My aluminum stock framed stand

[danielll]

Hello fellow reefers!

I have never contributed to DIY, so I wanted to share what I am currently working on.

I have a 30 gallon 2ft x 2ft x 13 inch shallow rimless tank that came with a stand that is sub par at best.

Due to the small size of the tank, and matching stand, its extremely difficult to work with the very narrow sump, and because I keep my auto top off reservoir underneath as well, it is especially tight. I have a great deal of accumlated muck in the bottom of my sump, and do not have a great way to clean up, so I am going to fix all of these problems.

This is my current stand (sorry for the wash out)

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I got it in my head a while ago of making a much more advanced tank, with custom wired electronics with switches on the back board, hard piping routed high so as not to get in the way, and of course, much larger.

I am lucky enough to work for a company that just happened to hvae a large amount of bosch profile aluminum, which is fantasic for building frames, so I came up with a way to integrate it.
So this is my build for the frame:

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This is probably the strongest tank stand every made for a 30 gallon, but I am really uncomfortable with any amount of flex in a stand. This is rock solid.

This is after I attached the wheels, they are kinda high off the ground, but I think will work great. It will make moving the tank effortless.

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My next update on this thread will be the side panels, I intend to use a somewhat thin, light wood panel for this, and infact velcro the panels on so they can be easily removed for easy access.

After the side panels are done, I will make a large tall "back board" to sit aproximately 18 inches taller than the tank which will mask/support the lighting rods, and should be a good clean look.

Also, as a side note, the door to my apartment is not 3 feet wide... so one of my requirements is that it must disassemble and reassemble with relative ease.

Also, if you are wondering why it sticks out at the bottom, I intend to be able to remove the front portion so it is easier to have a "top down" access to the sump. (this is hard to explain, will make sense later)

Let me know what you think, follow along while I figure this out

 

[sn4k33y3z]

Interesting build. I'm following.

 

[danielll]

Yeah I was looking at some smaller profile wheels before, but they are 100 dollars for a set, and really only an inch or two smaller.

That being said, those wheels are probably 4 inches in diameter, and being that they are larger, roll over obstacles easier. I did consider that it would be difficult still to move it, but since being able to relocate the tank would be nice, difficult wheels > no wheels at all.

As far as them being an eye sore, I May be able to add some trim that would cover up the wheels completely when it is parked, and just connect it to the side panels.

Thanks for the feed back, I may actually test it at my house before setting it up to ensure it isn't pointless to have them. I do like the 5 inch clearance incase I haver had to live the tank I can probably get a jack under it

Edit: I wonder if I could add some good wood underneath it, and then sand smooth the edges so it is prone to sliding over carpet?

 

[rjrgroup]

Love it, you are only dealing with a few hundred pounds so should be fine. I would keep access to all the brackets for tightening later. It may loosen after moving it around...can't wait to see the final product.

 

[danielll]

Found some time today so I went a little further:

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With jigsaw for scale. The back makes it look bigger than it is I think.

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[jdavid]

if you build sides leading up to the canopy so that only the front and 3/4 of the sides of the tank are viewable it would look so sick. This way the stand and canopy appear to be one piece and any overflows are hidden

Edit:

>http://nguyen.smugmug.com/photos/1035354-S-1.jpg</a>
just an example I found online. I've seen better though. Looks better on a deep dimension tank

 

[danielll]

Hey, thanks for the advice jdavid, but the tank is a rimless shallow, so it's best to preserve that. That is a great looking tank though

 

[jdavid]

Danielll;878373 wrote: Hey, thanks for the advice jdavid, but the tank is a rimless shallow, so it's best to preserve that. That is a great looking tank though

I have to admit I didn't really look at the first picture or read the text before:fish:

frame looks great!

 

[jef4y]

Not sure if you realize how ridiculously expensive the 80-20 extruded aluminum like this is. You're one LUCKY guy to get this for free!!!

 

[danielll]

we ship very large (semi sized) crates from our facility in Paris to our customer sites, and the systems inside are packed using this, so it's very much just packing material for us. I assumed it was pricey as it is amazing to build with.

 

[jef4y]

oh my god... collect it. It's GOLD. Like seriously.

The weight you have here is WAAAAAAY overkill for your little tank, but if it's free, go for it. Personally I would have put adjustable feet on it instead of wheels, but to each their own.

My 5x2x3 stand out of 80:20 was almost $800 and that was just above COST on the material.

 

[danielll]

I wouldn't mind adjustable feet, but I really want to be able to pull the tank out so I can work on/add electronics to the back.

Geez thats two against wheels. maybe I should reconsider

 

[jdavid]

3 against wheels

 

[danielll]

Okay, noted about the wheels, you can weigh in again at the end, I am pretty pro-wheels for the mobility but who knows.

Big update today, I have most of the woodwork done now.
This is the top portion, it matches the width of the tank perfectly.

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So it's well on it's way! Thanks for looking... leave comments

 

[snowmansnow]

nice computer desk

 

[grouper therapy]

Really Really Nice job but why the MDF?

 

[danielll]

grouper therapy;878917 wrote: Really Really Nice job but why the MDF?

The side panels aren't load bearing at all, but I did want something rigid so that it wont flex and cause the molding to separate. I thought I could get away with saving a little money. Is that a bad choice? I plan to paint both sides completely, so I didn't think water would be an issue, but Grouper you have tons of experience in this, if you think it's a bad idea I can make a run to home depot

 

[rjrgroup]

Pro wheels, anti-mdf.

 

[grouper therapy]

Danielll;878949 wrote: The side panels aren't load bearing at all, but I did want something rigid so that it wont flex and cause the molding to separate. I thought I could get away with saving a little money. Is that a bad choice? I plan to paint both sides completely, so I didn't think water would be an issue, but Grouper you have tons of experience in this, if you think it's a bad idea I can make a run to home depot

You read my mind with the moisture and MDF. I avoid using it even in a basement where there is high humidity. I have had to remove too much of it and have mold remediation come in . It has it's usefulness but IME no where near moisture. Hope that helps. You've done such a Very NICE Job I just hate to see it go south on you.

 

[mc524]

This reminds of my days working in a Plant where we used that Bosch material to build Automation Stations. Super easy to work with. We used it for Robot Cages as well. I had all kinds of things I wanted to make for personal stuff, but way to pricey! If you are getting it for free, you are Super lucky!

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