Stand and Canopy for 1.8m 650l tank

Best solution to prevent rust is to Galvanise as this will stop rusting inside the tubes, but you could just paint with an etch primer and then an enamel paint of your choice, that is at least what I did.

 

try turning up the power on the welding machine and you'll get more penetration on the weld and a better result. I'm also a very part time welder and struggled with my first project.

 

Thanks. I was wondering about that. My plan is to put a piece of wood on top of the stand the polystyrene and then the tank. Maybe i should rather get another length of steel and weld another 2 pieces in. Rather safe than sorry.

Thanks for the tip. Will try that. It is a bit of a struggle. I am going to grind all the welds down a bit then weld again, just to be sure. Not easy to get everything square. I was wondering if those triangle magnets will help?

 

Thanks SethD. I will probably go the diy rust resistant route. Because I have heard galvanizing is very expensive as well as they charge per kg and this stand is going to be heavy....

I am thinking of welding 9 nuts, 3 under each foot piece and then turn bolts into them. Where each nut gets welded on, drill holes through the foot piece. Was thinking 10mm nuts and bolts. The head of the bolt will be tacked onto a square piece of sheet metal and in turn be screwed onto the same sizes square piece of wood. The whole idea for this is to allow the tank to be absolutely level.

Anybody know if this will work or do you guys think its an over kill?

 

Hi All

After a hard days work



Need to weld supports on then I am done welding for now. A friend said he has a 4ft that I can take, so that will probably be my sump.

 

The stand looks good to me!all the vertical members are large and should hold compression well, i havent read the whole thread but im sure you've ensured the stand is completeky level? the height is good, the higher you go, the larger the slenderness ratio becomes and members are more prone to bucking, but that definitely shouldnt be any problem here. Well done , it looks good anfd enjoy it.

 

Thank you Jay. Do you think I can leave it as is without the upper corner braces as I planned on the first page of this thread?

I am going to cover everything up with wood.

 

I am speaking from what i have learnt in my degree so far (im a 2nd year studying civil engineering).

From what i know bracing is used to tranfer the loads diagnally through the members, but to do that you would have to connect the bracing from corner to corner. which will make the structure more rigid and there will be no chance of faliure.

I have however seen many frames similar to yours without corner or cross bracing that are more than strong enough to support the load. It must be noted that i am only speaking in theory. I havent built a frame like this before . It may be good to also get advice from people who have built frames.


Regards Jason

 

i would add the corner braces just for piece of mind. it wont cost alot and if you thing about it that braces might save the whole system from going down in pieces i believe that stand is strong enough but i would still ad it for more stability

 

HI @tiaan21, not sure if you have done the bracing yet? But here's my 2cents.

The stand looks excellent! What is the tank dimensions? My guess is your stand is over designed which is not a bad thing.

The weak point will be your welding (not that I'm saying your welding isn't any good, it looks good). I will definitively go for bracing just for extra strength.

Hope this helps!

Instead of flat bar or tubing, just use a peace of plat cut into a triangle (3mm should do). The triangle will then basically fit into the corner. This will have a bigger welding length than the other 2 options. (Let me know if you need a picture)

 

Hi Guys.

Thanks for all the comments. I haven't done the bracing yet. But I do want to do it. I understand what you say about the triangle it sounds like a plan. I don't have the steel though. I have scratched around and found two brackets, thinking of cleaning them and then welding them into the back corners of the stand. Think that will do the trick. Just for piece of mind. I am fairly confident that the stand will hold without it though.

 

That will help! What is the weight of the tank with water?

 

O sorry i know see your heading. 650l, 650kg just the water, that is A LOT of water!

Get 7 or 8 people to sit on your stand and see how it holds up before you put the tank on.

Where are you going to put it? I'd love a tank like that!

 

No problem. I am still deciding. I have two spots in mind. Both on the ground floor and out of direct sunlight. It is on tiles though. Don't know how I am going to get past not damaging the tiles. Was thinking about wood. But don't know how wood will hold out under +- 800kg's of wieght. It is awesome. Cant wait to start getting it cycled.

The other thought that is creeping into my mind is a Marine setup....I know it can get very expensive.

 

Oh and the outer dimensions are 1800 x 600 x 600

 

If the tiles are level then put the stand on some rubber mats.

 

I would avoid point loads on the nuts and bolts.

Put it in place and see if you need to wedge anything to get a good level tank.

Add a bottom beam to stop the legs from folding in on itself - rest looks good.

 

Thanks all. I will follow all the advice given. Thanks again. Hopefully get the frame done and painted by the weekend and the cover it up with wood on Saturday. Hopefully I get a chance to order the wood today.

Got the 4ft tank that I am going to use as a sump but unfortunately it's one side panel is cracked. Will have to get a new piece of 6mm glass and some silicone to get it back in place. Then convert it into a sump. There is an overwhelming amount of information regarding sumps on this forum. Need to read read read.

At this stage I need to decide if I want to go with fresh or salt water setup......Need to draw up a pro-con list.

 

That really is a monster tank!

Post some pics once you've finished the stand.

It's a pity your so far away, I have some nice rubber you could use under the stand!

You should of course go for a fresh water setup, we don't want to kick you off the site :bigsmile:

 

Hi Guys

Almost done with the stand.




Next is, bottom wood then fit sump. Must still get a return pump and then test out the diy pvc overflow. Getting closer to be able to setup, scape and cycle.