the swap I did weekend before last. (ammonia was zero with 0.25 nitrite yesterday) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassi Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 Rick did a great job on some stainless steel light support for me a year ago and I can recommend him. As for the steel price, are thinking about stainless or common steel? The latter can be painted with the same paint used for trucks frames. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelhead77 Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 Kim, You saw the stand for my tank after the last meeting....I built that. I can build you something similar. You buy the materials and we can work out the rest. The only catch is that next week I'm heading to Singapore for at least 2 weeks. If you can wait a bit, we can work something out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald525 Posted November 4, 2010 Author Share Posted November 4, 2010 Singapore Steelhead wow! Thanks for the offer. It looks like Rick is going to look into helping us out. Rick I will check with Beth later tonight to see what she wants to do. As far as what type of steel to use? Hell if I know LOL I didn't even think about a steel tank until you suggested Alex. Any suggestions? I don't know much about steel stands! I definitely want a wood skin. I like the look of that. Can you do that too Rick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 Singapore Steelhead wow! Thanks for the offer. It looks like Rick is going to look into helping us out. Rick I will check with Beth later tonight to see what she wants to do. As far as what type of steel to use? Hell if I know LOL I didn't even think about a steel tank until you suggested Alex. Any suggestions? I don't know much about steel stands! I definitely want a wood skin. I like the look of that. Can you do that too Rick? The wood skin shouldn't be a problem. The only question would be what method is used to hold it on. I.E. Will it be mounted using screws/bolts or using magnets? If it uses magnets will it have doors or will the panels just be removed for access. Stainless steel would be the best since it doesn't need to be coated to prevent rust. It is very expensive though. Regular steel would cost a good bit less but will still be expensive. If you do decide to go with steel then it can be coated with a marine epoxy to keep it from rusting. Thought will also need to be given to mounting in order to keep it enclosed (Any openings could allow rust to start inside) but that just means adding tabs for anything that needs to be mounted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grassi Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 Stainless steel contains more chromium so it does corrode less easily. If you use it for a motorbike, it will never rust under the oregonian rain. But it does stain and corrode with saltwater. One of the metals that does not corrode is titanium (actually is is an element, but the leagues made with it are usually called titanium them self), and it is the one used for heaters for saltwater. Building a stand in titanium will cost you a fortune, but you will be TOM in all the forums lol As for stainless steel vs common steel, I would go with the last one with a nice coat, maybe powercoated. With steel you have infinite possibilities of customization due to the smaller size compared to wood. For instance you can have a matching light rail that can be attached with a sliding mechanism to the main frame... just up to Beth's imagination Wood is great too. I just wanted you to have another option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.