40B Aluminum Stand

K. Steven · Mar 7, 2017

I couldn't find much information on aluminum t-slot extrusion when I was putting my stand together, so I'm sharing my experience so future t-slotters can get some ideas.

This stand is made of the 1515-ULS profile from 80/20 Inc. All exterior bars are fastened with three-way corners because I didn't like the look of exposed brackets. I have two crossbars on the bottom supporting a piece of ½" white MDF on which my sump sits. The white provides contrast, so I can easily see when my sump is dirty and needs a cleaning.

I originally considered having a welded aluminum stand, but the modularity and ease of disassembly made me choose t-slot over a permanently welded stand.

To enclose the stand, I used ¼" black MDF panels and slid them between the t-slots on each side. I used extra ¼" black MDF slid into the back t-slots as an equipment mount panel.

Lastly, I have a front panel of ¼" black plywood with magnet fasteners for easy attachment and removal for daily feeding and maintenance.

Recently, I added two light rails to hang my OceanRevive Arctic T247 and fastened them to the back of the stand with brackets.

melypr1985 · Mar 7, 2017

That's pretty awesome. Looks great too. No concern over weight or the effects of saltwater on the aluminum over time?

eleet · Mar 7, 2017

I love 8020. I use it at work to literally support 1000's of pounds.

dbl · Mar 8, 2017

That look great...nice work.

McMullen · Mar 8, 2017

Love it!

Is it painted? Would you mind tanking closer pics? I would like to see the magnets. Also, are the two light mounting strips attached to wall or stand?

Sierra_Bravo · Mar 8, 2017

That looks very sharp! Great job.

anomalous · Mar 8, 2017

Hard to find information on this. It looks sharp! Thanks so much for sharing

K. Steven · Mar 8, 2017

melypr1985 said:
That's pretty awesome. Looks great too. No concern over weight or the effects of saltwater on the aluminum over time?

Not really, the aluminum comes anodized, so it has some protection against corrosion and aluminum is fairly corrosion-resistant and I'm OCD in cleaning up spills. The weight is being placed on the vertical bars and the compression lengthwise. I wouldn't be comfortable applying any appreciable weight on a horizontal bar with no support.

K. Steven · Mar 8, 2017

McMullen said:
Love it!

Is it painted? Would you mind tanking closer pics? I would like to see the magnets. Also, are the two light mounting strips attached to wall or stand?

Yes, the MDF panels (front, sides, back) are painted black and the bottom panel is painted white. The light rails are affixed to the back of the stand with aluminum brackets from 80/20. I live in an apartment and didn't want to put large holes in the wall to hang the light, so I decided to modify the stand.

JBradford · Mar 8, 2017

I'm and 80/20 fan so I'm fairly partial. Looks great!

jaesong · Mar 8, 2017

Nice, clean build.

Some Q's:

What are the dimensions of the stand and gallon capacity of the tank?
Why did you choose to use those corner pieces instead of using an end fastener/brace? Was the deflection difference minimal?
What made you choose MDF? I thought MDF+ Moisture was generally a bad idea.

I have an 80/20 build coming up, but I haven't picked what board/etc to put the tank on yet.

K. Steven · Mar 8, 2017

jaesong said:
Nice, clean build.

Some Q's:

What are the dimensions of the stand and gallon capacity of the tank?

Why did you choose to use those corner pieces instead of using an end fastener/brace? Was the deflection difference minimal?

What made you choose MDF? I thought MDF+ Moisture was generally a bad idea.

I have an 80/20 build coming up, but I haven't picked what board/etc to put the tank on yet.

1. The stand is 40" tall, 36.25" long, and 18.3" wide. The tank is an Aqueon 40 breeder.
2. The weight is on the vertical bars, so it didn't really matter which fastening method I chose. I think the three-way corners are much nicer as well.
3. I have fairly good ventilation and air flow, so moisture isn't much of an issue. I used a paint that made it a bit more protective against moisture, though not a completely waterproof paint.

mkj · Mar 9, 2017

nice work, I've built a few of these using the 1". They defiantly can hold way more weight than most people think. I like the look of the corner brackets but I prefer the inside ones because I can change dimensions or shelves using sliders where corner brackets are more fixed. These things can hold thousands of pounds easy as long as you put brackets every two feet for large tanks. Don't need brackets for anything under 4 foot length, just ask the thousands of tank stand builders in Europe that use the stuff. I still put one bracket in though for 4 footers just for my own sanity.