Tank stand Metal or Wood

[Deezill]

Hello R2R,
I hope everyone is doing well on this wonderful morning. I have a question. I am getting ready to do another build in which I will be upgrading from a 150g to a 180g. The upgrade is small but the tank is different. My current tank is an extra high tank and though it is 150g its only 48 inches (4 feet) wide.
My 180 is 72 inches (6 feet) wide. I want my fish to be able to swim the length of the tank as opposed to swimming up and down. I will post a build thread because this tank is going in my basement and I don't have to worry about the weight of the tank. This brings me to my question. Should I go wooden stand or metal? Let me know your thoughts. I am looking forward to my new summer build.

 

[Ocelaris]

Metal, make sure there are no braces across the front or back, makes it great to do maintenance on the tank. I attached a piece of plywood to separate the space, but miracles aquarium did not nice job making the sump accessible to work on

 

[brian.badge]

I like the idea of a stand, metal or wood, with easily removable panels (front side etc). That way its enclosed (I have kids that need to be kept out), but easy to open up for maintenance.

 

[CB2029]

Then I would use a good welded metal frame and magnet wood side pieces

 

[Ocelaris]

I've had the tank with the metal stand for about 8 months and with little kids I haven't gotten around to fabricating sides! So far the worst thing that's happened is that I lose half my nori sheets to my kids eating them when I give the tangs some

 

[lbacha]

I have an extruded aluminum 80/20 T slot stand and it’s light, strong and gives me tons of room inside the stand with little bracing. I used wood panels with magnets to make it so I can open it up completely. I actually rarely put the front panels on the tank as I like the look of the sump

Len

 

[Deezill]

I like the idea of a stand, metal or wood, with easily removable panels (front side etc). That way its enclosed (I have kids that need to be kept out), but easy to open up for maintenance.

I agree. I now have my nephew living with me and my wife for a short time and he crawls. I can have him eating my chaeto. I can lock my cabinet doors considering they are wood on my current stand.

 

[Deezill]

I've had the tank with the metal stand for about 8 months and with little kids I haven't gotten around to fabricating sides! So far the worst thing that's happened is that I lose half my nori sheets to my kids eating them when I give the tangs some

LOL

 

[Deezill]

I have an extruded aluminum 80/20 T slot stand and it’s light, strong and gives me tons of room inside the stand with little bracing. I used wood panels with magnets to make it so I can open it up completely. I actually rarely put the front panels on the tank as I like the look of the sump

Len

Where did you purchase your stand if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Deezill]

Metal, make sure there are no braces across the front or back, makes it great to do maintenance on the tank. I attached a piece of plywood to separate the space, but miracles aquarium did not nice job making the sump accessible to work on

This is a very nice look tank btw. I hope my upgrade looks as clean and as nice as yours

 

[lbacha]

Where did you purchase your stand if you don't mind me asking?

I actually made it myself

 

[Ocelaris]

This is a very nice look tank btw. I hope my upgrade looks as clean and as nice as yours

Thanks, it was a long time in planning and I still haven't gotten around to wrapping it with wood. That's the big downside of metal, attaching doors etc...

 

[Deezill]

Yeah so I was thinking about a facade to go over my new metal stand as well, however, since I am building inside a wall I figure you won't see it anyway. I am going to take R2R every step of the way and document all of my journey. The basement will get a total rehab and I will explain why during the build. I plan on posting lots of pictures and making some video.

 

[NeedMoreReef]

if your budget and timeframe allows, Go with metal stand. 2" square tube looks nice. there are lots on R2R to reference. I had mine built so can't really give you much advise.

 

[Deezill]

if your budget and timeframe allows, Go with metal stand. 2" square tube looks nice. there are lots on R2R to reference. I had mine built so can't really give you much advise.

I am not a builder at all. I will have my stand welded built or whatever. I am not doing it myself because I would be scared the tank would fall down. I am leaving it to the professionals.

 

[NeedMoreReef]

Here’s mine I had built. I wish it was powder coated. Something I wish I had done differently!

 

[count krunk]

metal you can get by with less support structure since it is so strong.

wood is much cheaper than metal and you can still make quite a nice stand without being hampered by support structure, IMO. You can easily span 48" with wood.

Wood you can also build yourself, and metal most people cannot.