• A metal frame for a marine aquarium is essential.

  • Joshua8425

Hello to all aquarists! I'm gradually buying equipment for a marine aquarium and want to convert my freshwater tank into a marine one, hoping to set it up by summer. I'm having doubts about my stand; it's made of wood, but I'm not sure what type, as shown in the photo. I want to remove all the internal parts of the stand and place a sump there. I'm reading various topics and increasingly considering a frame for the aquarium (250 liters). Sailors, could you please advise if a frame is necessary for such a stand? I really don't want to deal with it, but if I don't install a frame, I don't want to have to restart the aquarium because of the stand. I know that seawater is an aggressive environment for wood and metal. What do you recommend? I might not have posted in the right section, so I ask the moderators to move it to the appropriate section.

Veronica

The cabinet must be reinforced with a metal frame. After dismantling the interior, it will lose its stability and, under the influence of the increased weight, will begin to deform, which is unacceptable. It is advisable to reinforce the aquarium with a double bottom, as you will be laying out the reef, which adds a significant extra weight.

Christopher1774

Very weak stand, it will sag in the middle, the result may crack in half. I once had a 250L aquarium, and the stand was custom-made. As seen in the photo, it was supported by 4 pipes with a diameter of 60mm, plus central vertical supports made of two layers of particle board, and the tabletop was also two layers. After 2 years, the particle board swelled from moisture. Now I only use moisture-resistant plywood, which is stronger.

Omar3497

The cabinet needs to be either reinforced or made of metal. Here is the experience with jewel cabinets. What exactly to do is up to you. If the aquarium is not a 10-gallon, I would replace it and order one specifically for saltwater. Since I want to be cautious, there are six floors below.

Travis572

It's impossible to understand anything here... what does it mean, not wanting to restart because of the cabinet? How would you like to restart in general? Seawater is an aggressive environment, and that says it all; everything needs to be done reliably and thoughtfully, otherwise you won't be happy with it or the sea later...

Janet5447

the author is most likely referring to something else - if he "overlays with the stump" and it later comes out, then a restart is inevitable, and that is what he wants to avoid

Dana4701

It is definitely needed. Because in the "sea" it is much easier to catch a gaff than in fresh water. There are spills, returns, and a flocculator, etc. And all this furniture piece will float. It will swell, then dry out, etc.

Ronald5720

This is like enacting a law that "all citizens must make cabinets only from particle board" and only with a metal frame.

Brandi

Have you personally tried making sea-themed cabinets from wood and particle board? Or is it like it usually is here: you don't understand it yourself, but you're ready to teach and give advice?

Christine

The frame should be made of square stainless steel pipe (the type that is not attracted by a magnet) with six adjustable legs with pads and locking nuts. The frame must be straight, not wobbly - the metal should be welded by a professional. On top of the frame, a bakelite plywood that monolithic builders use should be placed in a double layer (single layer bends over time) or OSB plywood can also be used.

Melinda

Never cabinets. And I wouldn't recommend it to you either. I regularly make yachts. Specifically wooden ones.

Laura9093

I followed the advice from Riffcentral and made myself a cabinet from oak beams + particle board + MDF. And I don't regret it at all. On the other hand, I've seen enough of metal cabinets, especially after a year of use - absolutely all of them rust!

Mitchell7972

What rusts, that’s for sure. Where there is saltwater, black metal feels really bad. Once there was a topic, someone, I remember, asked how to protect metal in a cabinet from corrosion. There were plenty of suggestions, but none were really accepted. That’s why an oak beam under the sea is an excellent solution. I now regret that I didn’t set such a goal back in the day, despite the 60-degree angle. It seems fine for now, but still, in some places, it’s already starting to rust.

Karen81

Americans love to make cabinets from wooden beams. I don't see anything wrong with that. Here, it's easier to find a good welder than good wood for a cabinet. Dry oak is expensive and hard to find. And making a cabinet from pine...

Darrell5975

That's right! The local carpenters don't want to work with wood. They prefer to make everything from plywood according to standard drawings. They made a cabinet for me in Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi. There are no specialists in Kyiv.

Kathy

They are not with us either...

John3142

No special skills or brains are needed for this, and oak is far from being the "elite," but a great elite would be a frame made of glued beech furniture board - and D3 carpentry glue - both are inexpensive and always available at Epicenters. My wooden cabinet cost 1000. There are photos in the "General Questions" topic. Metal and seawater are incompatible - justified only in the form of hulls for shipbuilding - it is not the water itself that is dangerous, but the "dust-fog" from seawater, which is why the corrosion zone on marine vessels is located above the waterline.

Jessica5348

Could you please tell me if special stands for aquariums are suitable???

Cindy

I mean, the stands from aquarium sets? These stands have very limited internal space, meaning there is no room for placing a sump, etc.

Dana4701

Has the normal ground already been canceled???? I have a cabinet that has been standing for 3 years with no rust. Well, there is some in one spot where I scratched the metal, and that's only because I was too lazy to cover it up.

James

So you also need to paint the ground with paint. And then don't scratch it! P.S. What about moisture and wood? Like, does it rot and can the wood warp?

Dennis

The paint for coloring the cabinet should be epoxy. (We use this type in our work for chemical protection of surfaces in aggressive environments). You can find Rust Master, for example, in supermarkets. There will be no talk of corrosion at all.

Michelle1505

There is a thought about titanium. But times are not what they used to be. Titanium seems to be unnecessary now. In the past, there was no limit to what could be made from it, as it was abundant. To this day, I can still picture a titanium dump. You could find all sorts of things in titanium there. I still use tubes. I connect live stones with them. However, in our city, they can still offer a rod or a tube at outrageous prices at the flea market...