Stand and tank question

Steven91 · Dec 29, 2019

Hey everyone,

I currently have a 120 gal tank (4ft long) and looking at getting a new stand for it, moving the tank from one side of the house to another and the stand has seen some better days, and was looking at the T-slotted aluminum stand for it as I figured don't have to really about the material degrading or rusting, but also it might give me some flexibility if I ever wanted to go bigger. This leads me to my next question

Currently planning I think my dream tank, an 8ft long, 2ft wide and 2ft tall tank. Does anyone have any opinions on the tank dimensions and was looking at going custom for the tank as I dont think anyone really makes an 8ft tank 2ft wide normally. Can't really go any wider as it would block too much walking area (was going to make it 25 inches so when glass thickness is factored in it would be 2ft)

JoshH · Dec 29, 2019

Steven91 said:
Hey everyone,

I currently have a 120 gal tank (4ft long) and looking at getting a new stand for it, moving the tank from one side of the house to another and the stand has seen some better days, and was looking at the T-slotted aluminum stand for it as I figured don't have to really about the material degrading or rusting, but also it might give me some flexibility if I ever wanted to go bigger. This leads me to my next question

Currently planning I think my dream tank, an 8ft long, 2ft wide and 2ft tall tank. Does anyone have any opinions on the tank dimensions and was looking at going custom for the tank as I dont think anyone really makes an 8ft tank 2ft wide normally. Can't really go any wider as it would block too much walking area (was going to make it 25 inches so when glass thickness is factored in it would be 2ft)

Question 1, T slot is a fantastic material to make stands out of and the water resistance is excellent, however it is worth keeping in the back of your mind that while the actual structural material is aluminum, the bolts that hold it all together are not. So in an ideal world you would want to replace them every 5 orso years (Arbitrary number) to prevent them from rusting even though they are typically stainless steel, they will still rust over time. A stand designed for your current tank probably wouldn't be super flexible in terms of your upgrade as all the load calculations would be based off of your smaller tank. You can, however plan for your upgrade and use thicker T-slot from the beginning. Honestly I wouldn't plan on using the smaller stand atall and focus on a new one for the new tank. The smaller one can always be used elsewhere for a frag or QT setup down the road...

You are somewhat correct in that stock 8 footers are a rarity out there and custom would be the better way to go. If you are looking at a rimless tank, no custom tank builder would go 1/2" glass thickness on a 24" tall tank so just remember that when factoring in the width of your tank. It will more than likely be 3/4" or 5/8" if it's Eurobraced... for a tank that size I would just go with the eurobracing. When considering tank builders ask them to provide a couple pictures of how they eurobrace there tanks as almost all of them are different and look totally different as well if you want to go Eurobraced that is...

Steven91 · Dec 29, 2019

JoshH said:
Question 1, T slot is a fantastic material to make stands out of and the water resistance is excellent, however it is worth keeping in the back of your mind that while the actual structural material is aluminum, the bolts that hold it all together are not. So in an ideal world you would want to replace them every 5 orso years (Arbitrary number) to prevent them from rusting even though they are typically stainless steel, they will still rust over time. A stand designed for your current tank probably wouldn't be super flexible in terms of your upgrade as all the load calculations would be based off of your smaller tank. You can, however plan for your upgrade and use thicker T-slot from the beginning. Honestly I wouldn't plan on using the smaller stand atall and focus on a new one for the new tank. The smaller one can always be used elsewhere for a frag or QT setup down the road...

You are somewhat correct in that stock 8 footers are a rarity out there and custom would be the better way to go. If you are looking at a rimless tank, no custom tank builder would go 1/2" glass thickness on a 24" tall tank so just remember that when factoring in the width of your tank. It will more than likely be 3/4" or 5/8" if it's Eurobraced... for a tank that size I would just go with the eurobracing. When considering tank builders ask them to provide a couple pictures of how they eurobrace there tanks as almost all of them are different and look totally different as well if you want to go Eurobraced that is...

Awesome, this is the info I needed to know as the bigger tank probably isnt for a few years down the road just trying to get a few things figured out now so I don't waste money, might just stick with a wooden stand on my current tank and then when the time comes figure out what to do with the tank and stand. The 8ft tank I was thinking of having it Eurobraced anyways, for 2 reasons, 1 for peace of mind and 2 might make putting a screen on it a lot easier. Do you have any suggestions on a tank maker for this?

JoshH · Dec 29, 2019

Steven91 said:
Awesome, this is the info I needed to know as the bigger tank probably isnt for a few years down the road just trying to get a few things figured out now so I don't waste money, might just stick with a wooden stand on my current tank and then when the time comes figure out what to do with the tank and stand. The 8ft tank I was thinking of having it Eurobraced anyways, for 2 reasons, 1 for peace of mind and 2 might make putting a screen on it a lot easier. Do you have any suggestions on a tank maker for this?

I prefer a Eurobraced tank as well, they also really help prevent a lot of salt creep issues from splashing.

I have quite a few suggestions for tank makers and they all typically revolve around what budget you're looking at. My custom peninsula is made by Miracles Aquariums based in Ontario Canada and I love it!

This thread is a good read and has quite an extensive list of current manufacturers in the market, it also has my review of my Miracles tank...

Your thoughts on custom tank manufacturers?

So lately I seem to see a lot of threads popping up on advice on custom tank manufacturers and which ones people would recommend. Last fall I went through the same process myself and landed on a manufacturer here in Canada. But it's recently dawned on me that in my search and even combing...

www.reef2reef.com

ndrwater · Dec 29, 2019

FWIW, an 8x2x2 is a standard 240. I have one.. love it.
If looking for a eurobraced tank, then custom is the way to go.
If doing a peninsula, honestly, I'd go a different route. 8 feet can be tough to get flow unless you don't mind seeing pumps or powerheads on the long end.
Mine is a standard and I use a couple MP60's and an MP40 beyond my return.

Steven91 · Dec 29, 2019

ndrwater said:
FWIW, an 8x2x2 is a standard 240. I have one.. love it.
If looking for a eurobraced tank, then custom is the way to go.
If doing a peninsula, honestly, I'd go a different route. 8 feet can be tough to get flow unless you don't mind seeing pumps or powerheads on the long end.
Mine is a standard and I use a couple MP60's and an MP40 beyond my return.

Not going peninsula going to be a standard tank as its going to be right in the middle of wall almost filling it up. Haven't thought about flow or anything right this second, just in the early planning stages

ndrwater · Dec 29, 2019

A 240 is an awesome dimensioned tank. Big enough to be big, deep enough to allow for decent rockwork/dimension, tall enough not to be a pain.
I'd still recommend things like MP60's or the like for flow.
In my SPS tank, i run them at 85% anti-sync and they work well.

Steven91 · Dec 29, 2019

ndrwater said:
A 240 is an awesome dimensioned tank. Big enough to be big, deep enough to allow for decent rockwork/dimension, tall enough not to be a pain.
I'd still recommend things like MP60's or the like for flow.
In my SPS tank, inrun them at 85% anti-sync and they work well.

Thats something to keep in mind, might do a mix of MP 60s with a grye as well. Reason for this tank is to house my dream fish, Achilles tang