Aquarium stand made from extruded aluminum

[crash29ca]

Hi everyone. I was thinking of building a new stand for my 90 gal reef. I was thinking of using extruded aluminum for the frame and then cladding it in wood to match my man cave. This is what I am talking about.
https://www.fazstore.ca/product-category/15-series-extrusions/
I did try making a stand out of wood but it wasn’t overly square even thou I tried my best. This would eliminate that issue. I would use the heavy stuff. Just want to know if I could avoid a middle beam where the doors would be. Could make the opening 38 inches giving me more support in the front and allowing me to get a 34” sump in and out if I wanted to change my sump. Any thoughts.

 

[Erica-Renee]

expensive

 

[crash29ca]

Yes I do realize it will drive the cost up. I am looking at probably $500 before adding the wood finish. When I am done probably $800 stand or more. But it will be square as long as it can hold the weight.

 

[crash29ca]

I have some really cool ideas for this stand including a cabinet for electrical that can be accessed without going under the tank. A nice rustic look to the overall stand. Just got to convince the wife to let me spend the $

 

[Swingline77]

A few thoughts:

I am not an engineer, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt. I know that "moment" is force over distance. It is relevant here in that a longer piece of material will bend more than a shorter piece. How much it will bend for a given length when subjected to a given force is measured by an object's "moment of inertia", which is listed for the products on the website.

Moment of Inertia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moment_of_inertia

It can be calculated what thickness of material would be needed to support a given weight. This is beyond my abilities. Junction points will probably lessen the strength of the structure, and adding height to the structure would make it unsteady at some point. It's interesting that the moment of inertia for the thickest gauge rod isn't too much more than for a run-of-the-mill pine 2x4: https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/structural-lumber-properties-d_1835.html

So, if I were doing this, I would build to the same specs as if I were using 2x4s, assuming the corner pieces don't weaken things. I'm sure 2x4 stand plans for your size aquarium exist somewhere. If they don't, and you have to wing it, you'll want to make the structure considerably stronger than it would have to be just holding the tank under ideal circumstances. I don't know what you'd have to do to protect the aluminum from salt damage. The best thing (not the easiest) would probably be to clean it really well, dry thoroughly, and immediately spray (with an air brush) a thin layer of Gripper primer, followed by paint. Or, you could put a thin layer of auto wax on it, and hope for the best.

As for making a stand out of wood, it's actually not that difficult. You will need to cut or have cut wood to precise lengths. Also, you will need bracing clamps, which cost about $12 each (I think). I doubt you'd need more than eight of them, and you can resell them when you're done. There's a bit of a trick to using braces, so you can PM me if you go this route. Trying to build a squared box without clamps is futile.

As for finishing, personally, I'd use pure tung oil, not some stuff called tung oil which is actually linseed oil, but real tung oil. This stuff has some great features, one of which is being easy to repair. The two downsides are the cost and the drying time (about seven weeks).

The only advantage that I see to the aluminum frame over wood is its light weight, in case you ever want to move it. Considering how ridiculously expensive the aluminum is, you could have a carpenter make a high quality stand with screws, dovetails, or "post and beam" construction for as much as you'd pay for just the aluminum raw material. If you go this route, don't use maple, as it soaks up water like a sponge.

 

[crusso1993]

Hi everyone. I was thinking of building a new stand for my 90 gal reef. I was thinking of using extruded aluminum for the frame and then cladding it in wood to match my man cave. This is what I am talking about.
https://www.fazstore.ca/product-category/15-series-extrusions/
I did try making a stand out of wood but it wasn’t overly square even thou I tried my best. This would eliminate that issue. I would use the heavy stuff. Just want to know if I could avoid a middle beam where the doors would be. Could make the opening 38 inches giving me more support in the front and allowing me to get a 34” sump in and out if I wanted to change my sump. Any thoughts.

I'm not sure of the cost comparison but there are a number of people who have used 80/20 to build stands on R2R. Perhaps a simple search will help you identify them.

Here is the link to 80/20;

https://8020.net

 

[crash29ca]

Thanks for all the great info. When I made a stand before out of 2x4’s the cuts I made were very precise, how ever I did not have clamps and with the warp of some of the pieces it probably is why it was out. Of corse this was a stand for a 10 gal hospital tank not a 90 gal display. I just think my skills as a carpenter are just too shy to get it right. I am a machinist by trade so I like things to be perfect. I thought about making it out of square tube and welding it but the presice size of the aluminum is really appealing. I will definitely give wood some more thought thou because it would be way cheaper.

 

[crash29ca]

I'm not sure of the cost comparison but there are a number of people who have used 80/20 to build stands on R2R. Perhaps a simple search will help you identify them.

Here is the link to 80/20;

https://8020.net

That is pretty much the same thing. The website I posted was just Canadian and the prices are very similar except the one I quoted is in Canadian $. 30% cheaper than US $. Are there any build threads we’re members made one with 80/20.

 

[crusso1993]

That is pretty much the same thing. The website I posted was just Canadian and the prices are very similar except the one I quoted is in Canadian $. 30% cheaper than US $. Are there any build threads we’re members made one with 80/20.

Yes, there are a number of builds on R2R with 8020. All you have to do is run a search for 8020 and it will pull them up.

 

[crash29ca]

Thanks

 

[Ridgeway]

Alu extruded stands have several advantages over wood or traditional steel stands:

They DON'T need painting or coating, thousands of stands across Europe would back this up
They don't corrode or weaken over time and are impervious to water unlike wood
They take up much less space vs wood and therefore access to a sump is much easier
Alu extrusion is much more future proof due to it's modularity, so easy to adapt it later on
Easy to clean
Plenty of companies that offer pre-cutting services for projects like DIY stand building so you only need to assemble

It is however slightly more expensive vs wood and does require some planning before ordering the pre-cut lengths but it's a joy to work with.

It also looks great

 

[Ridgeway]

Alu extruded stands have several advantages over wood or traditional steel stands:

They DON'T need painting or coating, thousands of stands across Europe would back this up
They don't corrode or weaken over time and are impervious to water unlike wood
They take up much less space vs wood and therefore access to a sump is much easier
Alu extrusion is much more future proof due to it's modularity, so easy to adapt it later on
Easy to clean
Plenty of companies that offer pre-cutting services for projects like DIY stand building so you only need to assemble

It is however slightly more expensive vs wood and does require some planning before ordering the pre-cut lengths but it's a joy to work with.

It also looks great

 

[Swingline77]

Alu extruded stands have several advantages over wood or traditional steel stands:

They DON'T need painting or coating, thousands of stands across Europe would back this up
They don't corrode or weaken over time and are impervious to water unlike wood
They take up much less space vs wood and therefore access to a sump is much easier
Alu extrusion is much more future proof due to it's modularity, so easy to adapt it later on
Easy to clean
Plenty of companies that offer pre-cutting services for projects like DIY stand building so you only need to assemble

It is however slightly more expensive vs wood and does require some planning before ordering the pre-cut lengths but it's a joy to work with.

It also looks great

I'll take your word for it as far as not coating it, but how is this possible?
Relative to things that are constantly submerged, the occasional splash of water isn't much of a concern, maybe it's no concern. It just occurred to me that if corrosion is of any concern at all, a better option might be to simply use a sacrificial zinc anode, as boats in salt water do.

Do you think that the stock suggested by the OP is the way to go if he chooses aluminum, or would something else be better?

 

[Erica-Renee]

I just cant get past the fact of having a ugly piece of metal in my Living room.. No mater how you do it . Its still a Unfinished piece of metal that looks like it belongs in the Garage. So you need some kind of wood skin around it anyway. Depending on the size of tank just build a plywood Stand .

Not to mention the Cost ...

 

[NaH20nerd]

I skinned 80/20 stand with PVC board...the tank sits on 1.5” PVC laminated wood. Expecting it to last longer than the tank. One could even use a solid surface material if avoiding wood was a major concern. I’ve seen wood and 80/20 combos, if done right it looks amazing (check out Joe’s Coral Reef on YouTube). Best example I can think of.

Mine is much less sophisticated, but I absolutely love it. A lot of planning is required, and patience...but once it arrived it went together flawlessly. No cutting, no drilling...no painting. It is significantly more expensive (mineral about 2.5 x’s the cost of the wooden stand I tried to build. Same story...not square...excessively bulky, and HEAVY!! I’d say more than anything it depends on your skill level and what kind of look you’re going for...and how much $$ you’re willing to spend. To date I’ve got more in my stand than I do the tank itself and it’s not even wet yet. (So that will change when I start stocking the tank I’m sure). It’s only an expensive hobby if you’re spending all your money enjoying it right?!

y

 

[NaH20nerd]

Sorry, didn’t mean to post the sump pic. (That was a leak test). Here are some other shots of the stand.

 

[crash29ca]

I just cant get past the fact of having a ugly piece of metal in my Living room.. No mater how you do it . Its still a Unfinished piece of metal that looks like it belongs in the Garage. So you need some kind of wood skin around it anyway. Depending on the size of tank just build a plywood Stand .

Not to mention the Cost ...

The reason I am looking at this is to make a strong square frame I can then cover in wood stained to match my decore. I have tried to make wood stands before that never seemed to be quite perfectly square. (Not having proper clamps. This is just way easier to make a perfectly square frame. If I could buy a rustic looking stand I would but it probably will run me close to $1000. I can build exactly what I want for the same price. Plus I just kinda want to build a stand.

 

[NaH20nerd]

Bit of advise (my learning mistake). Absolutely install a floor for the sump. I intentionally left out materials for a floor, hoping to avoid transferring any vibration to the stand AND keeping the sump as low as possible. That actually worked as expected. However, what I didn’t account for was the ever so slight NOT level floor. So...added heavy duty adjustable feet to the stand (after I had already installed and glued the plumbing). So now I have to adjust plumbing or rig up a way to raise the sump to match the new stand height.

Food for thought. Looking back I would have increased the interior height of the stand by about 4 more inches. By the time I’m done with cord mgmnt and equipment installation, I will only have about two inches to remove/clean the skimmer cup. Fact: never enough real estate inside an aquarium stand.

 

[lbacha]

Here is my 80/20 stand

The raw aluminum is actually clear coated and the black is an anodized finish so you don’t really need to prime and paint it

 

[Gonebad395]

The cost of the stand you are talking about making is a lot. I keep seeing you say you did wood but it was never square due to clamps. My thinking would be buy clamps do it in wood if owning the clamps is the only thing from you keeping it square. You’re still a lot of money ahead. I mean you are still going to buy wood to skin it correct? However you do it good luck.

 

[crash29ca]

The cost of the stand you are talking about making is a lot. I keep seeing you say you did wood but it was never square due to clamps. My thinking would be buy clamps do it in wood if owning the clamps is the only thing from you keeping it square. You’re still a lot of money ahead. I mean you are still going to buy wood to skin it correct? However you do it good luck.

I am not too sure it is just a matter of clamps. Which I do think would help. I think there is a bit of cabinet making skill as well. The first stand I made for my 10 gal was way more off than I ever thought. I took my time cutting each piece exact and yet it still didn’t work out all that well. It was ok for what I needed it for but definitely not what I would have wanted for a display tank. As I am a bit away from building this stand I am going to check out lots of Stand builds in this forum but I am definitely leaning towards an 80/20 stand now.