Stand question for 400 gal tank

[P.kapp]

I have a 400 gallon glass tank being made now and I’m trying to make sure I get all the necessary equipment lined up for the stand.

Im having a local company make a stand out of extruded aluminum, with leveling casters. They are offering an option of 1/4” pvc sheet to line the top of the stand, but I’m not sure if this is too thin??
I don’t want to use any wood for aesthetic reasons, so I like the idea of the pvc sheet.

2nd part of the question would be the foam leveling liner on top of the pvc sheet, and under the pvc bottom of the tank. BRS offers 1/4” neoprene foam, but again, I don’t know if that’s too thin??

 

[C_AWOL]

The pvc and foam would mostly be there to alleviate/remove any potential pressure points from your stand. Being 1/4" material should be a non issue if you make sure all your joints are flush on the 80/20 stand.

 

[P.kapp]

The company doing the stand had their engineers look at this stand again and they want to make changes to it. I’m not sure if they are really necessary…

Any thoughts from those of you with t slot stands?

They want to add 3 more casters to the bottom of the stand where the red circles are. This seems worthless to me because the weight of the tank will be in the legs and not in the center, but I’m not sure

 

[DiefsReef]

The company doing the stand had their engineers look at this stand again and they want to make changes to it. I’m not sure if they are really necessary…

Any thoughts from those of you with t slot stands?

They want to add 3 more casters to the bottom of the stand where the red circles are. This seems worthless to me because the weight of the tank will be in the legs and not in the center, but I’m not sure

IMO it wont do much to spread any weight unless they add support members above the casters.

 

[P.kapp]

IMO it wont do much to spread any weight unless they add support members above the casters.

That’s kinda what I thought. They also want to extend the 3 lower short pieces to sit under the vertical legs, instead of the legs sitting right on the caster mounting plate

 

[piranhaman00]

I would remove the casters all together

 

[DiefsReef]

I would remove the casters all together

Thats what I was thinking as well. Thats a lot of weight on 6 little toes..

 

[LeftyReefer]

I'm not a fan of the casters, but if you do go with them, make sure they are the lockable kind.

 

[P.kapp]

The casters are rated for 1300 lb each and have leveling feet. It’s the same type that tidal gardens used for their tanks. Once you lower the leveling foot, the wheels is off the ground. I like the idea of being able to move the tank if needed. Not when it’s full of course

 

[P.kapp]

Here’s the caster.

 

[P.kapp]

Do you guys think the stand is structurally sound the way it’s designed? I was thinking about adding a couple horizontal supports across the top to support the pvc sheet under the tank. Plus maybe adding some bigger 45 degree angle supports in the upper corners

 

[Reefer Reboot]

The company doing the stand had their engineers look at this stand again and they want to make changes to it. I’m not sure if they are really necessary…

Any thoughts from those of you with t slot stands?

They want to add 3 more casters to the bottom of the stand where the red circles are. This seems worthless to me because the weight of the tank will be in the legs and not in the center, but I’m not sure

In post #9 you said, "The casters are rated for 1300 lb each and have leveling feet.", yet in post #10 you highlighted casters with a max load of 550 lbs each. If (and only if) post #10 is correct the manufacturer would be correct in wanting to add more. Quick math, 400 gallons X 8.5 lbs/gallon = 3400 lbs / 6 casters = 566.67 lbs per caster. Already over the limit. Now add in rocks, sand and equipment. Definitely over loaded. Extending the lower short pieces will take the load off of the connecting brackets creating a straight stacked metal to metal columnar load configuration to the stand.
Another question, are you going to have a sump supported by the lower part of this stand? If so you will want to re-figure your load requirements.
I know the idea of being able to move the tank sounds great but in reality, what are the chances that the average person is going to be moving such a large aquarium around their house? Then comes the question, what kind of floor is this going to be on and will it be able to handle that much wieght concertrated onto such small contact points without damage?
When I made mine, insted of casters, I cut HDPE strips to attached to the bottom of the stand. Makes it easy to slide (when empty of course), distributes the weight along the entire frames contact surface with the floor and doesn't mar the floor.

 

[Tenecor Aquariums]

Maybe I missed it but what are the tank dimensions? This is how we would build it. And you should really reconsider the casters.

 

[Tenecor Aquariums]

Note this little detail :

 

[Pistondog]

What is the floor material? If not cement, verify psi loads on feet.

 

[flagg37]

Another question that hasn’t been asked is the floor this is going on. If it’s on a slab then leveling feet work great, but on a wood floor with plywood and floor joists, it will be better to have the full footprint of the stand resting on the floor.

 

[flagg37]

What is the floor material? If not cement, verify psi loads on feet.

You got to it as I was typing it.

 

[Tenecor Aquariums]

What are the profile sizes? The size of the tank, the size of the profiles and the types of connectors are all important. The 45 gussets you are thinking about may also be needed for shear loads.

 

[P.kapp]

In post #9 you said, "The casters are rated for 1300 lb each and have leveling feet.", yet in post #10 you highlighted casters with a max load of 550 lbs each. If (and only if) post #10 is correct the manufacturer would be correct in wanting to add more. Quick math, 400 gallons X 8.5 lbs/gallon = 3400 lbs / 6 casters = 566.67 lbs per caster. Already over the limit. Now add in rocks, sand and equipment. Definitely over loaded. Extending the lower short pieces will take the load off of the connecting brackets creating a straight stacked metal to metal columnar load configuration to the stand.
Another question, are you going to have a sump supported by the lower part of this stand? If so you will want to re-figure your load requirements.
I know the idea of being able to move the tank sounds great but in reality, what are the chances that the average person is going to be moving such a large aquarium around their house? Then comes the question, what kind of floor is this going to be on and will it be able to handle that much wieght concertrated onto such small contact points without damage?
When I made mine, insted of casters, I cut HDPE strips to attached to the bottom of the stand. Makes it easy to slide (when empty of course), distributes the weight along the entire frames contact surface with the floor and doesn't mar the floor.

I know it seems dumb, but I just thought if I had a leak it would be nice to drain the tank and pull it out of the cutout in the wall where it’s gonna sit. Haha. I do see your point though. They have 3 different casters with different weight ratings. The entry level one was around 600 lbs, and I knew that wouldn’t work. They do have a 2000 lb option as well, but I thought the 1300 lb option would suffice. But it may be better to go overkill on it.
I do appreciate your input! I’m trying to take everyone’s input into consideration, so thank you!

 

[P.kapp]

Maybe I missed it but what are the tank dimensions? This is how we would build it. And you should really reconsider the casters.

Thanks for responding. The dimensions are 66” x 44” x 32” tall. It will be a glass tank with pvc bottom.
i should have mentioned that the tank is in my basement and on concrete