Wood Vs Steel
 

I was going to buy my stand for my tank as everybody does in wood, you know black panel we see everywhere, but then someone told me they had steel one as good and cheaper.

Mine in wood was $ 499 for my 150g and the steel one is $289 black finish and they say it will out last the wood one and its not galvanized i asked. Anybody have a steel one can verify that they're as good as wood and outlast them?

I would think they would rust , wood don't rust. Its certainly sturdy now but in 5-10 years.... can i paint it while the tank is runing?? Any comment or advice on that choice.

The wood stands you typically buy at LFSs aren't really wood at all being that they are made from MDF which has no business near water. It'll swell and bow over time. Metal stands will likely rust but it's pretty superficial surface rust and it won't effect strength. So typically metal out lasts wood but metal stands can be harder and more expensive to dress so price wise I wouldn't say metal is cheaper.

The steel stand should not rust if it is sufficiently coated with an appropriate water resistant paint. Wood does not rust but is susceptible to water/moisture damage.

Steel stand will last for a very long time. Proper coating and u should be set for 10yrs +.

Powder
 

Someone just sent me a message about powdered steel , a type of emal put on the steel and cooked in an oven and it bonds on the steel itself and creates a barrier, but has to be done before painting. Never heard of that one before. I would have to have the stand made up by a welder with raw steel first.

As a former stand builder and currently an industrial painter I'm obviously biased:wink:

I feel strongly that steel will last virtually forever if prepared properly (I warranty any stands I have built in the past and will continue to cover them for many more years.

The "powder paint" you are referring to is called powder coating and is indeed a very durable coating. Personally I'm not a huge fan of it as it isn't indestructible as people claim and once you notice rust, it's likely pretty far gone as it travels and grows beneath the coating. We remove a lot of old powder coat at work and 9 times out of 10 rust spots on the surface indicate a badly pitted surface underneath. Also refinishing powder coat is a pain as it can't be touched up, but rather removed entirely (we use abrasive blasting). Cost wise, it can be even cheaper than a quality paint job as its a pretty competitive market right now.

If you decide on a steel stand, look for details like closed (mitred) corners instead of open tube ends (impossible to get a decent coating inside and rust traps). Also check the build quality in terms of design. I've seen store sold stands where the weight of the tank is supported only by a half inch weld. Check that the weight is transferred from the top through the uprights (hope that makes sense).

That being said, a quality wood stand should last as well and is easier to match your decor.

Francis

Are you sure its not powdered coating they are talking about?
It is basically a paint that is baked on at 400° rather than cured with solvents evaporating like typical paint.


edited:

yeah, what ALBERTA-NEWB said.

Thanks for the tips will do. But from the reviews of others in the different sites i red; Miracle Aquariums from TO, make good stands, they're the ones making my starfire tanks and stands.

Yes that's it lol sorry about that never heard of that before .

Thanks guys.

agreed

True but if you paint wood with water resistant paint it won't water damage either.

True. I think the moral of this thread is that no matter what material you choose, so long as it is sufficiently coated with a water resistant paint, the stand will likly out last ones interest in the hobby :-)

Please don't tell me that i'm putting a few thousand into this project lol ; its my semi retirement gift to myself, something to tinker , and old passion of my youths...lol:biggrin:

Ha, ok, we'll tell you you aren't going to put anew thousand into the tank... You'll come back to us later and tell us you did. It's inevitable:mrgreen: I've learned to just stop counting (and I'm a poor, frugal student). It's a hobby that I really enjoy, so I've stopped caring about the cost as much.

I'll echo what others have said: as long as you've coated the stand with a decent waterproof paint, you're good to good for a long time. At work I conduct experiments with fairly caustic solution (2.2M sodium carbonate) that pretty much insta-rusts steel and I get spills constantly. My whole experimental apparatus is mounted to a steel frame stand. I painted it with blue Krylon paint and 4.5 years later, no rust.

lol ok thanks lol, oh i know about the cost but the its the starting cost thats worst, the rest is maintenance, and upgrades, thats normal, i don't drink or smoke , thats my income for the tank, boose and smokes thats a fair size amount per year, lol , the occasional wine don't count, and two glasses and i'm done, lol. The fishes will get drunk before me on vodka lol. Thanks guys....

STEEL all the way!!!

I voted steel .
I like steel stands as if designed right they give you extra room under the tank for equipment etc.

The downside to steel stands IMO is that they are more difficult to skin/wrap.
and much more difficult to add little shelves , or clamps or modify in anyway once your tank is running.

Couldn't agree more, tore my previous 65g down because a mini flood inside the stand caused the MDF to swell, crack and bulge out. I've used metal on ever stand since then with great results.