Thread: metal stand for 1400 liter aquarium

Might need a bit more info, Shane.
Are you welding it?

For big rectangular-shaped stuff, measuring across the diagonals is probably the easiest way to check you're squared up. If the two diagonals aren't the same, you know something's crooked.

no sorry im not welding this i just needed some pointers on what to look for when it arrives keep the info coming please

Hopefully your mate knows what he's doing so you'll get something that is square if you stress the importance of it (being square).
If I get the gist of what you're worried about, you don't need 1400ltrs of water to force the glass tank to lay flat against a twisted frame?
To check that there is no twist in the frame, (hard to explain but I'll try. ..) maybe stand a little back or at arms length from the stand and looking front on, check that the top front rail is parallel to the top back rail (looking across the top of the stand). You'll need to raise and lower your eye height slightly to line up both rails and if you see that they are not parallel, then you have a twisted frame. Do the same looking end on to check if there is a twist the other way.

The other thing to check is that all four (or six or eight?) legs sit evenly on the ground without rocking, as that may create some twisting of the frame also. I guess you would also need to consider the floor and if it will support the weight without movement (e.g. timber floor between joists may move?) and if it is even also.

I might be on the wrong track(?) but hope that makes sense and helps.
Cheers

Shane, i'd screw some mdf or ply board to the shs frame and line that with 5mm rubber matting and mount the glass on top of that....can't go wrong.

by shs do you mean the top of stand i will be using ply and a good thickness of foam
thanks for all your help

Shane,

That sounds like a serious tank! what dimensions? 1.8x0.9x0.9??

You need to check for twist as well as lengthwise sag/arch. As a first check I'd get 3 straight lengths (say 1.5m long - the longer length will exaggerate any twist so you can see it) of something like some straight wooden dowel (or maybe left over SHS). Place 2 of them across the stand one at each end, as Bazzmate says - eye along them and check the top edges are parallel. Get your 3rd bit and move it along between the other bits periodically checking that all the top edges are parallel. To check for bend/arch either do it by eye or you clamp the cross lengths (careful not to bend them) and then use something like a bit of cotton as a stringline to see if all the top and bottom edges of your dowel are in line parallel to the length of the tank

Definitely check your floor can handle it and that your tank stand is rigid enough not to flex. Don't rely on your foam to compensate for a frame that isn't flat. The foam will only compress so much before you get stress on your glass. Also make sure you've got your frame protected against corrosion. You'll be amazed at how quick aerosol salt, or even freshwater vapour from bubblers etc. will attack your frame (and floorboards!). Use some marine ply under your foam for the same reason - differential swelling of wet wood might cause stress on the tank

Ideally the frame is constructed so that the top frame (and the tank weight) sits on top of the legs, so that the welds are just there to keep the frame rigid and the welding strength isn't critical.

Cheers

- Mick

thanks all

Ive got a tank that holds similar amount of water. Good piece of thick foam did the trick