Wood vs. Stainless Steel vs. Regular Steel - STANDS

Purpletank · Mar 8, 2018

Greybeard said:
I've built many systems over the years, and built many wood stands. I enjoy woodworking... and my latest stand is 1.5" 11 gauge powder coated square tube steel.

Stainless? Depends on the exact composition of the steel... some of it rusts just as fast as mild steel, some doesn't... Costs way more.

Aluminum? Probably an excellent choice, provided you've got enough material to support the weight. Expensive... of course, and requires some skill to weld, but it might be worth it.

Wood? Nothing wrong with wood... particularly if you use a good sealant. Easy to work with for most DIY types. The 60g cube stand I built could double as a stool for an elephant. Plywood and solid poplar construction, dado/rabbit joints, clamped and glued, three coats of marine epoxy inside. Top surround was done in a mosaic tile design. Should last for many years. It was _not_ cheap, nor easy, nor quick, to build. Here's a view of the construction:

Steel is lighter and stronger than wood, allows for maximum usable space under the tank (not that I'm using it...), and with a good powder coat, should last for several decades.

I found, when designing my latest system, that wood is not cheaper than steel. I had the structure built by a local fab shop, sand blasted and powder coated, and saved money over just the materials I was going to buy for the wood stand. No, I wasn't going to screw together a few 2x4's... if I was going to be happy with that sort of thing, it'd have been far cheaper... but with a solid cabinetry stand, plywood and solid wood trim, the steel was cheaper. I added a fancy painted wood top, covered with two gallons of bar top epoxy, solid oak trim, and will shortly be adding bookshelves to fill in under the tank. Also, my sump is elsewhere, so chances of exposure to salt water is fairly minimal. It's not your 'typical' aquarium implementation, I suppose

I like this! It has a modern flair to it yet does not compete with the beauty of the tank.

Finatik · Mar 9, 2018

Reefer Reboot said:
Just FYI, if designed properly, T-slot aluminum can make great stands. I use the stuff at work and am surprised at how much it is capable of holding. What I like about them is the ability to add on extra supports or take them away whenever you want. I've made a frame work for my Apex on back and rearranged it a few times as I've added more modules to it. I made "cabinet" faces for it that attach with magnets for easy removal and access. (Sorry, they're not in the picture.) Top tank is 130ish gallons and the bottom sump is 120ish gallons. Cost wise it was fairly comparable to other options I looked at. It's over a year old and I've splashed lots of water on it. Still i can find no corrosion on it. A lot of the manufacturers will work with you to help design it. Just my two cents worth of experience.

I noticed that you said "If designed properly" T-Slot can be great for stands ...
So what are the things that make up a "good design" vs. a "poor design" ??? What are the things to look out for, or ensure you have in your design, and what are the pitfalls ???

Joe Heavy · Mar 9, 2018

I am a fabricator and made mine out of stainless

Balz3352 · Mar 9, 2018

I have a powder coated steel stand with wood finish.attached via magnets.

Joe Heavy · Mar 9, 2018

Joe Heavy said:
I am a fabricator and made mine out of stainless

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Joe Heavy
Mar 9, 2018

Stainless steel stand with aluminum doors I fabricated

hart24601 · Mar 9, 2018

I use inexpensive marineland stands on my miracles rimless 120 with 3/4" glass and eurobraced 180 and have total confidence in them for a decade to come if not longer. There is no wiggle or play at all even if pushing against the tank. I understand why many people really have overkill with stands but imo it's not needed although in this thread I am not with the majority, haha!

Reefer Reboot · Mar 9, 2018

Finatik said:
I noticed that you said "If designed properly" T-Slot can be great for stands ...
So what are the things that make up a "good design" vs. a "poor design" ??? What are the things to look out for, or ensure you have in your design, and what are the pitfalls ???

It's just more about common sense. The T-slot "sticks" come in different grades of strength. On my stand you can see that the four corner vertical pieces are of the dual thickness grade. The sticks also come in "lite" (hollowed out) or solid. Mine are solid and are way overkill as far as supporting the weight. Under a column load they could hold much more. The horizontal pieces 2/3 of the way up were added later when I decided to cut open the eurobrace top of the sump. Then use good corner brackets. I have (accidentally) run full speed into my tank and it didn't budge. Living in earthquake prone So.Cal. I'm glad it can take a hit! I designed mine using Sketchup and bought my raw materials through Faztek. They took my design and put it into their CAD program to verify it. Then they cut all the pieces to print and shipped it. Assembly is easy. But beware, it gets addicting when you start thinking "Oh, I could add this here and that there....."!

drblakjak55 · Mar 9, 2018

My welded steel stand came with the 125g tank in 1998. Got it used.

Paul B · Mar 10, 2018

The galvanized steel stand I built for my tank has been holding it up for 41 years. It is built out of 3" Kindorf" which we use in construction for just about everything. I did have to replace a leg a few years ago because I didn't see a slight drip that was going on it for probably many years from my manifold of the UG filter but the rest of it looks brand new.
Here is that leg, I didn't really replace it, I just added another one next to it for support. I am moving in a few weeks and will get a larger tank. This week I will build a new stand, I got redwood for it because it is rot resistant and doesn't warp. I won't live another 40 years so I don't have to worry about that.