December 30, 2019
So Santa was good to you this Christmas. And with your holiday windfall you’ve decided it may be time to take the leap into turning your lifelong dream of becoming a serious aquarist into a reality. We’re not talking about a kid’s little fish tank here with a few freshwater guppies destined in short order for the porcelain cemetery; but a full-fledged, grown-up aquarium. And if you’re really feeling it, maybe even a saltwater tank.
Hold your horses, my friend. This is a decision not to be taken lightly. Lives are at stake (fish lives matter too, you know). The complexities of the setup alone can be daunting, not to mention the time and money commitment required in maintaining what is, after all, a complex, self-contained ecosystem, populated with living creatures for which you and you alone are responsible. But that’s the whole point, isn’t? Therefore, planning is everything.
And that planning starts with:
- How much will it cost?
- Where will the tank go? and
- How will it be supported?
We can’t help you with #1 and #2, since we don’t know the layout of your home nor the state of your finances. But as far as #3 is concerned, we can recommend considering an extruded aluminum aquarium stand from Framing Tech, which is not just strong and sturdy (yet lightweight), but also highly resistant to the corrosive effects of a moist environment—especially a saline one, which will just eat wood alive.
Previously we have written about how to select an aquarium stand and provided a handy sizing guide. But a picture is worth a thousand words, and that goes double for moving pictures. To help speed you on your way toward getting just the right sort of tank—and the appropriate aquarium stand to go with it—we have compiled here a collection of informative videos that will further fill in the gaps in your knowledge and fine-tune your planning.
And, of course, never hesitate to contact Framing Tech to speak to one of our staff members in person to provide further professional guidance.
So without further ado: lights — camera — action!
Aluminum Aquarium Stands—What’s That All About?
A Closer Look at the Framingtech.com Stand
By Tristian’s Reef
When considering stands for this project, I tried different ways of dealing with that. And one of the ways I wanted to do was possibly using wood. But given the cost and the fact that I will probably never need to replace this stand again in the tank’s lifetime, I felt that going with aluminum in this type of environment was a great idea. Over time and in the moisure-rich environment that our aquariums are in, wood can fail. It can rot. If you don’t use enough cross-braces and upright supports, they can also bend and buckle and cause your aquarium to break, and these were some of the things I wanted to avoid.
I really like the fact that this was easy to put together, it was sturdy, it was solid, and my frag tank really looked great on it.
I found that working with Anthony and the Framing Tech staff was very easy, very fast, and the responses came usually within a couple of hours if not the next day.
Putting It All Together
Aquarium Stand Overview
By J’s Reef
Hats off to Framing Tech for taking the extra step in reassuring my peace of mind. I would definitely go out on a limb and say that any reefer who wants to stay in the hobby for a long time, you should consider building your stand with Framing Tech.
Three words: “Weight Distribution Analysis.” The supporting stand you choose should properly accommodate the weight and dimensions of your tank. And Framing Tech can help you with that! This video describes the experience of ordering an aquarium stand from Framing Tech along with a step-by-step guide to assembling it, and then finally setting up the tank. As a bonus, at the end of the video is a walkthrough of the Framing Tech facility in Rochester, New York.
Breaking It All Down
The following series of videos from Tristian’s Reef illustrates the ins and outs of taking delivery of an aquarium stand ordered from Framing Tech, assembling it, installing any necessary plumbing, setting up the tank and—most important of all—populating it with sea life.
Unboxing the 96″ × 30″ × 38″ Aluminum Aquarium Stand
Why did Tristian go with an aluminum stand versus wood?
The answer is pretty simple.… I wanted a stand that would outlast the house.…It was very well packaged and taped up in all the right places.
Assembling the Aquarium Stand
Believe it or not, the only tool needed was an Allen wrench!
Framing Tech makes this pretty easy because in the diagram and on the pieces are individual labels that will help you identify where things will go.… I thoroughly enjoyed this build. It was extremely easy; and what would have taken me days with wood ended up just taking me an hour and a half.
Time to Install the Plumbing
Be careful not to flood the floor!
Setting Up the Tank
Empty, this 350-gallon aquarium alone weighs some 400–500 pounds. Once you fill it with rocks, coral, and water, you can expect the whole setup to weigh a total of about 3,500 pounds. Have we mentioned “Weight Distribution Analysis”? Not to worry: Framing Tech aquarium stands are designed to take just about whatever weight you want to load on them. (It‘s the weight-bearing capability of the floor underneath that you need to worry about. Talk about bringing down the house!)
The Finished Product
Behold: happy fish in a gigantic tank.
~ CURTAIN CALL ~
We hope these videos have inspired you to follow your dream of installing a seriously amazing aquarium in your home. But if you don’t happen to be in the market for a major fish tank, be aware that Framing Tech isn’t just about aquarium stands. From industrial enclosures to shelving, and from workbenches to signage, our capabilities in the cutting, tooling, and design of extruded aluminum profiles allows for a host of fabrication solutions to meet your exact needs.
So what is Framing Tech? This last video has the answer.
